In The Kingdom of Kerry..
I’ve been itching to cycle again through the Gap of Dunloe and The Black Valley for some time but the weather hasn’t been kind. Until today. Everything fell into place; the weather was up and Kerry was playing Cork in Fitzgerald Stadium at 4pm. Two birds with one stone!
I parked the car in Fossa Church car park and was quickly passing by the famous Kate Kearney’s Cottage at the entrance to the Gap. The bauld Kate was known for her beauty and maybe more so for her famous ‘Mountain Dew’ which she distilled here illicitly for many a year! The Cottage is a family concern for over 170 years and is still going strong. It’s from here tourists have come for many years to travel by pony and trap along the 11kms mountain road to the head of the Upper Lake of Killarney from where the tour continues by boat.
The scenery is stunning. With the pony and traps trotting through the Gap its like stepping back in time – if only the cars could be banned from driving through because a lot of these tourists are not used to driving on such narrow winding roads and are a danger to one and all! The Gap divides the Purple Mountain from the MacGillicuddy Reeks and there’s a number of picturesque lakes and bridges that cross over the River Loe. It’s one of my favourite bike routes.
Today there were lots of tourists on hired bikes – a great way to explore one of natures most beautiful corners of the globe, never mind Ireland! The road passes over the Head of the Gap, down into the Black Valley. the last place in Ireland to be hooked up to the electricity grid in the 1970s. Many’s the time myself, Tommy Wogan and Declan Smyth camped down there on the banks of the wild Owenreagh River.
The road winds across the valley floor eventually rising up to Molls Gap on the Killarney to Kenmare road. The views from the Gap are stunning and the descent by bike towards Killarney is thrilling and dangerous because the views are so distracting! Today I was unfortunately under time pressure to get back to Fossa and into Killarney for the match. This route deserves more time to savour the outstanding beauty of The Gap and Killarney National Park.
