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Escorted Tours/Ireland/Dingle Peninsula/Itinerary
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Arriving at Shannon Airport, you are met by our own transport.
You will be transferred by bus to our first nights accommodation
at Annascaul. You will have time free to acclimatise with a
walk around the village before our welcome drink in the
evening, hosted by your guide for the tour.
Please remember we may have to wait for other people
at the airport.
Bus to Camp. An easy day to get our walking legs under us. We
gradually ascend from Camp via small roads lined with fuschia
and along farm tracks, skirting Moanlaur and the Slive Mish mountains.
Descending through woodland we rise to a saddle and with a view
across Dingle bay we can see the peaks of the MacGillycuddy Reeks
in the distance. A gentle walk brings us down toward Inch Strand
and then along further easy paths into Annascaul town and our
stay for the night.
The walk from Annascaul skirts the southern coast of the Dingle
Peninsula toward Minard Head. On the way we get a view of Minard
Castle (destroyed by Cromwellian forces in 1650) and used as a
location in the filming of "Ryan’s Daughter". Following
farm tracks we rise from Lispole to run along the lower slopes
of Slievanea
and crossing the road from the Connor Pass we descend to Dingle
town.
This is a day for your cameras! Our transport takes us from Dingle
town to Ventry harbour. After traversing the strand we take An
Bothar Dorcha (The Dark Road) around Mount Eagle and the impressive
views from Slea Head. Each hour is filled with new sites – we
pass beehive huts, promontory forts and breathtaking views over
the sea cliffs to the Blasket Islands out in the Atlantic swells.
We transfer back to Dingle for our overnight stay.
Transfer to Dunquin. In the morning there is the opportunity to
visit the Dunquin Heritage Centre (admission not included). We
then travel by boat to the Blasket Islands – now deserted,
as the last inhabitants left here in 1954. The Great Blasket
has over 1,100 acres of unspoilt largely mountainous terrain
and provides the opportunity for many scenic walks before we
return to the mainland in the late afternoon. Transfer back to Dingle for our overnight stop.
We drive to Ballyferriter in the morning and take the coastal path
to walk along the cliffs of the Three Sisters overlooking the Atlantic
coastline. Coming down from the cliffs we pass by Smerwick Harbour
and the remains of the Dun An Oir Fort - site of a massacre of
a brigade of Italians, Spaniards and Basques in the Munster rebellion
of 1580. Coming out on to the beautiful sands of Béal Bán
strand we follow the beach to Wine Strand (Trá an Fhiona)
all the way to Murreagh before transferring to Dingle for the night.
Our last day’s walking is a spectacular one. Following our
transfer to Brandon Creek we commence the ascent of Brandon Head
climbing alongside the steep cliffs to a height of approximately
700m. We pass the shoulder of Masatiompan (which affords views
of Brandon Mountain itself) and is marked at the 
highest point
by a 3,500-year-old Ogham Stone. We then descend to Brandon Point
with views over Brandon bay toward Castlegregory and Rough Point.
Turning back south we follow a path to the village of Cloghane
and the end our journey.
Our transfer then brings us to Tralee or Listowel where we spend
the night. With luck we will be able to enjoy one of the many traditional
Irish music nights in the local hostelries for a final immersion
in the unique craic of the Irish!
Transfer back to Shannon Airport for your return flight.
7 nights accommodation, based on two adults sharing, in Irish Tourist
Board approved hotels and guesthouses (normally with en-suite facilities).
Meals consist of a full Irish breakfast each day,
packed lunch and a two/three course meal each evening. Drinks are
not
included.
Luggage transfer each day, route description and maps
and a general map of Kerry.
Transfer to and from Shannon Airport.
For more information on Ireland visit the Tourism Ireland website at www.ireland.ie.
Day 4 (11km Ventry to Dunquin)
