Ring of Kerry, out of Killarney

When you are in the Kingdom of Kerry, you have to travel the Ring of Kerry, be it clockwise or anti-clockwise. Various travel guides swear by it one way or the other. It doesn't really matter, especially if the weather is grubby, as it invariably is. 

Be decisive and just jump into the car and allow 'Mak Cik' GPS lead the way as she recalculates.The vistas are worth the 4-5 hour drive. 

The rugged terrain of the Iveragh Peninsula licked by the ocean conjure up scenes reminiscent of the French Lieutenant's Woman, a contrast of beauty and agony.

Country homes with white picket fences and granite walls stand out from afar.

When the sun does reveal itself, views are enhanced ten-fold.

 Like New Zealand, one comes across more sheep than cars. 

What's left of an old Shepard's house; stone walls outlining a not-so-warm dewlling left to the elements. 

An inn with a vantage point on breezy but cloudy day on the Ring.

Inlets and outlets of the coastline seen far into the distance.

An inlet up close . . . dry despite the rain.

A view from the top . . .

Ground glass window panes. In pathology we had to imagine what ground-glass nuclei looked liked. Imagine a medical student from Tumpat figuring this out! 

  

A simple but hearty Irish smoked salmon treat.

Between Derrynane and Sneem, nestled in the valley, lies the remains of Staigue Fort dating back to 1000 BC. Gleaning from its dimensions they must have been small people or very few of them, or what remains is only one of the towers. In my humble opinion, probably the latter.

The wild flowers say it all...the Ring is one of the cherished places left on this earth where things remain as they are untouched by time.