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Town base on or near ROK

We have an opportunity for a well located self catering house in Ballinskellig or a B&B in Waterville for 3-4 nights during our 3+ week upcoming Ireland trip. Have any of you used either one of these towns on the ROK as a base and have an opinion about their charm, amenities and location?

At this point we will have been to Dublin, our Galway base for 5 nights, Dingle for 2 nights and be moving towards Kinsale after the ROK. We will have a rental car and like a slow pace of travel. We hope to take some drives, hikes, walking pub/music evenings and maybe a trip to Skellig Michael from one of these towns although my husband is prone to sea sickness...

Posted by
2791 posts

For a more relaxed, off-the-beaten path experience I'd opt for Ballinskelligs. It's on the Skellig Ring Road but away from the traffic of the ROK. There are ruins of an old castle near the beach - usually deserted since tours (and tour buses) don't go out there, and the ruins of an old abbey too - it's where the monks from Skellig Michael relocated when they left the island. The Skellig Ring Road is a real delight. The Kerry Cliffs provide some very pretty views of the Skelligs on a sunny day, and there's a terrific chocolate factory out there which (for some of us at least) is a destination in its own right.
Waterville is a nice little town. Since it's on the ROK itself it does see a lot of thru traffic during the day, but I would think that after the buses go home and things quiet down it would be even nicer. There's a very pretty beach side promenade that invites casual strolling, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.
You can usually book the boats from the Skellig Center at Portmagee (the ones that circle the islands but don't land) a day or two in advance, so you could check the weather & the sea state forecasts and then make your decision. The trips are weather dependent (actually, they're dependent on sea states) and they'll cancel if conditions get too rough.

Posted by
238 posts

We spent 4 nights in Cahersiveen, which is a little less than 10 miles north of Waterville, and found the area to be an excellent location for day trips. Castle ruins, 2 ring forts and a lovely beach (White Strand) were all nearby. We spent an afternoon in Waterville and thought it was a very nice little town. There was a park along the water where we picnicked and, of all things, a Charlie Chaplin statue (he was apparently very fond of Waterville and spent a lot of time there--they have a film festival there in his honor every year). I agree with Robert that the Skellig Ring Road and Cliffs of Kerry are wonderful, as is Valentia Island. The Skellig Experience (ie visitor's center) is there--you can see a short video showing what to expect on a visit to Skellig Michael--it might serve to motivate (or dissuade) your husband. When we were there Star Wars was doing some filming so Skellig Michael itself was closed to the public--but, from the video, it looks amazing!

Posted by
3938 posts

Thank you both for your detailed insight! Now I'm sure we'd be happy with either location so we'll try to let the lodging decide for us.