Our next and last hotel was Quinlan & Cooke Boutique Townhouse in Cahersiveen. This family-run establishment, offers a blend of maritime character and contemporary luxury. We had the premier Skellig Suite in the Mews building. This split-level apartment features an Antique Super King Sleigh Bed and a roll-top bath. From the top floor, there should have been distant views of Beginish, Valencia Island, Dolus Head, and the sacred peak of Cnoc na dTobair. For a touch of nostalgia, the suite includes a private Pacman/Space Invaders hybrid machine, and a telescope (no telescope when we were there) is provided to explore the celestial canopy of the Dark Sky Reserve from your window.
The Artisan Culinary Experience at Quinlan & Cooke
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sun 4 Oct. Killaloe to Kerry
The weather was very mixed - brilliant blue skies and sunshine at times and then dark grey storm clouds but it did not actually rain that much at all. We stopped once for petrol. Our GPS still showed several km to go, but we had noticed that in the middle of the town there was a shop or restaurant of this name. At first we thought that they must have two outlets with the same name. But David realised in time that it was what we wanted and we only had to backtrack less than a mile. We dialled the number indicated in the window and soon the owner, Kate, appeared and was very welcoming. We had to go around the block to park the car and into our apartment which was on the top floor, two stories up. It was a very nice apartment but nothing special in views at all and it transpired that we just breakfasted in the room, from the contents of the fridge and some fresh bread that will be delivered each morning at the bottom of the stairs.
We sorted ourselves out and had a sandwich and some coffee before going out for a wander about 16.30, by which time it was a soft day outside. We found a supermarket and went to purchase a bottle of wine and a bottle of Perrier but then found David's wallet had been left in the flat so we had a long walk back to the flat and back to the supermarket again.
Then around seven we ventured out to O’Neill‘s point for a seafood supper, but the place was heaving with queues of people standing around waiting for a table. So we soon gave that up and came back to the town, parked the car back in the hotel car park, and then walked a very short distance to the Church of Ireland, which now has a pizza restaurant. Inside this was a fantastic restored pastiche of a church decor. And we enjoyed a crab pizza. Back of the flat, we had a glass of wine and a coffee and chocolate and biscuits.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mon 4 Oct Kerry
A late breakfast in the room with fruit salad, cereal, yogurt, orange juice, Brie and smoked salmon (all these from the fridge, which was replenished daily) and then a croissant and some bread delivered to the door handle. And coffee of course plus fruit from a fruit bowl. Very adequate but somehow not the same as having it in a restaurant.
We ventured out into the dubious weather and drove to Port McGee and Valencia Island. Here we had a walk in Port McGee and then drove over the bridge to the island and parked in the light house car park which should’ve had a view of the sea and maybe even Skellig Michael Island. But there was no view whatsoever due to a cloud level which was not far above our heads.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
Port McGee |
Skellig Experience |
Skellig Experience |
What we should have seen, but could only see a hundred metres |
So we drove back to the visitor centre by the bridge and went in there. I decided not to go round it as it looked so dark and just sat in the restaurant by the window whilst David ventured around it. His verdict was that there was very little to see but there was a very good film on the monastery on Skellig Michael and that he would look for a video of this for me once we got home to Spain.
We then drove on and stopped on a beach from which we walked to Ballinskelligs This was where the monks from Skellig Michael were housed when they decided to abandon their island monastery in the late 12th century. There was quite a lot remaining of this second monastery. It dated from the 15th century and was not the original from the 12th century.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Then onto Waterville which was quite a large seaside resort when Charlie Chaplin had frequented in the 1950s. There was a statue to him and also to a "famous" Gaelic footballer, Mike O’Dwyer. There was also a huge 4 star hotel called the Butler’s Arms. And another large abandoned hotel. but now for sale, called the Bayview Hotel. All this time the weather had been very dubious and I decided that we might as well go back to the apartment, which we did and had some lunch there and then I did some WhatsApps and had a siesta before we went out again after 5:30 pm.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Promenade at Waterville |
The abandoned Bay View Hotel |
Charlie Chaplin statue |
Mick O'Dwyer statue |
We went to some very old forts. It was not certain when they had been built, but roughly in the bronze age between 500 BC and 500 AD. The first was Cahergal Stone Fort, an Iron Age stone fort is a masterpiece of dry-stone architecture. As you stand within its massive walls, you feel the pulse of ancient Irish life. The preservation of the site is remarkable, offering a tangible connection to the history enthusiasts who first sought refuge on these shores. I was tired by the time we approached the second one, Leacanabuaile, which is immediately northwest of Cahergal. So David went up to view it alone.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Then another trip out to O’Neill‘s Point to see if the restaurant there was any quieter on a Monday night than on a Sunday night, and the answer was no. It was still heaving with queues for tables, so we did not stay but went back to the apartment and had some bread, brie, smoked salmon and fruit and wine, before a coffee, chocolate and biscuit.
All day the apartment had seem too cold. David emailed Kate to ask for more heat. As there was no hotel reception, this had to be our method of communication.
Tues 5 Oct, Kerry
We ventured out at 10 am after the same breakfast as yesterday in the apartment. We drove the short distance to the Old RIC barracks, that was now a museum and was on the edge of the town on Bridge Street. We had seen this imposing building three years ago, but had not been into it. So this time we had a tour of it, the only visitors around. It had been constructed around 1870 after the Fenian uprising to protect the underwater cables that went from Valencia Island. But we were unable to discover why it had not actually been built on Valencia island. The museum have been set up with enthusiasm and many original documents, but the loving care seemed to have evaporated by the present day. After this we went for a walk along the inlet to the old railway bridge and back but it was certainly a soft day by then.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Old RIC Barracks |
The Old RIC Barracks |
The were a lot of exhibits |
The old railway is being converted to a cycle way |
We then drove on to a distillery just outside the town but found nothing interesting there. It was just a made for tourism commercial enterprise.
So onto Waterville and then to Sneem where we stopped and had a walk. On the way we had passed some very nice views which were obscured by the very low cloud level. From the stream we advanced to Kenmare. Again with some potentially wonderful scenery. In Kenmare we were interested to see a shop devoted to Tom Crean., One of 5 of Shackleton‘s men who rowed from the sunken ship Endeavour to South Georgia and thus helped to save the day back in 1914. Unfortunately the shop was shut. There was also a brewery in his name. Crean was indeed a Kerryman but did not actually come from Kenmare at all. It was his grand daughter who now ran this shop and brewery. Then we retraced our route back to the apartment stopping a couple of times at viewpoints when the weather had ameliorated slightly and one could imagine it truly wonderful vista on a sunny day. Thus back at the apartment by 4:30 pm where we had some lunch and a coffee
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
A windy cliff |
Sneem |
Sneem |
It would be a fine view on a fine day |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Kenmare |
Tom Crean shop |
Tom Crean Beer |
The man himself in the famous dog photo in Antarctica |
At 7:30 we went out to eat at Quinlan and Cooke's restaurant. There were very few people in the restaurant which was more a Gastro pub. The food was excellent but there was little atmosphere and no real empathy with the staff which surprised us greatly. Then back to the flat for a coffee as the Irish coffee we had had in the restaurant had been remarkably weak.
Wed 6 Oct Kerry - Moraira
A much nicer day and we had sunshine and blue skies most of the four hour journey to the airport. We left our room at around 10, so we got to the airport soon after 14.00 with nothing really to report en route.
In the airport we had a stressful time in security as they wanted to look in one of our suitcases and this went through security twice but afterwards all was fine and there was nothing wrong with the suitcase. The plane was about an hour late and they left us on the runway or outside the terminal building for about 15 minutes in the cold winds at around 6:30 pm. This was hardly a good way to treat one’s customers, but Ryanair does not seem to care: we were not the only people to feel somewhat miffed.
Then back home just before midnight and soon sunk into bed. A slightly up and down holiday but looking back on it it was great. The unfortunate thing was that we discovered next day that somehow the camera had got lost. We’ve no idea how but we will have to be brave.