The Ring of Kerry, or the Iveragh Peninsula, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of the world. During summer, getting outdoors to play golf, go walking, cycling or fishing is high on the priorities list. It is the perfect spot for a relaxing European summer vacation.

Our trip to the Ring of Kerry was in October, outside of the traditional holiday season.

We almost had the region to ourselves.

We had been advised that during the tourist season, tourist buses choose to navigate the Ring of Kerry in a counter clockwise direction. This was due to the narrowness of the roads making it difficult to pass if they were heading in opposite directions. Unsure if we were going to even encounter any tourist buses, we headed off in a clockwise direction, just in case.

Our journey took us through Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Kells through to the half way point of Cahersiveen. The scenery was spectacular. Our next stop was Waterville, where we were staying the night.

We checked into O’Grady’s Townhouse Bed & Breakfast. We were met at the front door by our host, Angela O’Grady. Our room was tastefully decorated and featured an ensuite, heater and a TV.

After check in, we headed to the local pub for dinner.

Being in Ireland, we were both looking forward to having Irish Stew in a genuine Irish pub. To our surprise, it didn’t even get a look in on the menu! We settled for the traditional fish and chips.

Tired and weary after a long day’s drive from Dublin, we headed back to O’Grady’s for an early night.

The next morning we enquired as to where we could find an ATM to withdraw cash. There was only one in the entire town at the local supermarket and it was having a ‘moment’. It didn’t want to read any of our cards. After profusely rubbing the magnetic strip on our card and using assertive language at the machine (for some reason, this always helps) it jumped into action, relieving us of our financial drought.

Note to self – take cash when driving through small towns!

Many celebrities are attracted to Waterville. Their photos adorn the walls of the local pub. A statue of Charlie Chaplin resides in town.

The Waterville Golf Club golf course is a sight to be seen and has been played by many of the world’s top golfers.

Tiger Woods has been known to play a round or two while celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have also been spotted on the green.

While there wasn’t much golfing action happening when we were there, it was still worth stopping by the Waterville Golf Club to admire the view.

We travelled on through Caherdaniel and Sneem. The narrow roads meant that we had to take care as we navigated the local sheep who were scattered on the road.

Near the township of Sneem, we came upon Staigue Fort.

The history of Staigue Fort appears to be a little vague, though it was thought to be a defensive stronghold for a local lord or a king. There is also evidence of copper mining in the surround area.

No mortar was used in the building of the fort and the stones are not dressed, showing a considerable feat of engineering and construction.

The walls are 5m high, 4m thick and almost 27m in diameter.

After driving down a long, winding land, we placed a small donation in a bucket on the fence to cover our visit. As we were there outside of the peak tourist season, we had the entire place to ourselves.

We walked through a small 1.8 metre passage into the fort to find local sheep happily grazing.

There’s a rather obvious sign situated within the fort to indicate there was to be no climbing on the walls, obviously to safe guard the fort from further destruction but unfortunate that it was necessary to remind some people.

As with any place on the Ring of Kerry, the view of the continuous, rolling green hills was amazing.

We travelled on through Kenmare before arriving in Killarney for our drive back to Dublin. A gorgeous and lucky rainbow greeted us during our travels.

We only had two days to drive from Dublin, around the Ring of Kerry and back again. I would recommend planning to stay longer. The Ring of Kerry is absolutely beautiful. Being outside of the tourist season, some places were starting to close.

Maybe next time I’ll opt for the teetering end of the tourist season

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