The Gap of Dunloe

I had been told that the Gap at Dunloe was a "don't miss" opportunity, so we booked a tour for our last day in Killarney. And the person was right! We took a short drive to the entrance and then we booked a Jaunty Cart - a cart that holds 5 people and is drawn by a draught horse. The road of the Gap is 7 miles long, and we knew we probably would not make the 7 miles in the allotted time. We boarded the cart and away we went up the hill, around three lakes, up and down more hills, and through some of the most beautiful scenery around. Several times we were asked to walk up hills because the horse's shoes would slip while pulling the weight of the cart, so we managed to get a lot of steps in.

At the end of the horse ride, we had about an hour to eat a snack at Lord Brandon's. While there we were able to see a 100-year-old toll bridge and the original home and tower of Lord Brandon's.

Then we caught a boat across the three lakes near Killarney. The lakes have two kinds of fish - salmon and brown trout - and eels. Back in the day, the British were allowed to catch salmon and trout but the Irish had to eat eel and potatoes. Now a yearly limit of 12 salmon and/or trout is imposed to protect the numbers of fish in the lakes.

We saw a number of wild goats that live in the Killarney National Park. Every year in early August (we just missed it), one of the cities celebrates the Puck Fair. They capture a wild goat, bring it into town, lift it onto a platform, and crown it King Puck. For the next three days he rules the roost. It sounds like a jolly festival. After the boat dropped us off, we walked to the bus and came back to the hotel. We loved going on this tour!