Skellig Michael, Ireland

Merrow · #1 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 10:50 PM

Have any other members been here? I took some pretty good photos (if I say so myself) when we went out there one day this year - will try and post some of them tomorrow or the next day...

It is a fab day out if you are ever over this neck of the woods

ChrisJB · #2 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 04:46 PM

I've never been, but would love to. I remember Bill Oddie going there on telly and I believe George Bernard Shaw was a fan of the place. There is an old monastery on the top as I recall. I look forward to the photos.

Regards, Chris

solus · #3 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 06:43 PM

Oooh, happy memories!

We went out there on a scorching hot, cloudless blue-sky-and-sunshine day in June 2001 (that's where my avatar photo was taken) and climbed the hundreds (can't remember how many there are supposed to be now) steps to the top and the monks' Beehive huts. How I got myself beyond the Puffins I'll never know but it was well worth it. There were Storm Petrels nesting in the walls of some of the Beehive huts and we could hear them "purring" from deep inside the stones - fantastic! We were so lucky: our first attempt and we made it: a Canadian chap on our boat had been year after year but had been thwarted every time before by rough seas or bad weather.

Good to hear you can still actually get out there: when we went there was a new "Skellig Experience" somewhere which it was thought might replace actual visits by a "virtual" tour and possibly a non-landing boat trip - which sounded dreadful to me.

Hope the powers-that-be saw sense! Mind, as we descended all those steps there was an overweight, over-dressed American gent on his way up dragging what looked like a cabin trunk with him (perhaps he was using plate cameras??) and muttering about wanting a "goddammmed elevator"!

We half expected to see an Air-Sea Rescue helicopter going to pick up his body later...

Of course, passing the huge Gannet colony on (Great?) Skellig on the way was fantastic too.

All in all, it couldn't have been a more perfect day all round and our friends in Co. Clare were astonished a couple of days later when they discovered from Himself's peeling features that it really was possible to be sunburnt in Ireland!

Merrow · #4 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 09:36 PM

Ah, glad you enjoyed it! I've been many, many times when I was a child but since returning 'home' after years of exile in the UK I have only been about twice or three times...

this is the Small Skellig, which has the gannet colony on (you need a special license to land on there)

I'll add some more photos from our trip sometime (I've got so many photos I want to add...)but this is one of my favourite puffin ones

Sadly there have been two fatalities on the rock this season; both people falling in the same place, so there is talk about 'health and safety' etc. and renewed talk about shutting the island to the public...but there would be uproar if they did.

The 'Skelligs Experience' (the heritage centre) is very popular with tourists, but isn't a patch on the real thing...