SKELLIGPHOTOTOURS
Photo Workshops and Holidays in South Kerry, Ireland
Skelligphototours – Itinerary for a Seven Day Photo Holiday Michael Herrmann, Photographer, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, Ireland www.skelligphototours.com Telephone: 00353 6694 79022 skelligphototours-itinerary
There are several 5-Day-Photo-Holiday weeks sceduled for 2011. 7-Day-Workshops can be booked for a group or individuals. Enquire for Prices and Dates on www.skelligphototours.com Michael Herrmann is a professional photographer who worked for newspapers and magazines in Berlin for twenty years. He is now living in Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry, and has been teaching photography courses at local Community Colleges in South Kerry for a number of years. He is also organising and leading Landscape Photography Holidays for visitors to the Area. skelligphototours-itinerary
Day 1: Valentia Island After breakfast we will meet and drive to our first photo shoot location on Valentia Island, where pre and early Christian archaeologic remains stand guard along a dramatic coastline with high cliffs and views towards the Blasket Islands at the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. We will spend lunchtime in the picturesque little village of Knighstown with an opportunity to take photos of the bustling little harbour with its colourful boats and buildings. In the afternoon we will drive to the Slate Quarry on the north side of the island and to the lighthouse, again with great sights of cliffs and the rolling Atlantic Ocean. This part of Valentia Island is also famous for its lush vegetation, there will be time to take those photo opportunities in as well. (Duration 10am-6pm) skelligphototours-itinerary
Day 2: Portmagee and Cahirciveen Today we meet before breakfast to capture the sunrise at the old pier in Portmagee. After breakfast there will be photo opportunities in the little fishing harbour of Portmagee. In the afternoon we will drive to Cahirciveen´s two imposing Stone Ring Forts and the nearby Castle Tower ruin of McCarthy Mór. On the way between Portmagee and Caherciveen we will stop at one of the turf fields, which are an important part of our landscape and social and natural history. (Duration half an hour before sunrise – 5pm)
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Day 3: Skellig Michael A Boat trip will take us to Skellig Michael (starting and returning to Portmagee Harbour, 10am3pm), a small ragged island in the Atlantic with a well preserved Early Christian Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of great wonder and beauty. During the boat trip there are many photo opportunities for seabirds and other wildlife, especially when passing Little Skellig, home to thousands of gannets during the summer and of course the Puffins breeding on Skellig Michael from May to the end of July. In the evening we will take in the Sunset over the Atlantic from Bray Head, Valentia Island. (The boat trip and landing is very much weather depending, it could be swapped with another day).
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Day 4: The Valley of Glencar Half an hour´s drive along the Ring of Kerry will take us to Lake Curragh and the Valley of Glencar at the feet of Irelands highest Mountain Range, the McGillicuddy Reeks, with opportunities to take photos of mountains, lakes, rivers and a very special vegetation in sheltered places. We will continue on to one of South Kerry´s famous Mountain Passes, Ballaghasheen, with a panoramic view over the mountains and the sea and from there back along the Ring of Kerry to our hotel or B&B. (Duration 10am-6pm)
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Day 5: Ballinskelligs and St. Finian´s Bay We will spend the morning quite leasurely at Ballinskelligs´ sandy beaches, capturing nature or people and two more famous ruins at the water´s edge, the old Abbey with its enclosing graveyard and one more of old McCarty Mór´s Castle Towers. After lunch we will drive on to Kildrealig, a restored old village that is an international retreat for artists these days; overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay with Scarriff Island and the Beara Peninsula at the eastern horizon. In the evening we will head for St. Finian´s Bay, where from all directions the Skellig Rocks out in the Ocean demand our photographic attention. (duration 10am-4pm and two hours in the evening before sunset)
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Day 6: Caherdaniel and Derrynane Another short drive along the Ring of Kerry will take us to Waterville where we stop for a photo shoot at the sea front promenade and at Coomakishta Pass, then onto Caherdaniel and Derrynane with beautiful coves and small sandy beaches, the Daniel O´Connell House with its Subtropical Garden, Abbey Island and the quaint little village of Caherdaniel itself. On our way back we can stop at Loher Ringfort which is in a unique location, settled in a valley overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay. (Duration 10am-6pm) After dinner there will be time to show photos and/or take another opportunity for a sunset shoot from Portmagee Pier.
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Day 7: Killarney, the Lakes and Mountains Killarney is famous for its lakes and mountains, the town itself is a lively, colourful and attractive place. Muckross House, just outside Killarney has got beautiful gardens and its sweeping lawns touch the lakes that are guarded over by the mountains, you want to spend the whole day here. Not far away within the Killarney National Park we will take photos at Torc Waterfall and the surrounding forest. On the way to and from Killarney, on the Ring of Kerry, there are several excellent spots for taking in the outstanding landscape. (Duration 10am-6pm)
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