Driving Ireland's Dingle Peninsula

When you think of the Emerald Isle, you think of lots of green. St. Patrick's Day. Maybe the Ring of Kerry. But there's a lesser known drive, on the Dingle Peninsula, which gives you coastline views, a bit of history and small town Ireland.  This peninsula, with its craggy cliffs and rolling hills, makes for an ideal day drive. Or longer if you'd like.

Sitting about 30 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, on the Wild Atlantic Way, it includes Ireland's most western point, Dunmore Head. As you drive the peninsula, you'll have views of the Blasket Islands and see signs in the Irish language of Gaeltacht. National Geographic has called it "the most beautiful place on earth" and Trip Advisor voted it among the top 100 destinations in the world. So come along as we head to the magical Dingle Peninsula.

Inch Beach

We started our drive heading southwest so our first stop was Inch Beach. At 3 miles long, Inch Beach is quite a stretch of sand.  Popular for all kinds of water sports - kayaking, surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing - this beach is very non commercial. No high rises or hot dog stands here. There is Sammy's Restaurant and Coffee Shop but that's about it. We didn't have plans to stop for long - this day was all about the drive, not sunbathing - but it was a beautiful, windy beach to stretch our legs on for a short while.

                              Slea Head Drive

Slea Head Drive is one of Ireland's most scenic drives. It's a circular route, beginning and ending in Dingle town, and includes views of the Blasket Islands and the Skellig Islands - where Star Wars: The Last Jedi was filmed. You will pass by the historic bee hive huts, or clochans, which date from around the eighth to twelfth centuries. (You can visit one also) It's likely hermit monks lived in them, and some average citizens, too. At one time it was believed that over 400 of them dotted these landscapes.

The Blasket Islands, including Great Blasket Island, are one of the most remote places in Ireland. Deserted since 1953 when the 200 or so hardy souls who inhabited the islands were forced to leave due to lack of basic services, the islands are known for the great amount of Irish language literature produced here. You can visit Great Blasket by boat tour and stay at a self-catering cottage - which I would love to do! - or you can visit the Great Blasket Heritage Centre to learn more about these islands. (It is currently closed for renovations -We stopped here to use the public restrooms and look out the large windows toward the islands.) They have been in the news quite a bit this year as the Great Blasket Island Cafe and Coffee Shop was looking for two people to run the coffee shop during the busy season with free accommodation - but be warned: there is no electricity or WIFI and visitors must bring their own drinking water.

                         The Three Sisters

Three peaks at the northwestern end of the Dingle peninsula are known as the Three Sisters. There is a hike you can take that starts near the fort of Dun an Oir which takes you along the coast going through the small village of Smerwick with great views - it's rated one of the best coastal walks in western Ireland.  

                                                                       Dingle town

Dingle the town, with the same name as the peninsula, is the only town on the peninsula. It's a colorful, friendly town known for its hardware pubs - hardware store by day, pub by night - and its local friendly dolphin, Funghi. (Unfortunately, we didn't get to either as we were only in Dingle for dinner time) If you're looking for a regular pub, Dingle claims to have 50, many with live music. It's also home to Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium where you can see otters, sharks and penguins.

If you love rugged and remote landscapes, then the Dingle Peninsula is for you. The people are friendly, the guinness is cold and scenery is green - what more could you want?

How about you? Have you driven Ireland's Dingle Peninsula?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!