Hiking Day 3 Annascaul to Dingle (Abhainn an Scail – An Daingean) 12 miles

Drizzly rain all day

Today dawned overcast and drizzling lightly – not exactly rain, but more than mist. We donned our rain suits and pack covers, and after another “full Irish”, made our way out of Annascaul, stopping to pick up a hunk of cheese, baguettes and some fruit for our lunch.

The walk once again started with an uphill climb on the road out of town (Jim pointed out that most towns are built in the valleys, so we should expect to start each day with an uphill climb…) and stayed mainly on paved roads or gravel paths.

By midmorning, we could see the ruins of Minard Castle in the distance, at the water’s edge. This rectangular tower house was built in the 1500s by the Knight of Kerry, and then partially destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1650.





We walked on in the wet, stopping to commune with sheep, cows, hens, ducks and the occasional well-behaved dog (they sit down in front of you and wait to be petted – no jumping or sniffing ). A lot of sheep-herding dogs here – Peter and Lauren’s dog Lennon would be very happy in Ireland!




We were on a paved road near Lispole at lunchtime, with no shelter in sight, so we got off the road and sat in a convenient driveway to eat our lunch. Jim boiled water for miso soup and coffee, and we quickly dispatched much of the bread and cheddar. Hot food never tasted so good, but we must have looked pitiful sitting there in the rain…










It cleared a little in the afternoon, and we contoured up another hill and walked through some farmer’s fields, making sure to close each gate behind us so the sheep didn’t wander off.





Walking toward town, we saw two lambs that had gotten through a space between a stone wall and a wire fence, and were standing in the road. I yelled and waved my arms, and they jumped right back to where they belonged.















By the time we neared Dingle, I was feeling my sore feet with every step, from having walked on pavement and gravel almost all day. I’m very much looking forward to a zero mile day in Dingle tomorrow!








The Archway B&B is right in the middle of town, run by Marion and her husband Justin. It boasts an electric kettle in each room, and a hairdryer! After a shower and a rest, we were ready to go in search of dinner. It was really raining now, and not much was open on a Sunday evening. We ended up ordering an “atomic” takeaway pizza and two cans of Guinness, and we were good for the night.

We watched a little TV – a history documentary about sacrifice and cannibalism among the ancient Druids, a sitcom called Father Ted, and a bit of Irish football and hurling. Hurling is an amazing combination of cricket, lacrosse, and ??? We couldn’t figure out the rules, but it was fun to watch!

The nice thing about Irish TV only having 3 channels is there is no reason to keep remoting around looking for new programs – either you like one of the three shows, or you read a book!

Hiking Day 2 – Camp to Annascaul (An Com – Abhainn an Scail) 11 miles

Overcast and windy – jacket to windbreaker weather

After the best night’s sleep in the comfiest bed we’ve had so far, we went down this morning for the “full Irish breakfast”. This consists of: one poached egg, 3 sausage links, 3 rashers of bacon (we would call it ham) grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, and black and white pudding. Jim was looking forward to the pudding, until he found out that the black pudding is a blood sausage patty, and white pudding is a liver sausage patty. With this came plenty of toast, juice, cereal and tea (or Nescafe for Americans). Wow! Luckily, Jim was very hungry and ate half of mine after finishing his own…

We again picked up sandwiches at the town’s only grocery (more like a 7 Eleven) and headed back up the road to the junction to head for Annascaul. Today will be our easiest day, according to the guidebook, only taking 6 hours due to less elevation and boggy stuff.






Unlike yesterday, we stayed on boreens (walking paths) and paved roads, so I avoided further damage to my feet. Although it never actually rained, it was overcast all day and misty when the wind picked up. I was happy to have my windbreaker to wear today!












After a long climb, we got to look down over the valley for our first view of Dingle Bay and the Invernaugh Peninsula at midday. We could see people on holiday at the beach below, with their campers parked right on the beach.




We got to see a standing stone containing ancient Ogham (Ohm) writing in the distance as we approached the village of Annascaul.

When we arrived at our B&B, we were informed that we were very lucky to get a room – the town was booked with members of a South Pole expedition, who had come to town for a reunion.



It turns out that Annascaul is the home of Tom Crean, one of the original adventurers to reach the South Pole in the early 1900s. The main pub in town is called Tom Crean’s South Pole, and a memorial statue of him stands in the town square. He died in 1938.

Our B&B host at the Ardrinane House advised that we had to have dinner at the South Pole, saying that the only other place up the road had “some crap pizza.” This sounded like a challenge to us, so we walked up the road to the Anchor Inn, a beautifully appointed restaurant, and ordered a Four Seasons pizza (mushroom, pineapple, yellow peppers and pepperoni), which was hand made by Brian and absolutely delicious!

Hiking Day 1 – Tralee to Camp (Tra Li - An Com) 11 miles

Sunny – jacket weather

We took showers with no towels this morning (don’t ask) and supplemented the hostel’s breakfast of coffee and toast with the fruit and yoghurt from the grocery. We were out the door at 7:10 to begin our seven to nine hour hike to the town of Camp.

We left Tralee and walked along a pretty canal to Blennerville, home of the largest working windmill in the British Isles. After stopping at the town’s only gas station to buy sandwiches for lunch, we got turned around and walked 45 minutes down the wrong road before realizing our mistake and backtracking to find the trail.

The Dingle Way is marked with a yellow hiker man with an arrow that points the way we should be going. We learned that morning not to trust the descriptions in our guide (which contain no street names or distances, just directions like “pass junctions on the left and right until you come to a dip”, but to always look for the Dingle Man.


After several miles on a tarmac road going uphill, we opened a gate to join the sheep on a mountainside. We’d worked up enough of a sweat to stow our jackets and hike in shirtsleeves. All the land on this trail is privately owned, so we either have to open a gate or climb a stile (a ladder over a fence) to get from one property to the next.



The trail continued uphill over many rocks (and sheep poop) across the side of the mountain (this is called contouring as opposed to climbing up the mountain).



I was slowing down as the pain in my feet increased, and Jim estimated that we wouldn’t get in for 12 hours at our current pace, which didn’t make me feel any better.


When we stopped to eat our sandwiches, Jim plastered up the tender areas of my feet so they wouldn’t blister, and gave me some coffee to re-energize me.







We crossed several streams by rock-hopping, and my foot sank in the bog in several places where I couldn’t quite reach the next rock – yuck!





The views were beautiful. As we started to head back downhill, my mood (and my pace) improved.

























We stopped at the ruins of Killelton Church that was built in the 900s, and where, until recently, women continued to bury their babies. There was a tree bedecked with ribbons representing prayers for the dead babies, reminiscent of memorials we’d seen in Asia.



We were back on level ground now, and climbed seven stiles and traversed the Finglas River on stepping stones to approach the town of Camp. Elapsed time = 8 hours, including lunch, breaks and the 45 minute wrong turning. I’d say we made the journey in very good time!

The Finglas Bed and Breakfast is run by a lovely lady named Katherine Daly. When she saw my bedraggled, muddy state, she ushered us into her nicest room with a full bath, “...so you can have a good soak, dear.”




Cleaning up did indeed revive my spirits, as did the fish and chips and the pint of Guinness from James Ashe’s Pub next door (It was national Fish and Chips day…) When you raise your glass here, the toast is “Slainte!” which is pronounced “Slancha!”

Travelling to Tralee (Tra Li)

Bright and sunny, jacket weather.

We found a lovely grocery around the corner from our Dublin hotel, and bought yoghurt and croissants for breakfast, and wraps and apples for lunch on the train. Today we journey south and west to County Kerry and Tralee, where our hike will begin. We managed to purchase tram tickets out of a machine after only a few tries, and zoomed across town in a very futuristic-looking tram called the LUAS over to the Heuston train station.

Luckily we got there early, as we found out at the next machine that the one-way tickets to Tralee were going to cost 68 euro instead of the 10 we were expecting. A trip over to the Information Desk revealed that tickets purchased online are priced very differently than tickets purchased at the station. There is an internet terminal in the station that gives you 10 minutes of access for 1 euro, but we didn’t have the faintest idea what website to access to buy these tickets. After another trip over to the Info desk, the nice lady took pity on us and got online and purchased the tickets for us.

They were very impressive looking works of art, with reserved car and seat numbers. Once we boarded the (immaculate) train, we found our names displayed via LCD over our respective seats – pretty cool. A steward came down the aisle periodically offering tea and snacks, and there was a concession car that offered fresh fruit and sandwiches. Did I mention the toilet? Another technological wonder, with sliding doors and every amenity – very impressive!

We changed trains at Mallow and saw many young backpackers on the next train. Were they all on their way to Tralee? Nope – they all got off at Killarney, for the longer, more strenuous Ring of Kerry hike. We were the only hikers going to Tralee today. We decided to stay at Finnegan’s Hostel, after two nights at our posh hotel. What’s the difference between a hotel and hostel? No soap, and no towels.

We did get a nice double room with a big window overlooking Tralee Park, across from Ashe Memorial Hall. Thomas Ashe is honored in many towns around here for being the first hunger striker to die in 1917 during the struggle for Irish independence. This hostel had all the rooms named after famous Irish writers; ours was called Roddy Doyle, and down the hall were Maeve Binchy and WB Yeats…

We settled in, then walked around the town, and through Tralee Park. Here is the statue of the Rose of Tralee, which is an annual beauty pageant open to any young lass around the world as long as she is of Irish heritage. The Tralee Festival takes place in August. True to its calling, the park was full of blooming roses, as well as many other flowers.

We found a grocery where we could pick up tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch (only tea and toast were provided at the hostel) and came across the Red Chilli Indian restaurant. Imagine our surprise to find the restaurant managed by a young German girl who had learned about all things Indian during a one month meditation retreat to study under Sai Baba (one of Jim’s favorite gurus). The food was excellent!

We walked until we found the start of the Dingle Way, which is shown on the map below. The hike covers 112 miles around the Dingle Peninsula, starting and ending here in Tralee. The route is marked with yellow icons of a hiking man, and goes along public roads, farmer's fields, mountains and beaches. Over the next nine days we'll average 12 miles of walking per day, ending each day's walk in a town which should have a place for us to sleep and the ability to get an evening meal. (We have not reserved rooms ahead). We will be carrying our packs (mine weighs about 25 pounds, Jim's is heavier as he is carrying extra food, fuel and an alcohol stove) and we each have one walking pole. We are hoping for sun, but prepared for both cold and rain. We can't wait to get started!