In County Kerry, Ireland, an easy nature walk extends from Muckross House through Killarney National Park to Dundag Boathouse on Muckross Lake.
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| Yew tree with sign for Old Boathouse Nature Trail. Killarney National Park. County Kerry, Ireland. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
From Dundag, you can rent/hire boats to cruise to Dinis Island and the Meeting of the Waters.
Walking past a massive Scotch pine and masses of blue rhododendrons behind Muckross House, we reached the Old Boathouse Nature Trail. Its length is only 0.6 miles (one kilometer) long, but we spent 30 minutes hiking along the path and taking photos.
Yew trees
The Killarney National Park yew forest looks like leprechaun habitat. Ferns and thick moss carpet the ground below the yew trees (Taxus baccata L.).
Called Reenadinna Wood, some of the yew trees are 200 years old. The 4.7-mile (7.5-kilometer) Arthur Young Nature Trail provides a more comprehensive walk through Killarney's yew woodlands.
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| Lough Leane tour boat. Lakes of Killarney. Killarney National Park. County Kerry, Ireland. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
"Yews were considered sacred trees in pre-Christian times," explained Frank Walsh, our Go Ireland Celtic Kerry tour guide. "People planted them in meeting places, cemeteries and monasteries."
Muckross Lake
Passing some arbutus (Killarney strawberry trees), which grow edible but bitter strawberry-shaped fruit, we reached Muckross Lake.
"Its water comes from the Devil's Punch Bowl, high on Mangerton Mountain," said Walsh.
As we viewed Muckross Lake from Dundag Boathouse, we spotted passengers on an open wooden boat.
A few days later, we boarded the boat for a Killarney Lakes cruise between Ross Castle and Lord Brandon's Cottage.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Killarney National Park: www.killarneynationalpark.ie
Go Ireland: www.govisitireland.com
Tourism Ireland: www.discoverireland.com
