Dawdling in DINGLE: Your favorite haunts?

Melissa5 · Guru

Dawdling in DINGLE: Your favorite haunts?

susan · Senior Member

Hi Melissa
We are just back from our trip.We spent two nights in Dingle,and the night before at The Shores so that gave us an extra full day in town.You will love Dingle,it was my husbands favorite mine was Kenmare.

On to food-We ate both nights at Murphy's pub.We were traveling with our 13 year old son and ate pub food every night. Murphys was the best priced pub we ate at on the whole trip.They have specials for 9.75 both nights a choice of turkey, pork,or beef-a very filling meal -2 kinds of potatoes and a mix of 3 veg and stuffing with the turkey and pork.We tried the turkey and the pork.A great value,and very good.I was starting to get tired of 70 to 80 euro pub meals .OK that was with starters and a few pints but the kid only drank cokes(tiny little cokes at 2.40 each).Oh and the kid had a burger both nights.

A little heads up for your girls when they see wings on the starter menu for 8 or 9 euro ,you get 3 or 4 wings and a side salad.It took my son 3 times ordering them to change to something eles.
Enjoy your trip
Susan

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Since you will be most likely starting your drive to Dingle in the early afternoon after time at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park and lunch, I would suggest taking the direct route on the main roads to Dingle. The drive takes around 3 hours and that will get you to your destination in the late afternoon. There are scenic routes but the sightseeing would add lots more time. From Tralee you can take the route along the north shore of Dingle through Castlegregory and Connor Pass. It is better to travel Connor Pass in that direction because you are on the inside lane.

As for restaurants, they are in my book. If you want moderately priced dinners get an early bird or head for pubs. My husband had the best ever seafood chowder at The Apple Tree. They are open for lunch only and close in the early afternoon.

The best scenic drive is Slea Head Drive around the tip of the peninsula. My favorite view is from the lay-by (parking spot) at Dunmore Head. Most people will continue on the circular tour to Gallarus Oratory and Kilmalkedar. Since you will have more time there, on another day after you round the tip of the peninsula there is a little unmarked road on the right. It goes straight up and over the hills and back to Dingle town. There are spectacular views from up there.

Before taking a ferry to Blasket Island you will want to see the Blasket Island Center. It will explain all about it and greatly enhance your enjoyment of the island. Let the weather determine if you go to the island.

Michele

Irisheyes · Senior Member

Melissa - I'm so excited your trip is coming soon. We just got back, I'm jet lagged! I'll post more later, but we enjoyed Dingle very much. It was cool and a bit misty, so the windbreaker and long pants came in handy. I had my birthday dinner at OUT OF THE BLUE. It's an all seafood resturant and expensive, but very good. Since our kids are young, we got by w/ ordering 3 entrees for the 4 of us - still it was no bargain. We had NO trouble finding trad music in the evenings. Hey, Elvis was even playing in Dingle... fellow travelers who did said it was a hoot hearing Elvis w/ an Irish accent. We did the harbor bay hike w/ the kids ( it's detailed in Rick Steve's book, and did other site seeing via walks and car rides. We stayed at Castlewood B&B. It was lovely! Very new and very expensive. We loved the breakfasts, the whirlpool baths and very cozy and comfy BEDS. I don't usually get too excited about beds, but these were so nice my husband and I actually wanted to check out the BRAND NAME before we left. The B&B is right next store to Heaton's Guesthouse and overlooks the bay, so you'll be able to check it out.
I do have a funny Dingle cemetary story too, I'll have to post it before you leave.

Maggie L · Senior Member

Melissa, even if you decide against going to Great Blasket Island, don't miss the Great Blasket Center. It's very interesting and explains a lot. I really enjoyed the short movie they showed and also the beautiful photographs that were on display.

Maggie

Michele Erdvig · Host

Maggie,

I couldn't agree with you more about the Blasket Island Center. When you first enter the very modern building you think it is nothing special. But when you explore and really take your time with all aspects of the museum you discover a poignant slice of life of a lost time and place. The story of the islanders will always haunt you.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Susan, I'm glad you had a great trip! Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to readying more about your trip. Only have a few days left to pack. Dingle (and Ireland) here we come!

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, good advice, we will take the most direct route from Bunratty to Tralee, then take the north route through Castlegregory and Connor's Pass to Dingle. I see it on my map. three hours sound like good timing, since we won't leave til afternoon as you say, after visiting Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.

Let's see.. after Slea Head, round the tip of the peninsula, looked for the unmarked road on the right...that sounds like it's hubby's favorite kind of thing (even more fun for him if it has a "keep out" sign! He's a "divil" sometimes too. Thanks for the tip, Michele.

Michele and anybody who has been to the Great Blasket Island...is it worth the trip? We will definitely see the Blasket Island Center first. Maybe we will take Michele's advice and see how fine the weather is (or how rainy!)

I am REALLY looking forward to the Blasket Island Center. My daughters and II love reading and writing. I hope they can relate to it too, even though they haven't had time to research Ireland like I have (too busy passing college classes.)

Thanks for the valuable insights, Michele. These have been stressful weeks for me in more ways than one, and it sure comforts me to know your friendly advice is going in my carry-on, plus it's already in my head and heart.

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 04:15, 2006-07-04

Melissa5 · Guru

Irisheyes, ahhh, right now cool and misty is sounding like heaven. We are having a heat wave in San diego and I'm not used to it. My house is usually a perfect temp most of the summer, so we don't even have air conditioning. But this June/July has been unusually hot so I feel like I'm packing my suitcase in an oven! Oh, for some misty cool rainy Irish days!

We're staying right next to Castlewood at Heatons'. Welcome home, Irisheyes, it will be fun compairing notes when we return from our trip!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Keep in mind that you will want to do the complete Slea Head Drive tour first and maybe do the "side road" at another time. Or else turn around at the top and go back to the main route. Otherwise you will cut short the rest of the things on the drive.

Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

There is a pathway at the Skellig Hotel that takes you out to a headland overlooking Dingle Bay. From there you can see Fungi the Dingle dolphin. He hangs around the boats.

Michele

Irisheyes · Senior Member

Michele,
That is the very walk we did w/ the kids. They weren't too interested in the dolphin but the kids loved the tide pool area there and picking up wool from the fence. We collected enough wool to form a small ball and brought it home for a souvenir.

Do you happen to know what the gray structure is/was, not far from the light house?

-- Edited by Irisheyes at 21:46, 2006-07-04

Michele Erdvig · Host

Irisheyes,

Do you mean Eask Tower: http://www.heikostreich.de/dingle/bilder/dingleumgebung10.jpg or Hussey's Folly: http://www.astrolog.org/home/gate6/hussey.jpg ?

Michele

-- Edited by Michele Erdvig at 22:27, 2006-07-04

Irisheyes · Senior Member

It's the second one you posted.

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele and Irisheyes, thanks for the interesting discussion of things to see in Dingle.

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, thanks for your many tips! Leaving soon! Wooo-hoooo!

DO WE NEED A GUIDED TOUR OF THE DINGLE PENINSULA? I forgot to investigate this question. I know there is a local fellow and his son who give tours in a mini-van. I wonder if biologist hubby would like this, or if he would prefer us being on our own?

I heard there are some FAKE "ancient" ruins on the Dingle Peninsula! If we use the Rick Steves driving tour from his book and your guidebook, Michele, I wonder if we will find the REAL ruins on our driving tour of the Dingle Peninsula? Or do we really need to hire the tour guide?

Generally we prefer to do things on our own UNLESS we are looking at something that makes no sense without a guide. (Such as the ruins of Ancient Rome...without a guide, they can resemble a pile of rubble...Whereas the art museums are perfectly enjoyable on our own we found.)

WiIth 3 nights in Dingle, that gives us 2 full days, so our time is precious. We need time for the Dingle Peninsula drive; time for the Blasket Island visitor's center; time to dawdle in town and shop; time to return to special spots on the Dingle peninsula. Does that leave time to hire the local guide?

Has anybody really loved a guided tour of the Dingle Peninsula? Thanks!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

There are some "fake" beehive huts. A lot are genuine. Given your time in Dingle I would say do it on your own. So what if you see a few fake beehive huts? If you can't tell the difference between the real ones and the fake ones they must be pretty good replicas. So just enjoy what you see and don't worry too much about it. Most of what you see will be genuine anyway.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, I will assign hubby the challenge of telling which ones are genuine. That will keep him out of trouble. He won't even have time to notice how many trees are "missing"! (Course I'm not sure Dingle ever had any trees in the first place...)

I think a guide for the Burren is a better investment for us than a guide for Dingle, I think you are right Michele. Since hubby is more interested in biology than he is in archaeology, and I am interested in poetry and scenery and history but not so much in stones, it makes sense to do Dingle on our own.

I DO want to see some ruins, it's just not my primary interest on this trip.

Thanks you all!