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While the Ring of Kerry is the most popular drive in all of Ireland, the Dingle Peninsula (at least so far, in this humble writer’s opinion) takes the cake as the most beautiful. There are beautiful mountains, deserted beaches, and stunning cliffs. In the middle of one such mountain, above one such beach, atop one such cliff is a monument claiming: “Some Lands touch the Heart, Dingle touches the Soul.” Nothing could be more true.
I set off from Tralee around 8 AM, amidst scattered raindrops, past the Blennerville windmill, and into the Slieve Mish mountain range. I’m hoping the rain stays light, or disappears altogether, and for the most part, I’m not disappointed.
Just past the village of Camp I turn left and make my way slowly to Inch, where I’m greeted with breathtaking views, and one of the most beautiful rainbows I’ve ever seen. From there I return to the main road, through Anascaul, and into Dingle. Dingle is nice, but I’m not done driving so I pass it by on my way to more beautiful vistas.
Just past Ventry I encounter the beehive huts of early Christian hermits. Man these folk could pick their location. This place was gorgeous. From there, just past Dunquin, I’m amidst gorgeous views of the Blasket Islands. What would normally be a fairly short and easy drive turns into a stop-and-go adventure as I search for places to pull the car over and take some more photographs. I pass up a trip out to the Blasket Islands and settle on a visit to the Gallarus Oratory, a stone building built over a thousand years ago that remains water-tight to this very day.
There are a few more places on my list that I COULD see, but as I’ve been driving in and out of heavy rains all day, I decide to continue the loop on R559 back into Dingle. From there I turn left onto R560, instead of the way I came, and head up through the Connor Pass.
I’m glad I did. The pass is this stunning single-lane road that winds up and over the mountain and drops down onto the sweeping beaches of the north shore. There’s nothing I’ve seen like these beaches in the States so far; you can drive out onto any number of the beaches and have the whole thing pretty much to yourself, no fees or anything. Now, with the thought of my Dublin car troubles still fresh in my mind, I pass on driving onto the beach and instead park nearby and walk on. Nothing would please me less than braving the beach only to find my car stuck in the sand and buried under the coming tide. Still, it was awesome.
From there it’s back on the roads to Tralee and on to Adare, a small village outside of Limerick. It’s a bit of a longer drive, what with all the truck and tractor traffic, but nothing I can’t handle, and I’m rewarded by a nice drive through Adare, before finding my hotel just on the other side. It’s a nice hotel, and I’m able to grab a pint and some grub, over which I plan tomorrow’s journey and relax.
Tomorrow I’ll find myself off through Limerick on my way to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher (where “The Princess Bride” and its “Cliffs of Insanity” were filmed). Until tomorrow then…
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