Killarney National Park, Kerry

On the third day off our roadtrip while on the way to our yurt for the night we explored the Killarney National Park. We drove through the McGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest mountain range in Ireland which reaches a height of over 1000 metres. Nestled among the mountains are the lakes of Killarney. The drive from Glengarriff to Killarney was a little nail biting at times, but it was so worth it. I'm not sure quite how slowly I drove through the mountains but it was definitely slow! Our soundtrack for the drive was Thin Lizzy, and we played Whiskey in The Jar on repeat as the line 'As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains' hugely entertained us with it's timing. The national park itself was the first in Ireland and spans over 25,425 acres. The unique mixture of mountains, lakes, woodland and waterfalls sitting beneath the every changing Irish sky makes for breathtaking views throughout the park. Killarney National Park was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1981 by UNESCO. It is home to Ireland's only native herd of red deer and is the most extensive area of natural oak woodland still remaining in Europe. A huge attraction amongst the park is Muckross House and Gardens, where we visited the traditional farm. As well as Muckross farm we also visited Torc waterfall which is at the base of Torc Mountain. It can get very busy here in summer months as the national park is a huge tourist attraction, the quiet that visiting off season allows you is a massive advantage. Other attractions here include Muckross Abbey, The Meeting of the Waters and Ross Castle. If you don't want to walk or drive around the park, there are plenty of Jaunting cars available. The amount of photographs I took in Killarney was verging on the ridicolous but when it's this picturesque you can hardly blame me! To be completely comfortable while out and about exploring I wore my Victoria Secret Pink leggings and tshirt with my ever trusty Converse. I had to buy this 'Is Butter A Carb? tshirt because it is the perfect homage to Mean Girls. 

Next up: Muckross Farm

xox