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If you've come to Ireland for the scenery and the remoteness, you'll certainly find them in County Kerry : miles and miles of mountain-moorland where the heather and the bracken are broken only by the occasional lake; smooth hills whose fragrant, tussocky grass is covered with sea pinks, speedwells, thrift and red campion, and that fragment into jagged rocks as they reach the sea. The ocean looks enormous, and you can stand in the sunshine and watch a storm coming in for miles before you have to run for cover. The only catch is that a good part of the county is very much on the tourist trail. However, the plus side of Kerry's long tradition of welcoming tourists is that it's very easy country to travel in, with plenty of accommodation and food in all price brackets, and, during the summer at least, transport is pretty good - though with some notable exceptions. Broadly speaking, Kerry divides into four areas: the Dingle Peninsula; the Iveragh Peninsula, encircled by the Ring of Kerry, with Killarney in its hinterland; the Kenmare River, bordered to the north and south by the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas; and northern Kerry, from Tralee to the Shannon. Each section is quite distinct and has its partisans. By far the most visited area - indeed the most visited in the whole of Ireland - is Killarney and the Ring of Kerry . Deservedly famous for the beauty of the adjacent lakes and mountains, this region is, predictably, geared up for tourism, and the principal roads and sights are often overburdened with visitors. Luckily, however, the real wilds are never far away, and whether you head for the mountains or the sea you can soon lose yourself and feel remote from modern civilization. The Dingle Peninsula is on a smaller scale than Iveragh, but equally magical: peppered with monastic remains, it has a contemplative atmosphere that makes you understand why people talk about the mystic quality of the west. Around Kenmare things are different again, with a tamed feeling about the scenery; one half of the Beara Peninsula belongs to more cultivated, genteel County Cork. To the north , flat, fertile farming land makes for less exciting scenery, but in contrast to the rest of the county there are many signs of Anglo-Norman settlement.
Your Tip for County Kerry
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