Shortly after our drive around the Ring of Beara, I started talking about our upcoming trip to the Ring of Kerry. “What?” asked Marcus. “We’ve already done one ring. Why do we need to do another?” I knew where this was coming from: the nerve-wracking driving was beginning to take its toll. If we are going to see what this Ring of Kerry is all about, I’d better keep it short and sweet. I’ll pick a few sights that most appeal to us, and I’ll let the driver pick the roads.

There were a couple of Bronze-Age stone forts I wanted to see, and I thought Marcus would appreciated the design and construction. There was an arts centre I wanted to check out, and Marcus picked out a short hike with a view of the Skelligs (two islands ten miles off the coast of Kerry). The cliffs of Kerry, the Bridge Bar in Portmagee for lunch. Then across the bridge to Valentia Island for the views. (I had a sneaking suspicion Valentia was going to be the hit of the day, but perhaps that was just my views-from-the-edge-of-anywhere obsession.) Then the ferry back to the mainland and back home. It was only half the Ring, and perhaps a quarter of the sights, but sometimes less is more. Marcus approved the roads and driving time. Done.

We chose to travel the ring clockwise because the tour buses travel anti-clockwise, as they say here. (If a tour bus leaves Killarney at 10:00 traveling west on the Ring of Kerry at 80 mph, and a car leaves Kenmare, 20 miles to the south of Killarney, at 11:00 traveling at 10 mph…. Sounds like one of those annoying math word problem, doesn’t it?) My devious plan worked though: not getting stuck behind buses in traffic reduced our travel time, and encountering only a few oncoming buses on those narrow roads drastically reduced our collective stress level.

To sum up our experience: the stone forts were cool, the arts centre closed, the trailhead too difficult to find, the cliffs crawling with tourists, the Bridge Bar fantastic, and I was right about Valentia Island. If you only do one thing on the Ring of Kerry, drive straight to the island, drive up Geokaun Mountain, and walk the loop trail for 360° views from the edge of Ireland. And Mother Nature gave us an additional treat: From our vantage point 600 feet above sea level, we watched the most impressive curtain of rain sweeping in from the North Atlantic, dousing the Skelligs, and marching across Valentia Island.

Beara may have been beautiful in its quiet, endearing way, but Kerry is unabashedly breathtaking! Something I have to keep reminding myself: Travel is not about bragging rights to accomplishing a destination; it’s about choosing what’s important to you and allowing yourself time to savor it.