Celtic Shores · Farstep pack

Skellig Michael in 3D

County Kerry · the monastery terrace

Off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland

Monks lived on Skellig Michael from about the 6th to the 12th century, in corbelled stone beehive cells on a terrace 180 m above the Atlantic, 12 km from the mainland. Each stone leans inward until the dome closes with no mortar at all. Across the water, the white on Little Skellig is some 70,000 nesting gannets.

Where: Off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland
Monastery: From about the 6th to the 12th century
Height: About 180 m above the Atlantic
Distance: About 12 km from the mainland
UNESCO World Heritage: 1996

Official site

Walk Skellig Michael in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 2.4 MB when you start.

Skellig Michael

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the Celtic Shores pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Terrain from open elevation data · a 3D reconstruction, not a photograph · tags as in the app

What you'll find in the walk

Gold markers in the scene open these cards.

The beehive cells
Known
Monks lived in these corbelled stone huts from about the 6th to the 12th century, 180 m above the Atlantic, 12 km from the mainland. Each stone leans inward until the dome closes with no mortar at all.
Little Skellig
Known
The white on the neighbouring rock is not snow: some 70,000 gannets nest there, one of the largest colonies in the world.
Six hundred steps
Known
Three stairways of hand-laid slabs climb from the landings. Visitors today are capped at 180 a day, weather allowing, and the island closes from October to May.

How to visit in real life

Landing trips run by licensed boats from the Kerry coast in summer only, weather allowing, with daily visitor numbers capped. The climb is some 600 uneven stone steps with no railings.

Opening times and tickets change: check the official site. Official site