Blennerville, Shannon Ferry, Kilkee and Spanish Point

The outside of the B&B had a strong smell of cattle urine as it was surrounded by pastures. Somehow they managed to prevent this odour from penetrating inside. As Dingle is a popular destination, it was one of the more expensive rooms of my trip. However the facilities could not be faulted. And this is what I got for a yummy half-Irish breakfast since full ones were too filling for me. This in addition to cereal, juice, and coffee.

The host and her assistant heartily recommended that I drive over Conor Pass, one of the highest mountain passes with asphalted road, on my way north. Do it before it rains, they said. Unfortunately at that hour in the morning, this was all I could see at the summit. All whited out. Oh well.

About an hour of driving later, I arrived at Blennerville, which was once the port of Tralee before 1846. After that a ship canal obsoleted it. Many ships carrying Irish fleeing the famine to the US set out from Tralee. It had the only commercially operating windmill in Ireland. Today the windmill serves as a museum and rest stop. I had a warming hot chocolate here.

The windmill at the back, closer up.

Tralee Bay, where the river Lee meets the sea.

I seemed destined to pass through Tralee more than once, as it occupies a key position on my routes. I filled up with €40 of petrol. I estimated that I had done 300-400 km of driving up this point. I should have started the trip counter.

Another hour of driving found me at Tarbert, which is one end of the ferry route across the Shannon. I wanted some variety; I didn't want to go through the Limerick Tunnel or Limerick again. It also saved time, it would have made my driving day longer not using it.

The other ferry of the pair serving this crossing, the Shannon Dolphin. This would mean I was on the Shannon Breeze.

I didn't know it then but I now realise that by using the ferry, I avoided going through County Limerick. This is because Tarbert is just west of the boundary between Co Kerry and Co Limerick to the east, and the other end of the crossing, Killimer, is in County Clare.

Killimer is only a small town, so I headed for the coastal resort Kilkee.

Apparently the Shannon dolphins can sometimes be seen from the ferry. But I'm sure the ferry would have made an announcement and passengers shouted in excitement had any been spotted during the crossing.

Kilkee has quite a wide bay but there weren't many bathers.

The other end.

And a panorama, with distortion.

In the second one, just for fun, another kind of distortion, what happens when a moving object (car) goes past while you are panning the camera to form the panorama.

It being Sunday, weekenders filled the main drag and there were long queues at the few shops serving takeaway food like sandwiches and pies. Sit-down meal seats were also mostly taken, and serving times would have been long.

I wondered if this winkles and dillisk seller had anything cooked but no. That was a new word to me, dillisk, an Irish snack.

In the end I found a falafel seller opposite this flea market a few blocks away from the beach. Notice the Ukrainian flag.

A 40 minute drive up the coast found me at Spanish Point.

The Atlantic Hotel once attracted English gentry until the war of independence discouraged that traffic.

It really does have a connection with Spain. Ships of the Armada tried to flee home via this way after the English victory. They were wrecked offshore.

Those sailors who managed to survive the shipwrecks and make it to land were subsequently executed under a blanket order by the sheriff of the time, as the news of the English victory had not yet reached here.

Today it's all peaceful.

Another panorama:

And that's the end of the photos for this day. I made it to my destination B&B in Lisdoonvarna, which is an easy drive to Doolin. This was the first place I was staying more than one night. You'll see why tomorrow.