Wednesday, August 6,
2014 Tralee to Dingle Peninsula
With Larry driving the car we headed out to Dingle Peninsula
about 10:00am. Dingle Peninsula offers some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery
with towering Brandon Mountains and spectacular west coast seascapes. The wild flowers along the road were at their peak.
So absolutely stunning!
We began with a short drive down the highway
coming to Connor Pass. What a thrilling drive! Sheep and cattle dotted the
hillsides of marvelous green with rocks and stone fences climbing the mountains
while the road shrunk to a single lane unexpectedly.
It was thrilling to meet
the cars and buses that were coming from the other direction. We all seemed to
smile and wave and slowly creep through the narrow passage. We know that the
other drivers were enjoying the experience as much as we were with all the
thumbs up that we got.
Waterfall along side the road
At Connors Pass we stopped to take pictures and hiked to the
top of the mountain. The stone landscape became more of a reality as we walked
up. You had to pay close attention to every step…uneven stones and sheep dung
made you step carefully…but what a view! It was marvelous! Seeing all the rock along the hillside made
you aware of the labor intensity it took to clear the fields for farming and to
build the stone walled fences between fields.
Amazing!
Connor's Pass was breath taking...for beauty and climbing the mountains!
Doesn't this look like a painting? It is a snap shot from our little camera.
On we rode up N86 to Dingle, a beautiful little fishing port
with brightly painted shops and cafes. Home to Dingle’s biggest star, Fungie,
the dolphin. A statue of the dolphin stood proudly in the harbor area. Fungie has been living in the Dingle Harbor since
1983 and he attracts tourist from all over the world. After a short walk around
the town we drove on to Slea Head where we saw the Crucifixion beside the road
known to the locals as the Cross.
We stopped near the Dungerg Fort to a picnic
lunch on the hillside.
The views were spectacular. Hikers passed us on a 20 kilometer hike with
36 pound packs. Whew! They were heading uphill the whole way. We viewed some potato famine huts all built of
stone. They were beautiful stone architecture.
Famine Huts
Stone House...even the roof!
Just past this point we came to
Dunmore Head, where you can spot Ireland’s most westerly point of islands, the
Blaskets.
We stopped in Ballyferriter to see Louis Mulcahy’s Pottery.
Oh my! What beautiful pieces of work!
We passed the Gallarus Oratory, a tiny
dry-stone church shaped like an upturned boat overlooking Smerwick Harbour built
between the 6th and 9th century. What a historical
artifact! Amazing! We never see anything this old in USA.
We ventured to Inch Point. Anne had told us that she had spent many summer vacations here with her family as a child. Today the beach was loaded with visitors swimming and surfing along the coast. Cars drove right out on the beach and we could not resist the temptation of a stop.
The tide was way, way out making the beach huge. Although the wind was blowing briskly we joined the hundreds of travelers and walked out to the seaside. All along the beachside, several vans sat advertising the rental of beach equipment…surf boards, chairs, umbrellas, etc. as well as surfing lessons.
The wind whipped all around us waking usfor the final leg of our trip.
We ventured to Inch Point. Anne had told us that she had spent many summer vacations here with her family as a child. Today the beach was loaded with visitors swimming and surfing along the coast. Cars drove right out on the beach and we could not resist the temptation of a stop.
The tide was way, way out making the beach huge. Although the wind was blowing briskly we joined the hundreds of travelers and walked out to the seaside. All along the beachside, several vans sat advertising the rental of beach equipment…surf boards, chairs, umbrellas, etc. as well as surfing lessons.
The wind whipped all around us waking usfor the final leg of our trip.
We
returned to our Tralee home arriving around 6:00pm.. Anne’s 82 year old father
had had a bad spell during the day, so Larry and I decided to fix dinner for us
all. Larry barbecued chicken on the grill while I cooked some fresh broccoli
and sweet potatoes. We ate outside next to their garden and enjoyed the
gorgeous weather and a fabulous sunset…the end to another lovely day.
Larry and Kevan at our Tralee, Ireland home.
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