On Friday I walked the last stretch of the Beara Way from Lauragh to Kenmare.

I felt a bit of sympathy for you folks back in Virginia and the heat wave you all are having. The weather was perfect for walking. 60 degrees and a bit cloudy.

The route started with walking up this hill

And down the other side

Past this farmhouse

With a brief detour to see a stone circle by the lake. 

Alongside the lake

And up this hill

With occasional glances back at the lake

And then down the other side

Thru the field

And thru a patch of gorse bushes. Winnie the Pooh has my sympathies. These bushes are no joke.

Along a backcountry road

Past a no trespassing sign that made me smile

Thru a little stretch of woods

To a path along Kenmare Bay

Where I arrived at the B&B.

Kenmare is a bigger town than any of the villages that I was in out on the Beara Peninsula. It is at the connection point for both the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara, which are roads around each of those peninsulas. As a result, it gets a lot of traffic and a lot of tourists.

A few shots of the town

A great little book store

Their grocery store has an “American” section

Saturday I spent in Kenmare. I did laundry at the laundromat in town. Advice to the nephews. When you travel it useful to have two pairs of pants so you have a pair to wear while you wash the other ones.


In the afternoon, I took a boat ride down Ken Bear Bay. It’s a nice way to see a different perspective of the peninsulas. The captain and crew told interesting stories about the various islands and castles that we saw along the way.


A few photos from the boat ride


The boat we rode

And some smaller boats in the harbor

A few shots from the ride

After the boat ride, I went to see the stone circle on the outskirts of town. It is one of the largest stone circles in the part of the country.

I finished my Saturday by reading the Irish drivers manual since I was planning to rent a car on Sunday and felt I should do my homework.