Page 338 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

beach, mountain and eye to the wooded hills
woodland horse treks for above town, may make
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
all levels. you forget for a split
7 Caherdaniel The Drive » Wind your way second that Kenmare is a
The scattered hamlet of east along the N70 for 21km to seaside town. With rivers
Caherdaniel counts two Sneem. named Finnihy, Roughty
of the Ring of Kerry’s and Sheen emptying
highlights: Derrynane into Kenmare Bay, you
National Historic Park, 8 Sneem couldn’t be anywhere
surrounded by sub- Sneem’s Irish name, An other than southwest
tropical gardens; and tSnaidhm, translates Ireland.
bar-restaurant Scarriff to ‘the knot’, which is In the 18th century
Inn (%066-947 5132; http:// thought to refer to the Kenmare was laid out to
scarriffinn.com; Caherdaniel; River Sneem that swirls, an X-shaped plan, with a
h9am-9pm, kitchen hrs vary), knot-like, into nearby triangular market square
with its picture windows Kenmare Bay. in the centre. Today the
framing what it plausibly Take a gander at the inverted V to the south
claims is ‘Ireland’s finest town’s two cute squares, is the focus. Kenmare
view’ over rugged cliffs then pop into the Blue Bay stretches out to the
and islands. Bull (%064-664 5382; South southwest, and there
IRELAND 24 RING OF KERRY
Most activity here Sq; mains €17-29; hfood are glorious views of the
centres on the Blue Flag noon-2pm & 6-9.30pm), a mountains.
beach. Derrynane Sea perfect little old stone Signposted south-
Sports (%087 908 1208; pub, for a pint. west of the square is an
www.derrynaneseasports.com; early Bronze Age stone
Derrynane Beach) organ- 4 p339 circle, one of the biggest
ises sailing, canoeing, The Drive » Along the 27km in southwest Ireland.
surfing, windsurfing and drive to Kenmare, the N70 drifts Fifteen stones ring a
water-skiing (from €40 away from the water to coast boulder dolmen, a burial
per person), as well as along under a canopy of trees. monument rarely found
equipment hire (around outside this part of the
€10 per hour). Eagle country.
Rock Equestrian Centre 9 Kenmare 54 p313, p339
(%066-947 5145; www. The copper-covered lime-
eaglerockcentre.com; Bally- stone spire of Holy Cross The Drive » The coastal
carnahan; per hr €35) offers Church, drawing the scenery might be finished, but,
if anything, the next 23km are
even more stunning as you head
north from Kenmare to the Gap
TOP TIP: of Dunloe on the vista-crazy
AROUND (AND ACROSS) N71, winding between rock
THE RING and lake, with plenty of lay-bys
(shoulders) to stop and admire
Tour buses travel anticlockwise around the Ring, and the views (and recover from the
authorities generally encourage visitors to drive in switchback bends).
the same direction to avoid traffic congestion and
accidents. If you travel clockwise, watch out on blind
corners. There’s little traffic on the Ballaghbeama TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Gap, which cuts across the peninsula’s central a Gap of Dunloe
highlands and has some spectacular views.
Just west of Killarney
National Park, the Gap

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