Kerry’s Skellig Coast has opened its own 112-foot long skywalk rope bridge, which is being claimed to be the longest rope bridge in Ireland. The bridge straddles the River Delligeenagh at Kells Bay House & Gardens.
Recently, Billy Alexander of Kells Bay House and Gardens walked on the rope bridge with some pupils from Filemore National School.
The Skywalk will be officially opened to the public on April 8, 2017, according to the Irish Independent.
The old concrete structure at Skellig Coast was badly damaged during a storm in 2009, which caused Kells Bay Gardens to remain cut off for several years.
People will have to spend €8 to get admission in Kells Bay House & Gardens which also includes a waterfall, exotic plants, a Thai restaurant and bamboo gardens. There is no extra fee for The Skywalk. The admission fee for children is €6.
“The secret is out,” said Pat Kavanagh of the new Skellig Coast Tourism Network.
“Following years of individual communities working independently on tourism – we now have a co-ordinated approach where the whole area from Kells to Castlecove is identified as one area under the Skellig Coast Tourism Network.”
According to the owners Billy and Penn Alexander, the idea and inspiration for the Kells Bay ‘Skywalk’ came from their different rainforest and jungle research trips. They acquired this site in 2006, and have invested about €2 million since then. They believe the new attraction will boost the number of visitors coming to this place by fifty percent.
There are also plans to extend the tourist season and increase “dwell time” between Kells and Castlecove to broaden the visitor appeal of the area. Earlier this year, Fáilte Ireland rolled out a new plan for the Skellig Coast in a bid to create stickier tourism in this area.
How to Get to Kells Bay Country House & Gardens
Coming from Killarney / Killorglin:
– Drive towards Killorglin, following the brown tourism signs for the ‘Ring of Kerry’.
– Continue through Killorglin on the N70 heading in the direction of Glenbeigh and Caherciveen.
– Approximately 13km after Glenbeigh is a right turn, sign posted Kells Bay House & Gardens. Take this turn.
– Follow this road for 1.5 km till you reach a junction, take the right turn also signposted Kells Bay House & Gardens.
– 1 km down this road on the right hand side is the entrance for Kells Bay Gardens.
Coming from Caherciveen:
– Head towards Glenbeigh and Killorglin, approximately 9 km from Caherciveen is a left turn signed Kells, take this road.
– Approximately 3 km down this road is a left turn, signposted Kells Bay House & Gardens, take this road.
– 1 km down this road on the right hand side is the entrance for Kells Bay Gardens.
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