Skellig Michael
Two barren islands of old red sandstone lay 13 kilometers (8 miles) off the southwest Irish coast, beckoning you to come to see them (but only in calm seas). The boatman drops you off at a tiny pier on Skellig Michael after circling the smaller island of Little Skellig to witness the awe-inspiring scene of 30,000 gannets battling for precious space on the packed ledges. Skellig, an early Christian hermitage, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is most known for being the home of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
The boat ride to the islands is an adventure in and of itself; the finest day is when the weather is calm and the boatmen prefer to cross on "lazy" waves. The Highway to Heaven, a 20-minute zigzag journey on 650 uneven and worn flagstones, leads to the summit, which is 712 feet above sea level and has exceptionally well-preserved drystone beehive cottages and oratories. It was described by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw as "an extraordinary, impossible, mad place...It's a part of our fantasyland." The monks departed the island in the 12th century, and it is today inhabited by hundreds of portly, sociable, bright-billed, and red-legged puffins who adore nothing more than posing for the cameras, a selfie opportunity par excellence.
Location: County Kerry
