Gap of Dunloe

The Gap of Dunloe in an absolute jewel of the Emerald Isle.

Traversing the gap via motor car is frowned upon and perhaps even prohibited from what I’ve gathered. Prohibited, that is, unless your B&B lies on the other side of the gap in the Black Valley. A wee bit of a loophole we took full advantage of. The road all the way around to the south was long, winding and just a time-intensive. Traveling through the gap takes a bit of patience as the road is narrow and there are horses with carts running back and forth and there is typically people hiking about as well.

The Black Valley

If visiting County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland, be sure that the Black Valley is on your list of destinations. It is a short deviation, in distance, from the Ring of Kerry. The roads in and out of the valley are narrow and full of curves. It takes a wee bit of effort to get in and out of the valley, but it is time well spent. The scenery is quite amazing.

The Views

After traversing the Gap of Dunloe, the lovely view of the Black Valley is exposed. You can see the highest peak (Carrantoohil) and the 4th highest peak (Cnoc na Peiste) of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks towering over the valley in the distance.

Here are few more images taken in the Black Valley

The Sheep

Our choice of Hillcrest Farmhouse B&B was perfect for our travels in and around the Black Valley. Just down the road were multiple pastures full of sheep. We spent a fair bit of time photographing and rolling video of these vocal beasts. The baby sheep were so inquisitive and the parents watchful. The markings on each sheep were as unique as each individual’s baa.

We were was not expecting all the gates to be open and all the sheep running around wild and free. Thankfully we were never charge or mauled; they were quite well-behaved. It was a spectacular site to see and experience. This was a top memory of our visit to Ireland. We visited this area both days we were here.