The Ring of Kerry
Posted by Leonard And Me , 7.05.2018 2:45 AM
We have endured some long bus rides throughout this trip. Today would be another one! The roads are so narrow in both Scotland and Ireland that two large vehicles have difficulty going past each other at full speed. Our bus is constantly slowing down or coming to a complete stop when another large vehicle is coming the opposite direction. It's starting to make us nauseous! Add that to all the twists and turns on this scenic drive....and the fact that we were up well past midnight last night....blaaaaaaahhhhh!
The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. Its 179km-long, circular route takes in rugged, green coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages. Skellig Michael, a rocky island with an abandoned 7th-century Christian monastery, is a major destination point rising out of the Atlantic Ocean 12km from shore. Our tour did not provide us the opportunity to take a boat ride out to this island....but we visited Valentia Island for lunch and watched a movie at the visitor's center that explained the Skellig Experience. Note to CIE regarding this "experience".....it was lame!
In the afternoon we made a stop at Kissane Sheep Farm for another sheep dog demonstration. This was for all of the new members of our tour group that weren't with us in Scotland when we saw the first sheep demo. Too bad for them....because today I was disappointed at this farm. Whereas we saw 8 sheep dogs at the last farm....today they had 1 or 2 gathering up the sheep and it felt much more like a tourist "trap" than the Scotland experience.
After the sheep demonstration we went inside to watch how they shear the sheep. This farm no longer uses traditional hand shears. They have an expensive electric shear system that removes the wool from the sheep in less than 4 minutes! One sheep produces anywhere from 2 to 30 pounds of wool annually. The wool from one sheep is called a fleece, from many sheep, a clip. The amount of wool that a sheep produces depends upon its breed, genetics, nutrition, and shearing interval. A farmer can usually get $2-3 per pound of wool when sold.
After a loooooong day around the Ring of Kerry we kept it low key tonight around Killarney. We stopped for drinks at the Killarney Brewing Company. And then headed over to The Laurel's for a great dinner. Tomorrow we're off for another "scenic drive" to view the Cliffs of Moher....we need to be well-rested for that adventure.
Why the PINK on the sheep?