A bustling waterfront village, scenic beaches, deep-sea fishing and fossilised tetrapod tracks – Valentia island has it all, and more, writes Miriam Mulcahy
ALTHOUGH I’VE been lucky enough to holiday in Kerry for many years, I discovered Valentia only recently. My partner has a thing for islands – the sense of isolation they induce, and the first chance he got, he packed us into the car and we were island-bound.
Incredible as it may seem to me now, I was reluctant – unwilling to forgo a rare summer’s day on the perfect sands of Derrynane. For all of us, it was love at first landing as the ferry pulled into Knightstown and we caught our first glimpse of the village clustered on the harbour, its Victorian buildings and wide streets quite unlike anywhere else so close to the water.
Kerry is like that – you can find a part that is so perfect, so complete, that has everything you could ever possibly want or need, that the rest of the world, and of Kerry, too, fades and recedes until there are only this village and these beaches.
A small island off the Ring of Kerry, joined to the mainland by a bridge at Portmagee, Valentiat has an unparalleled wealth of beauty and heritage. There are walks on windswept cliffs, tiny coves and beaches, a shiny new marina in front of Knightstown for yachts and boats, views that get better around every corner and, more than anything, a laid back, unhurried charm that permeates everywhere.
Any visitor will be spoiled for choice for what to do and where to stay. There’s a good mix of self-catering and BB, with a choice of older cottages scattered around the island in scenic locations, or modern developments in the heart of Knightstown, the bustling waterfront village. If you stay in Knightstown it’s a short stroll to any pub and restaurants, from where you can soak up the atmosphere.
For those in search of peace, there are also BBs on the western side of the island, looking down on the lighthouse and the sea. A visit to the Valentia Heritage centre in Knightstown is the key to unlocking much of the island’s history. It showcases the work of noted naturalist Maude Delap, whose collected specimens developed marine research.
Here you can learn about the transatlantic cable, which islanders claim to be a feat of engineering no less astounding than that of putting man on the moon. In the 1850s, the first attempts were made to lay the cable, between Valentia and Newfoundland in Canada, before eventual success in 1866. A cable station operated on the island for a hundred years, and brought much prosperity and life to the island.
The architects of all this industry – the cable, the Slate quarry, the Nimmo-planned village of Knightstown, were the knights of Kerry, the FitzGeralds, who were live-in landlords in Glanleam. Slate from the quarry roofed some of the most important buildings in London, including Westminster, St Pauls and Buckingham palace.
Some of the slate even found its way to South America in the form of railway sleepers, and the enterprising Knights brought back South American plants to create a tropical garden in Glanleam. The gardens can still be visited today and are a real pleasure to walk around. The Knights were tireless in their promotion of the island and had many eminent visitors to stay at the house. Queen Victoria’s son came for a visit and, in his honour, the harbour-front hotel was renamed the Royal.
A visit to the tetrapod tracks is an absolute must-see for children: 350 million years ago, an ancient creature crawled along the rocks here, in what was then mud, and left a clear series of tracks that will delight any mini-marine biologists.
Above the tracks is the Lighthouse Café, where salads and vegetables are grown in the organic garden, the menu is full of seafood, the wine list and coffee, both excellent – but what really pulls people back, year after year, is the breathtaking view from a series of terraces outside. If you get a good day, it’s heaven.
WHEN YOU CAN drink no more coffee or wine, or whatever is giving you an excuse to linger here, above the cafe is the Slate Quarry, with fine views. The best view of the island, however can be seen from one of the two mountains on the island. You can do this the easy way, or the hard way.
The easy way is to drive to the summit of Geokaun, on the northern side of the island, and enjoy spectacular, panoramic views of the island, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and the Blaskets. The hard way is to accept an invitation from Mick O’Connell, legendary footballer and Valentia’s most famous resident, to go for “a hop up the hill”. It’s not easy seeing a man in his seventies leave you for dust as he tears up the mountain, but to hear him speak about his home was worth every sore muscle.
Of course, it’s an island and the sea will constantly beckon. There’s a tiny beach at Glanleam that is utterly charming and quite different to the vast expanses of golden sands that are so much a feature of the Ring of Kerry.
IF YOU WANT A wild beach day, Diarmuid Ring, an octogenarian boatman, will ferry you to the adjoining island of Beginis, which is unpopulated. The harbour in Knightstown is a focus for kids and teenagers alike – and that most beloved of Irish summer sports, jumping from the pier, the most simple of joys now prolonged by the wearing of wetsuits. As well as the fine new marina in the harbour, Valentia Sea Sports offers summer camps, kayaking and sailing.
Fishing is another big attraction for visitors and there are several boats that will take groups out for deep sea fishing.
Everything is there for the taking – ling, wrasse, and cod – and there is nowhere better to finish a successful day out on the water than in the bar of the Royal hotel, which does excellent bar food.
Another feature of south Kerry is the summer Seine boat regatta; Valentia’s regatta is on the August weekend and, whatever the weather, the atmosphere positively sizzles.
If you get the weather, make sure to visit Skellig. This world heritage site, 12 miles out to sea, is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Visiting this rock, where monks, lighthouse keepers and their families eked out Spartan lives, is an uplifting experience. It’s astonishing, but be warned – those in poor health should not travel, and be wary of taking young children. Trips are available from the pier at Portmagee: mornings are better as, sea conditions permitting, you can land on Skellig.
Rainy days must be mentioned because, unless you’re incredibly lucky, Kerry will shower you with a few. Take the kids to the candle-making factory at the back of the island, stop for an ice-cream at Daly’s Farmhouse Dairy, where the ice-cream is made on the farm, have lunch at the Knights’ Inn in Knightstown, which has a great secondhand bookshop. If the rain has thwarted a trip to Skellig, the Skellig Experience Centre paints a comprehensive picture of the lives of the monks and the lighthousekeepers who lived there.
For the golfer, the world-class links at Waterville are 20 minutes by car. For those disinclined to pay world-class green fees, Skellig Bay, also in Waterville, is wonderful course.
It’s a tiny island with a disproportionate amount of attractions, but the beauty of Valentia is the possibility of doing it all or doing nothing: each pursuit is equally rewarding on this jewel of an island which, once visited, will forever haunt you.
Where to stay and eat on Valentia island
Where to stay
Atlantic Villa Bed and Breakfast, anirishexperience.com, 066-9476839. Legendary hospitality, great food, gorgeous old house, also self-catering apartments, in Knightstown.
Spring Acre BB, Knightstown, 066-9476141. Charming hosts, right on the harbour in Knightstown.
Knights Haven self-catering holiday homes, dreamireland.com, 064-6641170. Modern and spacious, right beside the playground in Knightstown.
Kerry Coastal Cottages, kerry-coastal-cottages.com, 066-9476876. For a mixture of old and new houses and cottages, all over the island.
Valentia Self-Catering, valentiaselfcatering.com, 066-9476018. A house at Coromore, close to a small stony beach. Perfect for families with small people, with a proper cot and stairgate.
Where to eat
Fuschia Restaurant, 066-9476051. In Knightstown, a hit with locals and visitors.
The Royal Valentia, 066-9476144. Great for bar food, live music, good pints, the place during regattas.
The Lighthouse Café, Dohilla, 066-9476304. Run by the charming Duffs, whose unique blend of whimsy makes for a charming atmosphere; and the views – swoon. Eclectic picnics on Saturday nights during the summer.
O'Neills at the Point, 066-9472165. Okay, not strictly Valentia, but across the harbour at Reenard, a ferry ride away. What better way to spend a summer evening, waiting for the famous fish dishes that pack this place out? Extremely popular with the Corkerati – some even still arrive to dine by helicopter. Also a favourite of the President when she visits the in-laws.