Day 12 Thurs Dingle Peninsula Night 12 Killarney 9/6
After an early BF we left around 830 to beat the buses, and drove north to the Dingle Peninsula via Tralee.
We drove down Conor Pass despite it being a drizzly day, and the drive was well worth it. Much easier driving than Gap of Dunloe, with only a few hairpin turns. At the first scenic pull out, by the waterfall, there was a beautiful lake and vista after a five minute scramble up the rocks. The Pass took us right into DIngle Harbour by 10 am, when we stopped at Oceanworld to use the bathroom and because Rick Steve?s guide of the 30 mile ride starts with odometer set at zero there. All traffic travels clockwise round the penninsula. After passing through Ventry Harbour we stopped at Dunbeg Fort, not sure if we were going to stay ? but it was closed because of recent storms. Onward to the Beehive Huts, where a 74-year-old 5th generation Dingle Bay Penninsulan who owned the access collected our 3 euros each and told us how unhappy he was with the Irish OPW (Ofc Public Works) for dismantling the rooftop of the last complete beehive hut, and storing all the tagged stones in Killarney for years. The huts were inhabited by monks, and date back to 2000 BCE. At the second set of Bee Hives Aso was infuriated by an aggressive owner who came at us for taking photos while standing on his driveway (the entrance).
We recapped our favorite day in Donegal: Glenveagh National Park; in County Mayo: cycling the Great Western Greenway; in County Clare: Aran Islands; in County Kerry: Killarney NP, Dingle Penninsula. Best BF: Petra Housel Best house: Conor at Cappabhile.
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At Slea Head the scenery became quite dramatic. The Blasket Islands came into view; talso cliffs, sandy beaches, heather and rock-covered hills, stone houses, sheep. Spectacular sights at Dun Chaoin (Dunquin) ? here we parked and walked down to the beach with huge boulders and an incoming tide. Above the parking lot was a hilltop we climbed which offered unbelievable views of Blasket Sound. This was Dunmore Head, the most westerly point in Europe. We stopped at the Blasket Center for the bathrooms.
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The next great stop was Clogher Head. The walk up this short hill was only about 10 minutes, and the views on top were again spectacular. The way up was covered with carpets of small yellow flowers.
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The Gallarus Oratory is an early Christian oratory of the 8th century, a great example of dry-stone building and the only one of its type still standing.
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Back in Dingle it was already 5:00, so we bought Magnum ice cream and came back to Brehon via coastal road, sighting our first rainbow over Inch Beach. We had a quick rest at the hotel, then out for chicken kebob and pizza (Pizza Piccolo run by Luca from Napoli),
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and then back to the hotel to sleep in our last night in Killarney. Baruch called to wish long life for Joyce?s Yahrzeit.