16. Barrow Harbour

This slow, meandering, enjoyable day continued with a short ride to Barrow Harbour, which lies just south of Carrahane Strand.

Mount Brandon and, to the right of the photo, the four-star Barrow Country House. This was probably outwith our budget. The road to the headland overlooking Fenit Within (the almost-island with the unwelcoming farmers - see page 17) climbs steeply behind Barrow House and descends just as steeply to Tralee Golf Course. This latter restricts much of the access to the coast at this point, leaving just one permitted pedestrian route. With just the two courses on North Kerry coastline, this and Ballybunion, it would be churlish to moan.

At the top of the hill we stopped to take in the view, both ocularly and digitally. An elderly man joined us and spoke with us for some minutes. It was friendly of him, though we had absolutely no idea what he said. At this point we were joined by an equally-friendly labrador, which accompanied us down the hill to the margins of Tralee golf course. Thus we were doubly dissuaded from having our picnic by the shore here, and returned up the hill and down again, stopping by the bridge where a stream enters Barrow Harbour at its eastern end.

Barrow Harbour from the southern shore near Chapeltown, with the castle on Fenit Within in the distance.

On the northern shore of Barrow Harbour, with the Slieve Mish Mountains in the distance.

The Dingle peninsula, across Barrow Harbour.

You can see from the photos that the sky was constantly changing, but we were in sunshine all day.