I think County Kerry is the most beautiful and stunning of all the Irish counties.

I recently enjoyed a very pleasant visit there and, that’s true, it enchanted me. I am under its spell. About to leave I wanted to come back as soon as possible.

Maybe because its glorious and suddenly moody landscapes, rugged coastlines and forests are breathtaking!

The Gap of Dunloe is a narrow mountain pass forged between the MacGillycuddy Reeks and Purple Mountain and, sure enough, is one of the most iconic beauties of Kerry.

It was created around 25,000 years ago during the last ice age by the glacier situated in the Black Valley. It broke off into the Head of the Gap forming the U-shaped valley and five Pater Noster lakes. All the stunning lakes are connected by the River Loe.

I walked the narrow and windy road to the Gap early in the morning on a day with moody weather. Sun, clouds, wind and rain just followed one another rapidly. It was cold and unsettled.

The weather helped me to feel like I’ve stepped back in time when the glacier melted leaving traces of its existence.

It was overwhelming to feel and see the actual strength of Nature. The force that dragged the boulders along the way scratching the sides of the valley was still tangible.

The original purity of the clear water in the lakes was there too, I tasted the water from a tiny stream, and the spring water tasted fresh and pure.

The air was so crisp, as crisp as the beginning! Definitely, I could breathe the glacier.

Along with Nature, the Gap of Dunloe also bears Irishness full of legends and stories.

According to legend, the first leader of the Fir Bolg, called Loich, had his stronghold here. He ruled Ireland before the Tuatha de Danaan and the Milesians.

Kate Kearney’s Cottage has its story to tell. Kate was a beautiful woman who lived in Kerry in the years before the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849.

It was told her poitin was so strong that it could not be drunk if not tempered at least seven times. The poitin was illegal, but she continued to make and sell the liquor to travellers to the Gap.

History teaches the Gap became a tourist destination after Queen Victoria’s visit in the 1860s.

At the end of my walk, I was captivated by the rugged wilderness of the Gap and its lakes and mountains.

As a legend suggests I made the wish to come back soon on the picturesque old stone bridge. It is said that wishes made here really do come true!

Not for nothing, the bridge is known as “The Wishing Bridge”!