Perched on the Edge October 7, 2006
We drove away from the Blarney Park Hotel this sunny morning and spied a petrol station with a pressure washer across the road. The car was encrusted with a layer of road dirt that made nasty work of putting the packs in the car or getting them out. We pulled in and a young guy asked how he could help us. I told him that I would like to rinse off the car and he replied “just pull over here and I’ll take care of it”. He sprayed down the car and cheerfully told me that will be 2 Euros (about US$1.50). In Scotland I paid US$4 and did it myself. Service and a bargain!
We made our way to Killarney, a fairly good sized town, where we checked email, did some planning for the next leg and got a quick lunch. We also visited a bookstore to pick up Lonely Planet Guides for France and Germany. Paris is our first planned destination after Ireland and we are researching accommodations and laying out the sites we want to visit.
After leaving Killarney we drove to the Ring of Kerry, which is the scenic road which circles the Iveragh Peninsula and takes us to the cottage, where we will spend the next four nights. We have rented Bolus Cottage which is perched on the side of a steep hill overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay at the tip of the peninsula. We did our grocery shopping in the town of Cahersiveen at a new Spar grocery. The grocery has a good selection and we came away with all that we think we will need for the next four days. The weather forecast is somewhat bleak and we want to be able to stay put if need be.
Another 10 miles beyond Cahersiveen, we followed the directions that John, the owner of the cottage, had emailed us and found ourselves on a single track road winding its way around cliffs alongside the bay. At times the road, which sometimes has no barrier, is within inches of the edge and hundreds of feet above the crashing surf below. One landmark John had given us was “an artist’s retreat of six stone cottages standing in a row”. It is easy to see why artists would flock here. Whether writer or painter the seascapes and landscapes that stretch out before us are inspiring. It is cloudy and windy today but visibility is good and the rugged Irish Atlantic coast is something to behold.
The road winds around, following the contours of the headland, (we actually begin to think that we were on the wrong road) until finally we see what we think is Bolus cottage. The cottage is set a short distance below the single track road and allows a breathtaking view of the sea beyond. It is surrounded by pastures that are divided by low stone walls and grazing sheep and cows are oblivious to our arrival.
We pulled up to the gate and walked down to the cottage and found the key under the mat just where John told us we would find it. We knocked and when there was no answer we went in to find a welcome note and proof that this was actually Bolus Cottage and we were definitely in the right place.
After unloading the car, we took the time to appreciate the view knowing that at anytime it may vanish in the Irish mist. Holly is hoping for rain tomorrow as she wants a cottage day to just relax.
The cottage was built earlier this year and is small but modern and clean. It has an electric stove but also a solid fuel stove of the type that I had seen in my youth. The fuel here is peat (decomposed organic material) and there is large pile beside the cottage. There is also an open fireplace as well as several devices called storage heaters. These, from what I can tell, use electricity to heat interior bricks at night and then release the heat slowly during the day. There are also wall-mounted forced air electric heaters in the bedrooms. All of this makes you think that it can get very cold here. Last but not least there is a washing machine! This and internet access have become the Holy Grails of our trip. No internet or cable or satellite TV here but we do get a couple pf local channels on the small TV in the sitting room.
We look forward to the next four days of relaxing and with luck, weather that will allow us to explore the surrounding area.
We made our way to Killarney, a fairly good sized town, where we checked email, did some planning for the next leg and got a quick lunch. We also visited a bookstore to pick up Lonely Planet Guides for France and Germany. Paris is our first planned destination after Ireland and we are researching accommodations and laying out the sites we want to visit.
After leaving Killarney we drove to the Ring of Kerry, which is the scenic road which circles the Iveragh Peninsula and takes us to the cottage, where we will spend the next four nights. We have rented Bolus Cottage which is perched on the side of a steep hill overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay at the tip of the peninsula. We did our grocery shopping in the town of Cahersiveen at a new Spar grocery. The grocery has a good selection and we came away with all that we think we will need for the next four days. The weather forecast is somewhat bleak and we want to be able to stay put if need be.
Another 10 miles beyond Cahersiveen, we followed the directions that John, the owner of the cottage, had emailed us and found ourselves on a single track road winding its way around cliffs alongside the bay. At times the road, which sometimes has no barrier, is within inches of the edge and hundreds of feet above the crashing surf below. One landmark John had given us was “an artist’s retreat of six stone cottages standing in a row”. It is easy to see why artists would flock here. Whether writer or painter the seascapes and landscapes that stretch out before us are inspiring. It is cloudy and windy today but visibility is good and the rugged Irish Atlantic coast is something to behold.
The road winds around, following the contours of the headland, (we actually begin to think that we were on the wrong road) until finally we see what we think is Bolus cottage. The cottage is set a short distance below the single track road and allows a breathtaking view of the sea beyond. It is surrounded by pastures that are divided by low stone walls and grazing sheep and cows are oblivious to our arrival.
We pulled up to the gate and walked down to the cottage and found the key under the mat just where John told us we would find it. We knocked and when there was no answer we went in to find a welcome note and proof that this was actually Bolus Cottage and we were definitely in the right place.
After unloading the car, we took the time to appreciate the view knowing that at anytime it may vanish in the Irish mist. Holly is hoping for rain tomorrow as she wants a cottage day to just relax.
The cottage was built earlier this year and is small but modern and clean. It has an electric stove but also a solid fuel stove of the type that I had seen in my youth. The fuel here is peat (decomposed organic material) and there is large pile beside the cottage. There is also an open fireplace as well as several devices called storage heaters. These, from what I can tell, use electricity to heat interior bricks at night and then release the heat slowly during the day. There are also wall-mounted forced air electric heaters in the bedrooms. All of this makes you think that it can get very cold here. Last but not least there is a washing machine! This and internet access have become the Holy Grails of our trip. No internet or cable or satellite TV here but we do get a couple pf local channels on the small TV in the sitting room.
We look forward to the next four days of relaxing and with luck, weather that will allow us to explore the surrounding area.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 1:20 PM
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