An interesting day on Dingle Peninsula

Or I should say 'an interesting but very wet day on Dingle Peninsula'.  

According to the Lonely Planet 'The landscape is dramatic, especially in shifting mist, although full-on sea fog obliterates everything'.   Luckily we just had the shifting mist, and yes it certainly added quite a bit of mystique to the circular Slea Head Drive.  

Dingle Town, a fishing port, and a very quaint town, with its numerous pubs, colourful buildings and interesting shops, including two small department stores.

Even though it is a very touristy town, it still has plenty of charm. 

One remembers that it is still a port and a farmers' town, when farm machinary is being driven on the street.

We started the day early again, about 8.30 am, and met more than ten coaches heading for the Ring of Kerry.  Thank goodness we were going to Dingle, which we knew would be busy, but not as busy as The Ring of Kerry.

We decided to go via Tralee, then along the northern coast.

The mountain ranges in the distance.

We chose this route because we wanted to go via the Conor Pass.  This is the highest driveable mountain pass in  Ireland, at 456m high.   It was also a very popular route for keen cyclists too, and there were many of them on the road.

Apparently there is a ten minute climb to a small lake which feeds this waterfall.  And even more spectacular views than we had from the carpark at the top.

The very narrow pass.  No coaches and no caravans allowed on this road.  To think we travelled on roads like this is Norway, with our caravan.  No wonder it was a little nervewracking.

We were lucky that the mist had not come down, otherwise we would have seen nothing from the carpark.  The views were spectacular.

The distant sea in the following photograph is Brandon Bay, which has the longest beach in Ireland.

Finally in Dingle Town, and we headed off for a cup of coffee, and a large piece of cake.  Cakes are definitely our downfall in Ireland, they are usually homemade and totally delicious.

We were in the cafe on the first floor of the little department store.  An era long past.

The store was a great place to have a fossic around, but we were strong and bought nothing.  There was a French tour group in there and they were doing plenty of shopping.  Good to see some money being spent in Dingle Town.

We set off for our tour of Slea Head.  The only trouble was there was too much to see and we had to make some serious choices.

The first stop, Dunberg Fort, a promontory fort, built right on the southern cliff edge, and being eroded away after every storm.   The area was excavated in the late 1970s and two major phases of occupation were recorded, one in the 8th/9th centuries AD and the other in the 10th/11th centuries AD.   The archaeologists were not sure if it was a fort or a settlement or both.  I also believe that there was an earlier settlement here, about 500 BC.

We first watched a short film about the site, which was very informative, and then headed out into the heavy drizzle to have a look for ourselves.

The granite rocks below the Dunbeg Fort.  The rocks at the bottom look as if they have fallen down.   Just an illusion I think.

Walter standing in front of the huts.

There have been settlements in this area for thousands of years and more than 2000 sites have been located by archaeologists.

It is difficult to see clearly in the photograph below but the hillside is covered in small fields, all enclosed in stone fields.  These type of fences have been in existence here during all settlements.  Even prehistory too.  An ancient area.

The coastline looking  mysterious in the mist.

The next stop, Beehive Huts.   No not for bees, but for people.  Once there were over 400 of these drystone, corbelled huts in the area and were still being used last century as storage huts.  Some huts are grouped together and some are on their own.

The ones we looked at on this site were grouped together, with a fence around them to keep stock inside, and prey outside.  It is thought that one family lived there and some of the buildings were used for storage.

These behive huts were a little taller than the ones at Dunbeg Fort, due to less stones falling off over time.

Walter could easily stand up in one of these huts, once he got through the small door.

Further along the road there were more complete heehive huts.  They are named beehive huts as they are shaped like beehives.

The cliffs were very high.  Not good for people like me who do not like heights.

The three Blasket islands, shrouded in the swirling mists.  It is possible to visit the largest island, called Great Blasket Island, as long as the sea is not too rough.  People lived on this island until 1953, in great difficulty as there was no electricity, or any shops, and the climate was harsh.  The government came to an agreement with the residents that they should move to the mainland.  I do not think they needed too much encouragement either.  It was a tough life.

Another narrow road.  Thank goodness all the coaches were heading in the same direction as us.

A closer view of the islands.  This area was a photographer's dream.

The mist lifted a little.  Another view of the small fields, enclosed by stone fences.  There was no shortage of stones and rocks around Slea Head.

At one stop there was a woman selling cookies, which were slices of cake.   Walter bought two slices.  More cake, more fat around the tummy.  We ate one of them tonight.  Delicious.  The woman told Walter that she makes them herself in the mornings and sells them in the afternoons.  Apparently there are very few jobs in the area and this is how she earns her living, and she has to make enough money in the summer to keep her financially secure during the winter months.

Another view of the hills and swirling mist.  Fascinating.

The beach where Ryan's Daughter was filmed.  A beautiful beach, but impossible to get a park in the carpark.

Our last stop before we drove along the last part of the coast, and headed inland.  Another breathtaking spot.  No wonder I look so happy.

Dingle Town was deserted when we returned from our tour around Slea Head Drive.  Everyone was in the pubs watching the Ireland v Belguim football game.  Sadly Ireland lost, so I guess a few people stayed behind to drown their sorrows.

Another cup of coffee at the same cafe, but no cake, and we drove back along Dingle Bay.  Such an interesting day.

My little 3g dongle thingy has run out of data.  I was informed of this last night, luckily when I finished my blog.  Now I will have to sit by the camping ground offices in order to get a strong enough wifi signal. At the moment I have the football blaring from the television, plus children playing game machines and pool.  I think school holidays have started here for some schools.  Luckily I am not easily distracted by noise.  But there could be some mistakes in this blog.!