Well, as July’s most enthusiastic staff member – the competition was tough I promise – it falls to me to me to tell you about my recent trip to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Kerry that is, as the county is known in Ireland. Every county in Ireland has a second name, or nickname if you will, usually associated with some event in the county’s history. The origins of Kerry’s nickname may have become vague, but no one questions its aptness.

I was there a few weeks ago for a charity walk called the Kerry Challenge (http://www.kerrychallenge.org/). The idea is to complete a 75km walk in three days. Each day is based on a different peninsula. Thankfully, Kerry has only three, so there was 25k on the Beara, 25k on the Dingle and finally, 25k on the Iveragh Peninsula, home to the famous Ring of Kerry. It had been a year since my last visit to Kerry. Every time go there I expect to be jaded. Yeah, sure I’ve seen the Gap of Dunloe, the Lakes, Torc Falls. What else can you show me?

But every time I go I see something new, some place more beautiful than I’ve ever seen before. And once again I wasn’t disappointed. The big surprise this time was the Beara Peninsula, the most sparsely populated part of Ireland and dare I say it, the most unspoilt and beautiful. This was my first time to Beara, but it won’t be my last. Stretching westward from Kenmare the rolling hills fast become large hills, and by the time you reach the western-most part you are dwarfed by soaring mountains that swoop and dive into the sea. Kenmare Bay is on the north, Bantry Bay on the south and the vast Atlantic stretches to the west as far as America. The views from the top of Hungry Hill, the peninsula’s highest point, are an absolute knock-out. But best of all, there is barely a bungalow, barn or farmhouse to be seen. The few farmers we encountered on our walk eyed us with a combination of disbelief and bemusement. Our hiking boots, shorts and North Face gear was an obvious source of amusement.

The 25k hike ended fortuitously at O’Sullivan’s Pub at Killmacillogue Harbour, near Lauragh on the Beara Peninsula. The proprietor, a weathered 65ish woman was beaming from behind the bar. The pub was full of our fellow charity hikers. Many more were sitting outside stretching their aching limbs in the sun.

“Busy day for you” I remarked to the landlady as I ordered pints of Guinness for my team mates.
“We’re delighted” she said, beaming even brighter.
“You didn’t know we were coming?” I asked. All 240 of us. She looked at me blankly, then smiled. “We’re delighted” she said again as she handed me my change. Well, so as I.

If you’re in the area check out the Beara Peninsula. It’s the least known and travelled of Kerry’s beauty spots. It is often hard to escape from the tourist trail in Kerry, especially during the summer. Go to Beara, you will make your own trail.

This article appeared in this issue of our newsletter: issue 01
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