A pinnacle of rock 11.6 km out in the Atlantic off County Kerry, where Celtic monks built a monastery between the sixth and eighth centuries at 170 to 180 metres up: six corbelled beehive cells and oratories laid dry, without mortar, still weatherproof. Getting there means about 600 stone steps on unprotected paths and it is genuinely dangerous in bad weather. The Office of Public Works caps landings at 180 people a day, boats run May to October and only when the sea allows, and a visit runs about six hours. UNESCO listed it in 1996 as a unique example of an early religious settlement at the extremes of Christian monasticism. Its preservation is entirely down to how hard it is to reach, which is worth remembering while you are cursing the steps.
County Kerry, Ireland
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