Cork-Kerry

The south-west probably has the greatest variety of towns and scenery of any Irish region. From the large urban cities of Cork and Limerick, through the rich farming and forested areas south Limerick, north Cork and north Kerry, one travels south-west towards the indented coastline of west Cork and Kerry, the land is marginal, life harder and the roads more challenging. The changes in the landscape date from the Devonian Period (400-350 million years ago) as the European land mass was pushed north by Africa and folded under extreme pressure. The now common rock, Old Red Sandstone was deposited with carboniferous limestone later. In places the rock has eroded exposing the sandstone on hills while the limestone is in the valleys. Rising sea water after the last Ice Age has flooded the valleys and created islands in Roaringwater Bay.

West Cork and Kerry have a great number of boreens, narrow twisting & usually single-track roads bordered by ditches, high hedges or dry stone walls, occasional farmhouses, places of ancient and living history. Surfaced by tar & pea gravel, often with loose gravel (to catch an rider off-guard), sometimes with a central grassy strip these minor roads weave across the hidden landscape, often leading to a anonymous T-junction with another lane but sometimes, close to the seashore or high in the hills, 'dead-ends' into farmyards, fields and boglands.

The landscape is dictated by the the five peninsulas (Dingle, Iveragh, Beara, Sheep's Head, Mizen) and the islands (Sherkin, Clear, among many)in Roaringwater Bay off Baltimore. The larger towns connected by the N71 and N70, use their road, rail and mercantile links to draw the fresh ocean and farm produce into their hotels and restaurants, factories, dairies and craft-work-shops while funneling tourists and travelers into the peninsulas.

Dingle Peninsula, entered through the county town of Tralee via the N86 or 10 miles south, and separated by the rambling 850m Slieve Mish Mountains, by Castlemaine on the R561. The wild rugged interesting part doesn't start until west of Dingle, 30 miles from Tralee and Castlemaine. To read more...........

The Iveragh Peninsula, the most famous and developed for tourists is home the Ring of Kerry, a 100 mile (175 km) circuit with Killarney (location of the 2001 FIM Rally) and the National Park a worthy start and finish. But for motorcyclists, some of the best roads, away from the tourist coaches, are within the Ring. To read more .........

South of the Iveragh Peninsula lies Beara entered via Kenmare and Glengariff, probably the best motorcycle route with a long mountainous spine, where many of the roads are too narrow for large coaches. To read more link to 'Ring of Beara .html'.

A small, narrow peninsula, barely allowing a circuit, the Sheep's Head Peninsula is accessed via Bantry and Durrus. Barely a 50-mile (80 km) round trip from Bantry, the peninsula is unspoilt with sea cliffs on the northern and southern shores and the quiet villages of Kilcrohane and Ahakista.

The 5th peninsula, Mizen, accessed by Durrus and Ballydehob is again bounded by high sea cliffs on it's northern and western shoreline but the sheltered southern coastline on Roaringwater Bay has sandy beaches and small harbours favoured by visitors and yachtsmen. To read more ....