Skellig Michael

Our family attempted Skellig Michael this past June. The weather was absolutely beautiful but unfortunately the seas didn't cooperate! As we were having coffee waiting for our update as to our afternoon departure, we started talking with a gentleman and it turns out that he was the captain of our boat! (We were leaving from Portagee) We live in Charleston, SC on the water and understand high/low tides very well. The captain doesn't decide whether or not they travel, but the workers on Skellig decide if it is safe enough. We only made reservations for one day because I didn't want to take another spot for another day if someone else could go----but I totally understand wanting to make it for multiple days. This was our 30 anniversary trip and something we really wanted to do. I had finally gotten enough courage to do it, and then it was cancelled. Our day ended up a wash out in a tiny town driving around and finding great food and people to chat with. All in all, I hope to return back to Ireland and conquer Skellig!!! Good luck! PS. The captain did tell us that it was the 9th day that boats had not traveled. I do look at the positive and they do keep safety in mind!

I'm hoping if the ferries aren't running, I'll be able to see the cliffs of Kerry and/or Ft. Staigue. Other thoughts on things to do when the ferries aren't running?

Does traffic on the ring of Kerry factor into getting to Portmagee in the morning? I'd like to stay in Dingle for a couple days while trying to get on a ferry to the Skellig.

Anyone know when the trail of buses begins in the morning or ends in the afternoon? I'll be there mid May this year.

Thoughts on driving the "wrong way" on the Ring of Kerry route to get back to Dingle from Portmagee? Or is it the "wrong way" driving there?

Thanks,

My sister went a few years ago so I think I have the story right: the seas were rough that day but their captain did decide to brave it, and she said they could barely get off the boat given the choppy waters, but get off they did and it was a wonderful tour.

I stayed in an Airbnb near Portmagee for two nights, including the night before my Skellig Michael trip so I wouldn’t have a long drive for the early morning departure. It’s a pleasant place to stay with several good restaurants, and I enjoyed touring the museum and Valencia Island. I drove the Ring of Kerry the day before the trip and arrived in Portmagee that afternoon. Portmagee is a quiet town without much tourist entertainment in the evening.

My trip went as scheduled, and there were two people who got on at the last minute due to someone’s cancellation. There were others waiting for last minute trips, but didn’t get a slot.

I think staying in Portmagee is a good idea. It's at least a 2 1/2 hour drive around from Dingle, according to via Michelin, probably more.

Wise choice staying in Portmagee.
If you do get skunked due to high sea states a pleasant alternative would be to head up to the Gap of Dunloe - a relatively flat 3.5 mile walk/hike (each way) thru one of the prettiest glens in Ireland. Don't know whether there's a bike rental place nearby but that might be an option too.
There is a bike rental in Cahersiveen, from where you could explore the back roads in the area or, if you're very ambitious, pedal over to the Knightstown ferry and explore Valencia Island.
A meandering drive around the Skellig Ring, with stops at the chocolate factory, the Kerry Cliffs and the old abbey near Ballinskelligs, would make for a pleasant day too. I don't recall seeing any bike shops in the vicinity but maybe the place in Cahersiveen offers bike racks to transport the bikes to either the Gap or Portmagee.
Might add that it's landing on Skellig Michael that's usually the issue- can get pretty hairy trying to debark passengers onto the island if the seas are running high. Alternatively, there are boat trips from the Skellig Center that circle the islands a couple of times per day (ie no landing), and which are a little less likely to be cancelled if it gets rough ... though it does happen.

Interesting to note. I called this morning to get reservations for my trip. I called a couple guys and they both said they can't book until they know if they'll have licenses. They think they'll know by next week (at least that's what I made out, they had thick accents).

FWIW, I have been trying for many, many weeks to reach one operator to book our landing trip in early July. I had been in contact with them every few months starting last fall, they first told me to get back to them in January, then February, then March 1, then they went silent. Each time (before they stopped responding) they said that getting the landing licenses was taking longer than expected. Finally, a few days ago, they got back to me and said they had received their landing license and were ready to book. I immediately went online and booked - and got the last two slots for the one day when we will be able to try.

My take-aways from this were:

1. Getting the licenses to land seems to be an unpredictable bit of local bureaucracy, and
2. Once the licenses are granted and they start taking bookings, you better move quickly if you have a specific/limited date you can try for, because some operators book up quickly.

BTW, does anyone know of any weather/sea conditions websites or other resources that one could look to in the days immediately before a (hoped-for) Skellig landing attempt, to see trends on recent days and a forecast of conditions? I'm aware of windy.com (used in some places for reasonably reliable forecasts) but wonder if the locals use something else.

Just looking at windy.com now, it says the wind at the Skelligs is currently 23 knots gusting to 31 knots -- yikes, that is some serious breeze, I'd hate to be on a little boat in that, trying to time a jump onto a small concrete pad!

Still trying. This morning I was able to book as a wait list on one site, for one day, but was told by another they are still waiting on licenses for the year.

Re: Booking for Skellig Michael - we booked via our accommodations. We stayed at the Moorings in Portmagee. We only had the one day booked and thankfully it was a landing day. The impression we got from talking to everyone on the boat is that all the locals in the tourism industry work together to fill every spot on each boat so if there is a cancellation/no show they are going to fill those spots.

The decision to land is made by the staff on the island.
The trip is fantastic and totally worth taking the time to get it organized.

I did get an email stating that the licenses were to be announced this past Friday. I was fortunate to book a trip but like some others didn't feel comfortable doing multiple days (not sure our itinerary could support it anyway). Thanks to the person who gave some great local suggestions should the landing be cancelled.

I was able to book this weekend, one day anyway (plus wait list on another day). Hopefully the seas cooperate and I'll get to see it.

Just curious, what is the best method to get in contact with these boat companies? Some can be booked online, others are by phone or email. I guess I'm wondering the best way to call to Ireland from the US?

I started with a couple sights I knew, with no luck. Then went to www.skelligexperience.com - which gives a list of operators (some with websites and some with phone numbers). I'm not sure if the list has been updated now that licenses are issued for the year?

From that list I tried a couple more websites but also called and emailed some operators. The one I ended up booking with was Nealie Lyne. You can reach him at [email protected]. I'm on a waitlist for the following day with Paul Devane, [email protected].

Fortunately, my phone service allows free calls to most of Europe. I had a little trouble with the heavy Irish accents. After some calls back and forth, most of them referred me to their websites for booking. I waited a couple days from the time I knew they opened booking to the time I booked. I almost didn't get booked because of it. Take care of it right away.

Remember you want to book a "landing", not an "eco tour" - which is simply a boat ride that circles the islands.

Hope that helps.

Calling Ireland from the US dial:
US International code - 011
Republic of Ireland code - 353
Area code (drop zero if first number) - 86
Phone number (seems to be either seven OR eight digits) 822 7660

So if the number listed is 00353876871261, Dial 011-353-87-687-1261 (That's the number for Nealie Lyne).

So to check back. I managed a booking on the 21st and the weather was great. Unfortunately, they had had weather problems earlier that didn't allow them to repair the dock on the island and deferred trips until the 24th, so I missed out. :-(

Disappointing yes but safety first and always remember Mother Nature doesn’t give a darn about tourism. Her planet, her rules. We just live here.

Sorry it didn’t work out this time, but hope the rest of your trip went well and without disappointment. Hope you’ll get a chance on a future trip ... maybe the Star Wars film location craze will even have lessened somewhat by then ?

That is a bummer. How did the rest of the trip go?

It was a great trip. I knew going in that Skellig Michael was a gamble at best. The day I had planned was glorious (a word I'm not sure I've ever used to describe weather) - sunny, calm wind, flat seas. I had a back up the next day but that didn't work either because they didn't open the first trips until the 24th (my possible days were the 21st and 22nd). I briefly contemplated swimming but figured if the current didn't drag me off, the ranger on the island would have me arrested. ;-)