Beaufort House - Sight-seeing

Gap of Dunloe and the Lakes of Killarney

Two of Ireland's most famous beauty spots, the Gap of Dunloe and the Lakes of Killarney are only minutes away. Day trips can be arranged going through the Gap of Dunloe by pony and trap or on horseback to the Black Valley and coming through the Upper, Middle and Lower Lakes by boat.

The Ring Of Kerry

The famous Ring of Kerry is a 104 mile drive around the coastline of the Iveragh peninsula, and includes Derrynane, birthplace of the Liberator, Daniel O'Connell, Valentia Island, terminus for the first Trans Atlantic telegraph and the beautiful market town of Kenmare. About 5 hours.

The Inner Ring

A wild and beautiful drive which skirts the foothills of McGillycuddy's Reeks and Lough Acoose and traverses the Ballaghbeama Pass, one of the most remote and spectacular landscapes in Ireland, before joining the Ring of Kerry road at Moll's Gap and returning to Killarney. About 2 1/2 hours.

The Dingle Peninsula

The Dingle Peninsula is less than forty miles away and was the setting for the films Ryan's Daughter and Far And Away. The Slea Head drive around the western most tip of the Dingle Peninsula brings one to Dunquin, the most westerly village in Europe, and the splendid Kruger Kavanagh's bar where you can drink the most westerly pint of Guinness in Europe, before visiting the 7th century Gallarus Oratory, a drystone chapel still waterproof after a thousand years. About 4 - 5 hours

The Skellig Rocks

If the weather is fine a trip to Skelligs, a spectacular pair of Rocks rising vertiginously from the sea 10 miles off the coast is a must. Taking a boat from Valentia or Portmagee, the trip passes Little Skellig, a bare rock which contains the largest gannet colony in Europe, and lands on Skellig Michael, which has the amazingly well preserved ruins of a seventh century monastic settlement on one of its two peaks. The climb of six hundred steps is not recommended to the very young or very old. Day trip.

The Beara Peninsular

The Beara is a wild and beautiful drive starting in Kenmare and ending in Glengarrif. At the southwestern tip is Dursey Island, accessible only by Cable Car, and there are the attractive villages of Allihies and Castletown Bearhaven. It is a much less frequented than the Ring of Kerry and equally as attractive. About 4 - 5 hours .

Muckross House

For guests exhausted by driving a visit to Muckross House, just the other side of Killarney, is recommended. Apart from the walks mentioned on the Walking Page, there is the Victorian Mansion, built in 1840 by the Herbert family and given to the nation in 1932 by the Bourne and Vincent families. The house contains fine examples of Irish furniture, craft shops and a restaurant. The estate includes beautiful gardens, the ruins of Muckross Abbey and a fascinating re creation of three Kerry farms showing how life was lived in rural Ireland fifty years ago. Nearby is Ross Castle, the last castle in Ireland to resist Oliver Cromwell.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donald & Rachel Cameron,
Beaufort House, Beaufort,
Co. Kerry, Ireland.

TEL & FAX: 064 44764
International: + 353 64 44764
E-mail: info@beaufortireland.com