1030: left Bantry for Castletownbere. There is an option for a stop in Glengarrif, although the weather was very changeable for us. We've gone to Garnish island before to visit the stunning gardens and would heartily recommend the boat trip and visit.

1200: arrived Castletownbere (fish shop below) and had coffees in this charming town. It is an important fishing port, boasting freezing and smoking houses. There are plenty of pubs and a couple of good cafes for refreshment. One option is a visit to Bere island; you can see remains of the British fort amongst other things.

1300: departed for the most westerly point of the Beara penisula and cable car to Dursey island. It's only 20 miles from Castletownbere but took almost an hour, including diversions.

1400: finally arrived at Garnish, departure point for Dursey. The cable car has to be seen to be believed - the pictures [Dursey island cable car pictures and information] can't capture the smell of sheep and decaying wood. It is a most-do experience while in Munster - you can dine out on the stories for months to come. The island itself is stunning, even on a misty day. The pictured car [below] is not a wreck - while we were admiring the dolphins from the little pier, the car's driver took it to the pier to drag a boat up the slipway! The cable car runs at certain times - see this page for details.

1600: departed Dursey for Killorglin via Kenmare. On reflection, this drive was too long and we would have been better booking accomodation in lovely Kenmare. We didn't even have time to slow down and enjoy that town. At Moll's Gap we joined the famous 'Ring of Kerry' drive and enjoyed the fabulous views. The traffic was light but this was a May evening - allow more time from mid-June-September. We went straight through Killarney, not one of my favourite towns. It was quite slow since we arrived during the evening rush (1600-1830).

1900: arrived at Killorglin and found our B&B quite easily. We found a diner which we wouldn't recommend. Food was basic and the service slow. At least it was cheap. Found a good bar (plenty of choice) and had a couple of pints of Guinness.

< tour day 1 |Munster tour index | tour day 3 >