After a good rest stop in Cork, I was back on the road. On the way out of town, I stopped by Blarney Castle and Gardens. I hadn’t researched anything and had no idea what to expect, so when I got to the ticket office and baulked a little at the cost of entry, I was curious as to what lay beyond. To be honest, I think they could almost get away with charging more—the place was amazing!
I made my way to the castle, which grew more impressive the closer I got. Once I reached the entrance to the tower, I found myself in a queue. After a few moments, the cogs in my head realised it was for the Blarney Stone, all the way up the top… and I was at the bottom. Well, when in Blarney.
After 30 minutes of slowly winding up steep and narrow spiral staircases, I reached the top of the battlements and got to see what all the commotion was about. There was a large hole at the base of the battlement with a direct plummet down (thankfully there was a metal bar blocking this), and you have to lie down on your back and scooch backwards so your head and torso hang off the edge—and kiss the base stone of the wall. The Blarney Stone.
I don’t know if it was the constant disinfectant wiping or the millions of people before me, but the stone was smooth. Well, I suppressed my fear of heights and managed to hang upside-down and kiss the darn thing—so now I should have “great eloquence”… and hopefully not COVID.
The remainder of the castle, although a ruin, was very cool. Little rooms and tight portals really showed that people back in the day were either smaller or didn’t mind squeezing through all the doorways and ducking under low ceilings.
I then went and explored the gardens—and wow, they were very grandiose. There were many different styles and plant life. Each path changed the whole feel. One moment you’re walking among bright-coloured flowers, then you’re in a vine and fern forest. The Blarney House was also very impressive—a private residence, so I couldn’t go in. A sprinkle of rain came on and everyone ran for cover, so I got to explore the majority of the gardens on my own, which was nice. Totally worth the entrance fee.
I left the grounds and made my way to Portmagee, with a quick stop-off at Auntie’s Pub for lunch.
I arrived in Portmagee and crossed over to Valentia Island via the bridge, where my accommodation was. An awesome little bungalow where the host, Declan, met me and told me some great stories about when they filmed scenes from Star Wars in the area. Very cool.
Tomorrow: Skellig Michael boat tour!
