Day 17: Killarney and the Dingle Peninsula
We set off to Dingle, in guess what, RAIN. In South Africa, at the first sight of a rain cloud, we head for shelter. I think we have a fear of melting if caught in a shower. So with the forecast for rain all day, we were tempted to stow away in a pub or coffee shop and sip hot chocolate all day. However, we manned up and headed off for the day.
The drive to the town of Dingle was beautiful. Unfortunately, due to the weather we weren’t able to fully appreciate the splendour and ruggedness of the area. Also not great for pics.
We took the circular Slea Head drive, most of it hugging the cliffs or driving along beautiful beaches. The area is frequently used in movies such as Star Wars at Dunmore Head and Ryan’s Daughter at Coumeenoole Beach.
We all braved the rain to stop at at points of interest; I chose the stunning Louis Mulcahy Pottery, Gray chose Dingle Links Golf Club and Robs the cows that litter the Irish countryside.
We returned to Dingle for lunch at the cute Benner’s Hotel before returning via the iconic Conor Pass, one of the highest mountain passes in Ireland. It was around 12km, with dramatic scenery, definitely worth the drive.
Back in Killarney, Gray realising we would not melt in the rain, took things to the extreme and frog marched us off to visit St Mary’s Cathedral, via the long route through the botanical gardens. At the exit of the gardens, which I’m sure are very beautiful if we could see them through the rain. Robs and I then made a call, find the nearest pub to warm up and dry out. We decided an early dinner and pub crawling a much better option. We never did make it to the Cathedral.
Pandas in Africa 