The Dingle Way: Annascaul to Dingle

Thursday, 15 September 2022 (16.1 miles)

This was the longest day of hiking. Once we got to Dingle, we had another 1+ km (uphill) to go to get to our B&B. And then we had to walk downtown and back to have dinner (total miles for the day, 17.3).

The ruins of Minard Castle are on the Dingle Bay coast not far from Annascaul (which is a few km inland).

Minard Castle was built in the 16th century and destroyed by Cromwell's troops in 1650.

Much of our travels were over farm roads such as this one - one vehicle wide and lined with 6- to 8-ft high hedgerows of fuchsia, blackberry, and such.

A few minutes later a tractor came by showing just how narrow these roads are. The red flowers are fuchsia. In my experience, fuchsia is a fussy plant. After doing some research, I found out that fuchsia does not like hot weather (above 70°F), so it's perfect for Ireland, but not so good to grow in the US.

Lon climbing a stile separating a pasture from a farm road.

Lon took this picture from the top of the stile, looking back at Dingle Bay.

Looking towards Dingle - "just around the next hill!"

The number of stone walls and other stone structures suggests how difficult it is to farm in Ireland.

The final approach to Dingle was another straight-line 2-mile descent into town.

Overnight (for two nights!) at the Lighthouse B&B. Very comfortable. Very nice!

The Dingle Way: Camp to Annascaul

Wednesday, 15 September 2022 (11.9 miles)

We had to return 2 km (1.2 miles) uphill to the beginning of the loop - this time taking the road heading towards Dingle. Today we crossed the peninsula to begin walking along Dingle Bay on the southern side.

The clouds hung low on the mountaintops as we left Camp.

We walked along fields and farms.

It was blackberry season in Ireland. That was interesting because our blackberry season is late June/early July, and these blackberries had a slightly different taste and were much sweeter. Lon grazed on blackberries the entire trip.

The pass between the north and south sides of the Dingle Peninsula is filled with boggy fields. Peat had been cut in the past for fuel.

A look at the deep layer of peat along our path.

A crow sits atop a way marker for the Dingle Way and the Kerry Camino.

There were spruce plantations throughout the peninsula.

Inch Strand lies along the western edge of a low spit projecting into Dingle Bay that separates the Bay from Castlemaine Harbour.

Waves along Inch Strand. The mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry are across Dingle Bay.

The road into Annascaul was ruler-straight and relentlessly downhill. (We're glad that we weren't walking uphill!)

The Gulf Stream keeps the temperatures on the west coast of Ireland relatively mild - rarely getting as low as freezing. We were surprised to see very tropical-looking vegetation.

Palm trees (really!) were seen relatively frequently.

Why is there a "South Pole Inn" in County Kerry, Ireland? Because Annascaul's most famous hometown hero is Tom Crean - a noted Antarctic explorer. He was with Shackleton on the Endurance expedition and helped guide the small lifeboat on the dead-reckoning trip from Elephant Island to South Georgia Island, and the rescue of the men who stayed behind on Elephant Island. On our trip to Antarctica and South Georgia in February 2020 we visited the locations associated with this remarkable expedition.

Not only is the South Pole Inn a pub, but it is also a museum to Tom Crean and his antarctic adventures.

Annascaul is a small village.

Overnight at the Old Anchor Inn B&B. Another charming old guesthouse.

The Dingle Way: Tralee to Camp

Tuesday, 13 September 2022 (13.2 miles)

Tralee is a small city at the base of the Dingle Peninsula. The Dingle Way starts in a park near the center of town. The first 2 miles of today's walk were on sidewalks ("footpaths") along fairly busy roads. The next 2 miles were on little-used, but paved country roads.

Near the start in Tralee. The Dingle Way shares the route with a number of other established walking and biking paths. The North Kerry Way branches off at the edge of town. The Kerry Camino ends in Dingle. The bike route stays on paved roads.

About 2 km into the walk, we passed the Blennerville Windmill.  In the 1800s,  Blennerville/Tralee was a major grain center and sea port. The windmill was restored in the1980s after a century of decay and once again is a working windmill.

This road is typical of the small rural roads we walked along.

After 4 miles of pavement, the Dingle Way turns onto a rutted track across the moor at the base of the Slieve Mish mountains.

There were about a half-dozen substantial fast-flowing streams we had to cross. These had small footbridges for crossing. Numerous smaller streams were crossed on rocks.

Mud flats in Tralee Bay at low tide.

Lighthouse in Tralee Bay.

A "standing stone" along the way. No one really knows what these fairly common stones were used for.

Time for a snack!

Looking west along Tralee Bay. The distant headland is Brandon Point. Castlegregory is at the base of the nearer mountain.

Ruins of an old village near the Killelton Oratory.

The Killelton Oratory. An oratory is a very small church, typically dating to about 1000 AD.

Lon crossing the Finglas River on large stepping stones. Fortunately, the rope handrail made a huge difference for me. (If the river had been running high, there is detour to a road bridge for crossing the river.)

The "Triple Junction" on the Dingle Way. This is the beginning of the loop around the peninsula.  Our B&B was 2 km down the road in Camp (towards Cloghane). The next morning we had to return to this junction to start on our way towards Dingle.

Overnight at the Sea View House B&B. Very nice. Very friendly! We had to take a taxi to get dinner down the busy highway a mile-or-so at the Junction Bar. Excellent freshly caught local fish.

The Dingle Way: Overview

The Dingle Way is an established walking path around the Dingle Peninsula in southwestern Ireland. Tralee is the start of the walk, and a 4-hour train ride from Dublin, with a transfer in Mallow. We spent 10 days walking, and one extra day in Dingle town.

The Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of several peninsulas in southwestern Ireland.

A map of the Dingle Way showing our path from Tralee to Camp, then a clockwise loop around the peninsula, where we returned to Camp and then walked back to Tralee.

Itinerary (miles includes side-trips and extra distance to/from overnight accommodations)

Tralee to Camp, 13.2 miles

Camp to Annascaul, 11.9 miles

Annascaul to Dingle, 16.1 miles

A Day in Dingle (7.2 miles of walking around town)

Ventry to Old Irish Farmhouse, 7.4 miles

Old Irish Farmhouse to Ballyferriter, 13.5 miles

Ballyferriter to Cuas, 13.3 miles (overnight in Ballydavid)

Glin North to Cloghane, 7.4 miles

Cloghane to Scragganes Pier, 10.8 miles (overnight in Castlegregory)

Scragganes Pier to Camp, 13.9 miles

Camp to Tralee, 14 miles

Our tour was arranged by Hillwalk Tours, who offers a number of walking tours in Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, and the Camino de Santiago. Not only does Hillwalk book your B&Bs and shuttle your luggage each day, their GPS-marked routes make it nearly impossible to go off-track. They also included great documentation on using trains and buses to get around Ireland. Excellent customer service. Highly recommended.

Everyone wants to mention that several films have been filmed on the Dingle Peninsula - especially the far western end. Many of the B&Bs have photo albums of the filming and their parts (or their property's parts) in the films. The list includes: Ryan's Daughter, Far and Away, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the lesser known films The Playboy of the Western World and Song of the Sea.

Overnight in Tralee before starting the walk at the Grand Hotel. Comfortable. Good location in the center of Tralee. Close to train station.

Two Days in Dublin

It's been 2 1/2 years since we last traveled overseas. We finally managed to make our trip to walk Ireland's Dingle Peninsula. Worth the wait!

Saturday, 10 September and Sunday, 11 September 2022

We started with two days in Dublin to acclimate to the time change (only 5 hours) before starting our walk.

Saturday was gloriously sunny, and we started the day with a tour of Trinity College, which included the Book of Kells tour.

Lon, with the main entrance to Trinity College in the background.

Buildings at Trinity College run the gamut from quite old (1700s) to very modern. This is the "green wall" at the business school.

The Long Room of the Trinity College Old Library. It's nearly 200 ft long and holds about 200,000 dusty old books. (The Book of Kells is in the basement below this room.)

One of the many alcoves in the Long Room.

Looking down the right side of the Long Room.

After lunch, we visited Christchurch Cathedral - directly across the street from our hotel. Originally Roman Catholic, it has been the seat of the Anglican Church in Ireland for centuries.

Inside the cathedral.

The mummified remains of "The Cat and the Rat" are in the crypt. These two creatures were found in the organ case during a restoration in the 1870s. They also make an appearance in James Joyce's novel, Finnegan's Wake. (Of course, the crypt also has many other interesting items in its collection!)

Sunday weather was quite the opposite, with early morning heavy drizzle turning to substantial rain for much of the day. We did a morning walk on our own to make sure we knew where the train station was, then took the Historical Walking Tour to learn more about Dublin and its history. This entertaining 2-hour tour is given by history graduates and is filled with interesting stories and historical background.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city center.

The brightly painted Blooms Hotel in the Temple Bar area of Dublin is named after a character in James Joyce's Ulysses, Leopold Bloom.

Dublin Castle

Ha'Penny Bridge over the River Liffey goes straight to the Merchant's Arch entrance to Temple Bar.

Beer

As the home of Guiness, Dublin is all about beer.

Get the idea?

The Guiness Brewery and Storehouse is along the river next to the train station.

Beer is serious business if it needs to be delivered via tanker.

Overnights at the Jurys Inn Christchurch. Great location. A bit pricey!