|
Self-Guided
Walking Holidays/
Dingle
Way Itinerary
|
Arriving at airport or station, you
are met by our 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 your meal
in the evening.
A transfer in the morning will bring you the start of our tour
at Camp and an easy day's walking to get your walking legs
under you. A gradual ascent from Camp leads you along small
roads lined with fuschia and along farm tracks, skirting Moanlaur
and the Slive Mish mountains. Descending through woodland you
rise to a saddle and with a view across Dingle bay you may
see the peaks of the MacGillycuddy Reeks in the distance. A
gentle walk brings you down toward Inch Strand and then along
further easy paths into Annascaul town and your stay for the
night.
The walk from Annascaul skirts the southern coast of the Dingle
Peninsula toward Minard Head. On the way you 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 you rise from Lispole to run along the
lower slopes of Slievanea and crossing the road from the Connor
Pass, descend to Dingle town.
This
is a day for your cameras! You can elect for a transport which
takes you from Dingle town to Ventry harbour or walk along the
lower paths of the Dingle Way. After traversing the strand you
take An Bothar Dorcha (The Dark Road) around Mount Eagle and
the impressive views from Slea Head. Each hour is filled with
new sites – you pass beehive huts, promontory forts and
breathtaking views over the sea cliffs to the Blasket Islands
out in the Atlantic swells before finishing in the small village
of Dunquin.
In the morning you might take the opportunity to visit the Dunquin
Heritage Centre (admission not included). You 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 you return to
the mainland in the late afternoon and transfer to Ballyferriter
for your overnight stop.
Today you take the coastal path to walk on the shoulders of the
cliffs of the Three Sisters - overlooking the Atlantic coastline.
Coming down from the cliffs you 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 you follow the beach to Wine Strand (Trá an
Fhiona) all the way to Murreagh and your stop at Ballydavid for
the night.
Your
last day’s walking is a spectacular one. leaving Ballydavid,
you follow the coast to Feohanagh and then commence the ascent
of Brandon head climbing alongside the steep cliffs to a height
of approximately 700m. You 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. You then descend
to Brandon Point with views over Brandon Bay toward Castlegregory
and Rough Point. Turning back south you follow a path to the
village of Cloghane and the end your journey.
Your transfer then brings you to Tralee or Listowel where you
spend the night. With luck you 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 airport or station for your return journey.
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, detailed daily route
notes and maps.
Transfers to and from Shannon Airport, Kerry Airport, Cork Airport,
Killarney or Tralee train stations.
For more information on Ireland visit the Tourism
Ireland website at www.ireland.ie.
Flight schedules and information on Shannon Airport.
Flight schedules and information on Kerry Airport.
Flight schedules and information on Cork Airport.
For information on trains to Killarney and Tralee, visit the Irish Rail site.
