Bank Holiday Adventure Breaks in Kerry

Plan a unique and exciting break in Kerry for 2009! Choose from hiking secluded trails on the Kerry Way; climbing Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain; exploring the Lakes of Killarney by kayak; or paddling down gently flowing rivers. At night relax and enjoy the gourmet food and vibrant atmosphere of Killarney.


May Bank Holiday
Hike the rolling hills of Purple & Tomies - €50 pp
Climb Carrauntoohil - €50 pp
Kayak on the Lakes of Killarney - €75 pp
Special Weekend Price, Three Days for €150 per person!

June Bank Holiday
Kayak on the Lakes of Killarney - €75 pp
Rock Climb & Abseil in the Gap of Dunloe - €75 pp
Climb Carrauntoohil - €50pp
Special Weekend Price, Three Days for €175 per person!

July Bank Holiday
Hike through the Brida Valley & Black Valley to finish in the Gap of Dunloe - €55 pp
Hike the high, glaciated Coomasaharn Horseshoe, near Glenbeigh - €50 pp
Kayak down the gently flowing Laune River - €75 pp
Special Weekend Price, Three Days for €155 per person!

Aug Bank Holiday
Kayak on the Lakes of Killarney - €75 pp
Climb Carrauntoohil - €50 pp
Rock Climb & Abseil in the Gap of Dunloe - €75 pp
Special Weekend Price, Three Days for €175 per person!

• Book For One, Two Or All Three Days
• All Equipment Provided
• Qualified Instructors

Contact me for more details.

Spanish Rock Climbing

Spend four days rock climbing in the sun on the Costa Blanca, in Spain. Sunshine, warm rock and average temperatures of 19 degrees!

Whether you are a complete beginner, an indoor climber looking to move outdoors or an avid climber looking for something different, you can be guaranteed an experience to remember!

Spend the days climbing in small groups, with qualified instructors and spend the evenings savouring tapas and wine in the quiet village of Finestrat or enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of Benidorm. Accommodation, Food, Transport and Equipment will be provided. No Experience Needed!

Price €495 per person.
Price Includes:
Four Days Rock Climbing.
Qualified Instructors.
All Equipment.
Transport, Including Collection & Drop Off At Alicante Airport.
Four Nights Accommodation.
Four Breakfasts.
Four Packed Lunches.

Evening Meals Not Included.

Flights Not Included.

Dates:
Thurs 3rd - Sun 6th April
Thurs 10th - Sun 13th April

• Collection from Alicante Airport at 6pm & 930pm, to accommodate flights from Dublin & Cork.



• Drop off at Alicante Airport at 4pm, to accommodate flights to Dublin & Cork.

Contact me for more details or to make a booking.

Free Rock Climbing Promotion

Come and try Rock Climbing FOR FREE, on the cliffs of the glaciated Gap of Dunloe, in Kerry. Discover the fun and excitement of rock climbing. Learn to tie knots, belay and climb with qualified instructors. Two hour sessions, running from 10am to 6pm each day.

Sat 5th & Sun 6th April

Location: Gap of Dunloe, Killarney

Times:
10am - 12pm
12pm - 2pm
2pm - 4pm
4pm - 6pm


Alternatively, if you would like to do a full day of rock climbing, I am running Half Price Rock Climbing on Sun 27th April. The discounted price is €50 per person.

I am running this promotion to launch my rock climbing courses for 2008, which include, Learn to Rock Climb, Improve your Climbing & Spanish Rock Climbing.

This promotion is being sponsored by Sport Corran Tuathail, Killarney's Outdoor Adventure Shop. They are also offering a 10% Discount to everyone coming on the promotion.

For more details contact me.

Kerry Adventure Break

Spend four action packed days discovering Kerry. Hike along ancient secluded trails on the Kerry Way, Climb Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain, Rock Climb and Abseil in the glaciated Gap of Dunloe and Kayak through the three deep Lakes of Killarney, exploring islands and limestone caves along the way. Stay in a luxurious guesthouse in the vibrant town of Killarney, with packed lunches provided each day and a three course gourmet dinner on evening of arrival and final evening. Transport each day is provided.

Price €590 per person.

Price Includes: Two Days Hiking. One Day's Rock Climbing & Abseiling. One Day's Kayaking. All Equipment. Five Nights Bed & Breakfast. Four Packed Lunches. Two Three-Course Dinners. Transport.

Dates:

Fri 21st - Mon 24th March (Easter)

Sat 25th - Tues 28th Oct (Oct Bank Holiday)

Also Available As Non-Residential.

Contact me for more details.

Hiking in Kerry

An American Hiker’s Thanksgiving Journey
By Renee Navarette

It is important to note from the start that, for the most part, Americans consider Western Ireland a primitive land where short-tempered, drunk men wearing kilts run about the countryside looking for battle with a warring clan while the women and children toil on farms and tend to the thatched roofed cottages they call home. For weeks prior to my arrival in Ireland, family, friends, and co-workers were questioning my decision to spend the Thanksgiving holiday hiking in Country Kerry. The cacophony of doubts and naysaying heightened once I informed them of the gear that my guide, Nathan Kingerlee, had instructed me to bring – hat, gloves, hiking boots, waterproof pants, waterproof jacket, backpack, and two fleece. I was barraged with questions almost daily such as, “Just where is he taking you? The wilds of Ireland?” I would reply with a smile, “God, I hope so.” People would walk away shaking their heads not understanding my desire to escape the comfort food and college football games of America’s most popular family holiday for hiking into the unknown in Western Ireland.

I knew that I had likely not done the amount of preparation necessary to face the challenges awaiting me in Ireland. I have a monotonous, demanding desk job requiring long hours and copious amounts of energy. My training during the week was limited to a one hour walk from downtown through the Strip District of Pittsburgh at lunchtime and walking two hours a day on the paved rolling hills of my hometown on the weekends. I naturally have a great deal of endurance so that coupled with my sheer will and determination would have to be relied upon to pull me through. I also had every confidence that Nathan knew me well enough from a previous tour that he would select hikes ideally suited for me.

There are number of hiking trails in Western Pennsylvania but many are paved or well-graveled and if the trail is not so civilized, the dirt paths are comprised mostly of clay which provides steady footing. I live in an area of hills and valleys but most are grassy and at a gentle grade, except in state parks where there are gigantic glacier-deposited boulders or steep hills for hikers to scale. The bottom line is that for the most part, I would be in alien territory hiking in Ireland.

In fact, most of the hiking trails in Western Ireland would likely be considered barbaric at home in Pennsylvania. When I was not pulling a stuck foot out of a bog or mud, I was walking on a path that seemed suspiciously like a rocky stream bed. Stepping on white rocks at home is a good thing – solid limestone – but here it was quite a bad thing. Nathan would attempt to lead me through a less precarious path but inevitably I seemed to have a magnetic attraction to bogs and slippery rocks. Much of my days were spent – step, step, slide, step, step, stuck – with a few sheep ladders and metal or barbed-wire fences to overcome to add another level of challenge to my five foot stature.

Through all of this, I also had the unfortunate discovery that waterproof clothing and boots are only waterproof for a limited time when traversing wet terrain, particularly when walking for hours in slightly windy rainstorms. The only item I wore that proved itself worthy of the designation of waterproof was a felt slouch hat that kept my hair tucked underneath it dry even in downpours. I strove to ignore whatever discomfort and focus on enjoying my exploration with Nathan of a land that at times appeared straight out of a setting for a gothic novel or a child’s fairy tale.

Despite the mental and physical challenges, or perhaps because of them, I loved each and every hike I completed in County Kerry. No matter if I was gaping in wonderment at a waterfall, scaling a mountain or beach rock, sloshing up a sponge-like almost vertical hill, traipsing through a dense forest, meandering through a pasture, or stomping through a stream, I felt vibrant and alive – colors seemed richer, the scent of fetid leaves and peat more aromatic, the sound of trickling water more soothing, and time itself seemed to stand still. Though I will return to face further hiking challenges that await me in County Kerry, this idyllic week can never be replicated.

On the surface, my life appears to have returned to normal. I am back at home plowing through piles of work on my desk – concentration a task more arduous than any hike. For now, I have learned that eating a packed lunch on top of the Windy Gap on Thanksgiving can be far more satisfying than sitting at a table eating turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie in celebration of an over-rated American holiday. And next time I see a rainbow, I will know there is not a pot of gold at the end, but I will recall a memory far more precious to me of a pot of tea at the end of the trail in Glenbeigh.