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From Valentia you get a tantalizing view across a broad strip of sea to the Skellig Islands ( Na Sceilig ), apparently no more than two massive rocks. Little Skellig is a bird sanctuary, home to 40,000 gannets, and landing isn't permitted, but you can visit Great Skellig, or Skellig Michael as it's also called, and climb up to the ancient monastic site at the summit. There are several departure points for the Skelligs around the Kerry coast ; the trips are not cheap at around GBP25/?31.74 but, if the weather's good they make a fascinating and dramatic voyage. Once at sea, boats are followed by wheeling seagulls and, if you're lucky, puffins, too, from the nature reserve of Puffin Island, further north. You'll also pass the huge, jagged arch of rock that forms Little Skellig, where gannets with six-foot wingspans career overhead or make headlong dives into the sea for fish. Skellig Michael looms sheer from the ocean, a gargantuan slaty mass with no visible route to the summit. From the tiny landing stage, however, you can see steps cut into the cliff face, formerly a treacherous monks' path. Nowadays there's also a broad path leading to Christ's Saddle, the only patch of green on this inhospitable island. From here, it narrows and leads on to the arched stone remains of St Fionan's Abbey (560 AD). Among the ruins are six complete beehive cells - drystone huts that have survived centuries of foul weather. The island is dedicated to St Michael, guardian against the powers of darkness and patron of high places, who helped St Patrick drive the last of the venomous serpents over the 700ft cliffs to perish in the sea. Contrasted with Valentia, it's a wild, cruel place, an awesome sanctuary of devotion, even if the monks didn't remain here all year round to feel the violence of the elements. The Viking invasion of the island in the ninth century lived long in folk memory, inspiring a Skellig monk to write: Bitter and wild is the wind tonight
Tossing the tresses of the sea to white
On such a night as this I feel at ease
Fierce Northmen only course the quiet seas.
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