Skellig Michael

In a galaxy far far away, there were puffins… Jedi puffins!
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist)
So I was on the Skelligs last week, fives stars all the way. A must see and if you can, go in breeding season to see the puffins in all their colourful glory.
Booking a seat on a boat to get there is essential as the place is very popular, so we booked with Roddys on the recommendation of the Goldens of Kells. On this day, the Roddys seem to be the first two boats to leave Portmagee for the Skelligs, so if you are keen to get there early, book with Roddys.
The boat trip was a bit testing due to the sea conditions and I was feeling a bit queasy by the time we got there. A bit wet too, so I recommend you wear rain gear on the crossing to the Islands. But once we got to Skellig Micheal and onto solid ground, my stomach settled and we took in everything.
It was wonderful: the scenery, the views, the monastry, Little Skellig and especially the puffins. What I was really looking forward to seeing. They were wonderful. And everywhere. Bring a camera and binoculars if you want to see the puffins and the other bird life. Little Skellig has a most impressive Gannet colony and after leaving Skellig Michael the boat did a round trip of that.
Coincidently an Air Corp helicopter flew around the island a few times, to the point it was getting annoying, when it finally landed. The crew were escorting an older American fellow around the island. After the news yesterday, I’m putting two and two together and getting LucasFilms executive :)

Just go. There are not words to fully give this sight and hike justice. An island of rock that was once the home to religious monks. It’s unreal the boat ride to get there and the piece of earth you climb. This is unlike any other island you will ever step foot on. As if you’re still on the fence, there are puffin birds living there too!

Wir waren mal in Irland mit dem Boot unterwegs und morgens gab es die Ansage, dass wir etwas weiter draußen zwei Felsen passieren würden. Das hatte uns dann erst einmal nicht sonderlich tief bewegt, aber beim Näherkommen bot sich ein wirklich fantastischer Anblick.
Der Little Skellig sieht ganz dunkel und glatt aus, wird aber oben von zigtausend Basstölpeln bevölkert, die über der Spitze wie weiße Punkte herumschwirren. Dieser Felsen ist nie von Menschen bewohnt gewesen, aber auf Meereshöhe faulenzen Robben.
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Auf St. Michael bzw. The Great Skellig hatte sich seit dem sechsten Jahrhundert weit oben eines der am schwersten zugänglichen Mönchskloster befunden. Dort stehen heute noch kleine kreisrunde Steinhütten (in Irland beehive huts Bienenkorbhütten (
) genannt), die traditionell ohne Mörtel errichtet wurden und nur ganz kleine Fenster hatten. Man kann sich vorstellen, dass das dort ein raues Leben gewesen sein muss. Das Kloster wurde aber wohl eher wegen der Wikinger aufgegeben. St. Michael sieht von weitem grasgrün aus und wird heute von Papageitauchern und anderen Vogelarten bewohnt wurden. Man muss nahe herankommen, um zu sehen, dass dort Treppenstufen usw. angelegt sind.
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Für die Iren haben die Skelligs immernoch eine mystische Bedeutung, sie sind im Prinzip Nationalheiligtum. Um die Klosteranlage vor Schäden durch Touristen zu
schützen, wurde festgelegt, dass nur noch Ausflugsboote anlegen dürfen.
So eine Tour mitzumachen lohnt sich unbedingt. Daten dazu stehen im englischsprachigen Beitrag. Man bekommt absolut vielfältige Eindrücke und sollte sich vorher auch mal einiges über die Geschichte usw. anlesen.
Erst die Luftbildaufnahmen lassen erkennen, wie hoch und spitz diese Felsen eigentlich sind.
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Die Skelligs sind auch von der traumhaften irischen Festlandküste aus
gut zu sehen. Viele, die da waren, sagen, dass sie dort ihre schönsten Ferien überhaupt
verbracht haben. Dito. Deswegen habe ich einen Guide für solche ähnlichen Orte angelegt. Einmalige-​Orte-​an-​der-​Nordatlantikkueste-​Irland-​und-​GB (
)

2012 is my year of climbing things, sometimes against my will. My Dad decided to celebrate his 63^rd birthday by driving to Ballinskelligs in Kerry and then getting a boat across to the Skelligs to climb 618 steps up a sheer cliff to view the sixth century monastic settlement of Skellig Michael. All good, except he dragged me along after him. Actually, I’m just annoyed that I had to stop and catch my breath every few steps whereas he hared up liked, well, a hare. He’s sixty three!
This is a really spectacular nature and wilderness site, as well as a fascinating insight into how the monks of the early Celtic church lived. It’s a hell of a climb though and not all of our fellow travellers made it to the top. There’s a very reassuring member of staff from Heritage Ireland at the base of steps who underlines the necessity to be careful and points you to the prominent notice which explains how to keep safe on the climb. There have been fatalities and it’s easy to see why. If you’re reasonably fit and not phobic about heights, you should be fine. There were adults of all ages at the top and me own Da is no spring chicken and he was fine. We had a lovely prepacked lunch overlooking the sea and of course were careful about taking our debris back with us. I don’t think there are any toilet facilities around the monastery itself so go easy on the liquids before getting there. It took us over an hour to get there by boat, it’s further out than I had realised, and of course I got spectacularly sea-​sick about 40 minutes in. Oh well. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am delighted that I made it to this beautiful place.

UNESCO world heritage listed site. One of the most spectacular places I have visited in my life. 12−13km out at sea in the Atlantic this island is pure rock and 600 steps later a 6^th century monastery that has survived to this day.
Words cannot describe or do justice to the experience. It was on my list of 100 things to do before I die. I am so glad we made it :-) The view from above is amazing and to just get an appreciation of the effort required to get up the hill let alone build a monastery and live there is a great example of human achievement and drive.

Con dos palabras: im-​presionante.
Si te sale un buen día, la visita a las Skellig Islands es algo espectacular. Es super bonito, sobrecogedor, deja absolutamente sin palabras. En la pequeña se encuentra una invasión de gaviotas y focas, algo sucia por las heces de las gaviotas, pero impresiona ver tanta ave que recuerda a la película de Hitchcock ‘los pájaros’.
La otra es absolutamente preciosa, con el monasterio en la cima, construido sabe dios, con una auténtica excursión para subir hasta arriba, no apta para gente que sufra de vértigo. Desde luego, quien tenga tiempo y quiera ver lo mejor de Irlanda, esta excursión es la mejor que se puede hacer.

The biggest drawcard for this part of the coastline is a trip out to the Skellig Islands (Skellig Michael and Little Skellig) during the summertime.
Boat trips can be booked in advance through many different boat operators, but I used the one recommended by the hostel, Brendan Casey — mobile number (087) 239 5470. He saved me a place on the boat (which holds up to 15 people) then I had to call him at 8:45am on the day to re-​confirm. If the weather is bad/​windy then they don’t go.
I then arrived at the harbour at 9:45am and asked around ’til I found him, and hopped on the boat.
IMPORTANT: All boat operators only accept CASH and the nearest ATM is in Cahirciveen (15km away). Also, there is no toilet (on the island or boat), food or drinking water, so be prepared.
The boat ride to Skellig Michael lasted about an hour, then we had about 2 hours to explore the monastery ruins and observe the birds nesting on the cliff faces. There were tour guides at the ruins, giving talks about the history of the island, the monks and the birdlife.
On the boat ride back we did a circle around Little Skellig (where the gannet colony is), slowing down for photos. I arrived back at the harbour at about 2:30pm.
If the sea looks rough, I’d recommend taking some sea-​sickness pills beforehand, and jackets were provided to keep you dry during the journey.
It was worth the € 45, the islands are spectacular up close, highly recommended.