I cast on and started knitting the cuff of my second Wandering Sock while sitting on a rock overlooking the panoramic views from Ladies View. This viewpoint is about 10 miles from Killarney. It is on the road from Killarney to Kenmare which is part of the Ring of Kerry.
I finished the first sock and left the toe stitches on two double pointed needles ready for grafting. I enjoy doing kitchener stitch so it isn’t something I put off doing. But it isn’t something I attempt doing while sitting in a moving car! Thoughts of “act in haste, repent at leisure” come to mind when I try to rush grafting a toe. So I normally leave it until I have 20 minutes that I can spend working on it without any type of interruption.
You have a wonderful view of the three lakes, the Derrycunnihy Oak Woods, Torc Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe (where we were staying), Purple Mountain and the Macgillycuddy Reeks.
“Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting visited here during the royal visit in 1861. They were so enraptured with the view that it was named after them.”
Overlooking the view is a cafe and gift shop. After browsing around the gift shop, we spent a relaxed hour sipping a cold drink and coffee while just soaking in the view and watching people arriving, taking a quick photo, and departing. A group of four German bikers sat down at the table next to us and we listened to them laughing and chatting. From Neil’s vantage point he watched a swallow flying in and out of its next above the doorway into the shop.
The Ring of Kerry is a long drive and if you’re going to try to complete the whole loop in one day, you won’t really be able to take the time to relax anywhere along the circuit. Most of the visitors to Ladies View seemed to be in a rush. As this was our last day in Kerry we were taking an easy day.
I like to cast on the cuff for the second sock immediately after I finish the first sock. I find that it is a good way of making sure that I don’t leave a project to one side.
It was slow getting back to Killarney as we were in a traffic jam sandwiched between several coaches and moving very slowly behind 130 cyclists! So when we noticed the ruined building we decided to pull in for 10 minutes!
Not far from Ladies View, on the way back towards Killarney, you pass a ruined building on the right hand side. It is nestled on the edge of the Derrycunnihy Oak Woods half hidden behind trees and wild rhododendron.
It is on private land so you can’t walk through the building and can only look at it from outside the fence. This interesting ruin is the old Derrycunnihy Constabulary Barracks. Purpose built by the local landlord, The Earl of Kenmare, it’s main purpose was the prevention of poaching on the Kenmare Estate and Muckross House.
The barracks were occupied by eight constables until 1917. During the early 1920’s the barracks were burned out by Irish Rebels to prevent any further use.
The castellated towers have survived pretty much intact. While the main building has lost its roof and has completely collapsed leaving only the outer walls standing.
By the time we left Ladies View, I’d started knitting the leg section. Sometimes, there is nothing quite like relaxing, gazing into the mesmerising distance, and allowing your imagination to wander…
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