The Dingle Way - Self Guided Ireland 8 Day

Terrain: Old disused Road across moorland and through smaller conifer plantation; short road walk, the boreens and minor roads through farmland and 3Km road walk to Annascaul.

Summary: Low pass to the south side of the peninsula with superb views of Inch Strand, (A great place for a swim and enjoy the views), Castlemaine Harbour and the surrounding mountains.

Interests: Annascaul is the home town of the great Irish Explorer Tom Creen who travelled with Shackleton to the South Pole. (Unsung Hero is a great book to read of his exploits) The South Pole is a wonderful pub in Annascaul where you can enjoy a drink and see some of the artefacts from his travels.

Terrain: Minor roads through some farmland to Lispole; farm boreens and field paths across hillsides; vehicle tracks and roads to Dingle.

Summary: Quite country roads lead to a picturesque cove and Castle ruin; more scenic quite roads inland to Lispole then north towards the mountains and excellent wide views. Final descent into Dingle,

Interests: Dingle is a beautiful small fishing port town, full of restaurants, craft shops, cafes and of course pubs which have live Irish music in most of them each evening.

I recommend a day’s rest here to take in the sights and take a tour to the Blasket Islands, visit Fungi (famous friendly Dolphin who has been in this harbour for over 20 years)

Dingle is a great small fishing port town with plenty of things to do. It also has some of Ireland's finest musicians, bars and restaurants, which makes it a great place to stop. There are also some great boat trips that you can do from the harbour in Dingle. We would recommend the Eco Boat trip that brings you to the Blasket Islands and a tour of the bay to watch dolphins, puffins and other wildlife.

Terrain: Small roads to Ventry, then beach walking; vehicle tracks and boreens across shoulder of Mt Eagle; main road past Slea head and minor roads into Dunquin.

Summary: From tranquil Ventry, a fine beach walk leads up to a varied traverse of the shoulder of Mt Eagle. Here you have some of the most spectacular views across Slea Head and the Atlantic towards the Blasket Islands.

Interests: You can visit the Blasket Island Centre (These Islands are famous for their Gaelic speaking writers) You are now in the traditional Irish Speaking region of this Peninsula know as a “Gaeltacht” region.

Terrain: Minor roads and boreens lead to a coastal path, then minor roads to fine beaches, cliff top path and more minor roads.

Summary: an outstanding scenic day with superb cliff-top stretches with long beach walks and a rugged coastline. Louis Mulcahy pottery craft centre is well worth a visit and you can watch the professionals throwers and even have a go yourself.

Terrain: Minor roads, moorland, hillside trails boggy in places, minor roads and finally a field path to Cloghane.

Summary: This is the most dramatic and challenging day, crossing the shoulder of Mt Brandon, descending to Brandon Bay and easier going to the village of Cloghane.

Interests: Mount Brandon is a sacred mountain named after the famous explorer Saint Brandon, there is a pilgrimage up this mountain every year.

On your final day we can organise a transfer for you back to Tralee or the small town of Camp.