The Ham Nomads

28 May 2014. <IE> Blarney, & Kinsale, Co. Cork —

Blarney Castle

Left our Macca's site, called through the Blackpool shops for a couple of bits, then set off for Blarney Castle. It's only abut 8km from where we were, so we were there in no time at all. It was a lovely sunny day and the carpark was already quite busy. Went into the grounds — €10 each, but all was included. Apparently kissing the Blarney Stone is on a lot of the top "bucket lists". The castle is a single square tower on a large limestone crag. It is in pretty good condition, and the grounds are magnificent. The collection of trees in the arboretum is truly impressive — we noticed a very healthy gum tree amongst them.

Of course we climbed to the top of the castle — there's a sort of assembly line, with a narrow spiral staircase going up, and a considerably wider one coming back down. The aim of the exercise is to have the most efficient throughput at the Blarney Stone itself. The Blarney Stone is a stone set into the underside of the battlements, accessed through a gap in the wall — you need to lie on your back, walk your hands down a pair of handrails until you are almost upside down, in which uncomfortable position you are able to kiss the stone. There's an attendant there to steady you, and a photographer capturing everyone's effort to do it. By our estimate, they get through about two people every minute — 120 per hour — the place is open 9 to 5, so let's say 1,000 people per day — the mind boggles! Anyway, your travellers can both say they've kissed the Blarney Stone!

After a very pleasant coffee and scones in the Coach House Tea Room (beside which were housed two more tinker's wagons!), we wandered the grounds for about an hour, then left for Charles Fort.

Charles Fort

Charles Fort is a 17th century star-shaped fort with 5 bastions, covering a 12-acre site on a headland dominating Kinsale Harbour. (Kinsale is the southernmost port in Ireland — now superseded by Cork — the site of a 6th century monastery, a 10th century Viking trading post, a 13th century Norman walled town and, by the end of the 16th century, an important trading base). In 1681, the Duke of Ormond renamed the fort Charles Fort in honour of Charles II. It was a British fort up to 1921 when the Irish Free State was established. During the Civil War, most of the buildings were destroyed, but since the State took it into care as a National Monument in 1973 there has been extensive repair and conservation work carried out.

Kinsale at Dusk from Fort

We walked the site for about two hours (free, courtesy of the arrangement with English Heritage), then adjourned to the van. The car park above the fort has a wonderful view of the harbour, and is an ideal site to camp over. So be it! As we ate dinner we enjoyed watching the yachts racing in the bay, spinnakers set and billowing majestically.

Distance driven — today, 35 miles ( 56 km ); to date, 1,633 miles ( 2,628 km )