So much to experience along the Slea Head loop on the Dingle Peninsula in Western Ireland

I hadn't heard of the Dingle Peninsula until a few years ago during a "girls weekend," when a friend presented a bottle of Dingle Original Gin from the Dingle Distillery for another friend and I to taste.

Then when I was researching a trip to  Ireland last year, the travel literature suggested that if visitors had time for just one tour in the west of Ireland and had to choose between the Ring of Kerry and the shorter ring road on the Dingle Peninsula, the choice should be the latter. 

And so it was, although it would have been nice to be able to do both.  

I recently wrote about my trip around the Dingle Peninsula for the Boston Globe. I didn't travel solo, but it's a place you would enjoy as a solo traveler - if you're willing to drive a standard shift car on the left-hand side of the road.

Or you could join a guided tour of the Slea Head drive and let someone else do the driving. A quick web search shows plenty of companies that will take you around this Irish-speaking region.

I don't know how long the tour companies spend, but if you're on your own, I'd recommend allotting at least two full days. That will give you a better chance of good weather for the drive. My travel companion and I had just a couple of nights in the town of Dingle.  It was gray and rainy the one full day we had, but the weather was perfect the day we headed out. 

And an extra day will give you a chance to pop into the nice little shops in town. We didn't have enough time for much of that but we did find nice pubs and restaurants.

I'd recommend Murphy's Pub on Strand Street. It's cozy and welcoming, particularly on a rainy day when the fire's going. We only had a drink there, but the pub serves food and there's a guesthouse attached.

We had dinner the next night at Out of the Blue Restaurant. It looks like a shack from the outside but the casual restaurant is lovely inside and serves excellent seafood. In fact, seafood and fresh fish only. The menu changes daily, depending on "whatever is available from the boats that morning," according to its website.  

One of these days I'd love to return and explore much more of the area. And visit the Ring of Kerry too. 

Photos: Ellen Perlman. 1. One of the beautiful landscapes on the road to Dingle. 2. A spray-painted (for identification) sheep and her little lamb, along the Slea Head loop on the Dingle Peninsula. 3. On the cliff with a view of the "Sleeping Giant" (see Globe story), you can sit on the edge and peer down the steep drop to the sea. 

Comments

[Seth Connor]

I have been to Dingle Peninsula, it was an exceptional trip.The place is relaxing as well as charming too.The time I spent there was so worthy and it was far more better than I think.

[sunrise taj mahal tour]

Great experiences! This is so useful and so excited after seeing all your updates! Nice place to visit. Thank you so much for sharing this post!

[golden triangle tour with khajuraho and varanasi]

What a great experience you shared. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing this post!