Valentia Island
Welcome to our beautiful island just off the coast of the Iveragh peininsula . We are also located on the Ring of Kerry ,wild Atalantic Way and we are also included in the Skelligs Ring.
Valentia Island (Irish: Dairbhre, meaning “The Oak Wood”) is one of Ireland’s most westerly points. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O’Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from Reenard Point to Knightstown, the island’s main settlement, from April to October. A second, smaller village named Chapeltown is located at roughly the midpoint of the island, 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the bridge. The permanent population of the island is 665 (as of the 2011 CSO Census). It is approximately 11 kilometres (7 miles) long by almost 3 kilometres (2 miles) wide. Source: wikipedia
Valentia is the perfect place for a family holiday we have loads to do and see here for all members of your family. This why our caravan park is the ideal location for you to make as your base here on the island. Whether you are family, couple or solo traveller Valentia has it all. We have Valentia Island Sea Sports operating in Knightstown for the summer months where your children can pass away their summer days learning many life skills and lifelong friends….for the older members of the family or for you the solo traveller, pairs or groups we have some great fishing and angling on the Island. Allied to this you can take a day trip to the UNESCO world heritage site that is the Skellig’s known internally as Skellig Michael…of course if you are a fan of star wars the Skelligs has featured prominently in the last 2 movies.
Valentia is perfect for the outdoor enthusiast its perfect for walking and cycling, the roads are quiet and there is literally beautiful landscapes all a round you. As a matter of fact, is you walk from the caravan park to the Slate Quarry/Grotto which is 2.5 km you will see on of the most beautiful views in Ireland. South Kerry in general has numerous walking trails and has one of the best cycling routes in Ireland. So you really are spoilt for choice here.
There are many big days on the Island and Knightstown is always a hive of activity, but I suppose none come bigger than the Valentia Regatta which happens each year on the Bank Holiday Monday in August. Clubs from all over Kerry come to take part and Valentia lends itself to the spectacle and people congregate on the road outside the church and the cable stations to watch shout, jump cry roar celebrate and commiserate!!
We have 3 fantastic Bars on the Island “The Ring Lyne“ “The Royal” and “Boston’s”, all have delicious food and great music nightly over the summer months. Also, we have fantastic cafes on the Island, visit The Skellig Experience Cafe just as you enter Valenitia Island from the bridge or visit, The Watch House and Knightstown Cafe both located in the village of Knightstown.
Valentia and the Transatlantic cable: A transatlantic telegraph cable is an undersea cable running under the Atlantic Ocean used for telegraph communications. The first was laid across the floor of the Atlantic from Telegraph Field, Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island in western Ireland to Heart’s Content in eastern Newfoundland. The first communications occurred August 16, 1858, reducing the communication time between North America and Europe from ten days – the time it took to deliver a message by ship – to a matter of minutes.