A Week In South West Ireland (5/8)

 

These pictures were touring around the South West coast of Ireland in October 2004.

  

 

 

 

Down by the harbour Mark found an appropriately named boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early afternoon we drove northwest to Bantry along N71 and over some quite high hills (over which the main road narrowed considerably). At Bantry we bought some items for a picnic at the health food shop which we ate South of Ballylicky in the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late afternoon we drove north again through Kenmare, Sneem, then over mountains with fine views out to sea, to Waterville.

 

 

 

 

 

We'd planned to stay at Waterville but the place looked a little subdued. We found the ‘Old Cable House’ mentioned in the guide book but it appeared closed and there was scant explanation of its links to transatlantic cable-laying!

We therefore drove on, over mountains, with fine views of Ballinskelligs Bay, to reach a nice warm B&B called The Final Furlong at Cahersiveen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking around the house before breakfast we were greeted by these two horses, reminding us of the name of the B&B.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove from Cahersiveen to the pier for the ferry to Valentia Island. However we soon discovered the ferry stopped running late September so we drove around the longer land route via Portmagee and over the bridge.

At Knights Town on the east side of Valentia island, we had walk around and this is where I took this picture of a typical Irish pub front.

 

 

 

 

 

We located The National School which houses the Valentia Heritage centre and includes an exhibition about the island’s history of transatlantic cable-laying. I would have been interested to go in but unfortunately that shut in September too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having come this far we did have a look at the exhibition through the windows. There was information about The Great Eastern, built by Brunel, which was the first ship to successfully lay a transatlantic cable.

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