We left Arklow and journeyed to Kenmare. En route, we saw many strawberry stands and my husband finally couldn't resist stopping for one. Pictured below is also the incredible chocolate walnut cake which we had at the Avoca Cafe the next day when we set off on the Ring of Kerry. On the right is Maccarthys Castle in Macroom which was also on the way to Kenmare.
We passed by this beautiful sight and decided to get down. Lo and behold, the air was thick with the most putrid and repulsive smell of cow manure. But for the sake of the view, I wrapped my face in my scarf and tried to take it on. Kudos to the husband and my in laws who were less affected and have much higher thresholds.
After 1 minute, feeling dizzy from all the (methane +sulphur?), I clambered back into the car. Until that night, literally every fibre of my being, (I now know what that expression means) especially my arms and hair, (my clothes and scarf bore the brunt of the covered areas) reeked of Grade A Cow Manure. My husband will testify to that. I made him smell my hair.
The cows with what can only be amazing digestive systems.
We stopped by a fishing town and ended up eating lunch at a McD. :)
We arrived in Kenmare towards the late evening.
Travel tip: fly with some homemade Bak Chang stowed away! :) We even brought some chilli oil with us. True Malaysians! Bak Chang is the best travel food so far I can say. It has everything in one good little package- rice, meat, mushroom. What more can one ask for? We bought some Chinese spring rolls, chicken soup and cabbage from Lidl. We enjoyed making use of the lovely crockery and oven provided.
We set off the next day towards Killarney. 10km into it, we stopped at Avoca Cafe for stunning views of Moll's Gap. The weather was not all that good. It was raining here and there.
The Gap shrouded by rain and cloud.
After about 10 minutes or so, the sky started clearing up.
Suddenly, out of nowhere patches of blue sky and the sun appeared over the valley! Breathtaking....
We set off when the rain was less heavy. The next viewpoint was Ladies View. I loved this one. We climbed down and onto some rocks to look at the vast open terrain.
Another viewpoint: Leprechaun Crossing
We drove through some windy roads and arrived at Torc Waterfall. It was raining by then and there was a trio of coachmen attempting to hustle up some business for their horse-pulled carriage but honestly, who would want to do that on a rainy day? Armed with umbrellas and ponchos, we hiked up a little slope to the waterfall. Surprisingly, although the rain was quite heavy, there were still quite a few tourists up there.
We continued on our journey and went to MuckRoss House.
There were jaunting car rides offered along the lake and grounds of the beautiful house.
Wonderfully manicured lawns.
Such a beautiful tree- perfect spot for some reading/picnics
Bright and cheerful Allium pom-poms.
We continued towards Killorglin and headed home after the in-laws had a reunion with Kate Kearney's Cottage. On the way back, we saw lovely sheep.
Through the rainy terrains and windy roads, we approached Ballaghbeama Gap. The road was isolated and sheep would walk across our path.
As the road slowly climbed, I was shaking slightly at the anticipation of what lies beyond each bend. We could see the clouds blowing through the gap on the left like smoke, swirling over the mountains. It was really quite ominous. It does not look very imposing in pictures, but believe you me, in reality it was pretty terrifying.
We arrive at the top of the road and behold, Ballaghbeama Gap, marked by a giant rock which presumably fell from the gigantic mountain on the right many years ago.
I was trying to capture this in perspective. My husband compared to the size of the rock, compared to the giant mountain on the right which top runs on for another half from where the picture ends.
The road we were on is on the far right. You can see a hint of it bending at the top right of the picture.
Aforementioned road.
We continued on past the mountain ranges and soon we were on a rollercoaster road.
The road would lead into small paths covered by trees which was so beautiful but also adrenaline-provoking.
Finally, we came out from the windy and twisty maze and made our way back to the cottage in Kenmare. Hands down, my husband's favourite is the Gap. We ended up visiting it twice during our stay there.
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