WHAT
Our itinerary stated that we would explore the Wild Atlantic Way including along the Dingle Peninsula and then out to Slea Head on one of the points. If we thought that the interior roads we’d been on were narrow, the Slea Head road was known to be even narrower and not very accommodating of more than one car side by side, let along a car and a tour bus.
Common sense being the better part of valor and both of us wanting to experience this dramatic landscape, the Chief Penguin investigated whether we could get a driver for this day trip on the spur of the moment. Lo and behold, the very efficient hotel staff receptionist made a call and one of their favorite drivers was free right then! Hastily scooping up jackets and cameras, we quickly met Paudie Murphy in the lobby. This adventure would take about five hours.
WHO
Paudie Murphy is a big man in spirit and adventure. In his early 60’s, he spent more than 30 years as a policeman and after retiring from the force, took up offering private tours. Based in Killarney, he has been doing this for the past 10 years. He was professional, knowledgeable (pointed out local landmarks as we left Killarney: castle, bishop’s residence, boys’ school, e.g.), calm, and a skilled driver. A world traveler himself, he brought a wider perspective to the sights we would see than we might have anticipated. We couldn’t have asked for a more seasoned guide and would gladly choose him again. He does business as Wild Atlantic Tours and his web site is: www.wildatlantictours.ie. Contact info is: wildatlantictours@gmail.com.
THE SCENERY
The reason to drive the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head is the scenery. It is a mix of beaches, farmlands arranged patchwork style on the gentle hills, islands, stone ruins, and jagged outcroppings of rock. Leaving Killarney, you travel north to the town of Castlemaine and then head west along the lower side of the Dingle Peninsula, this stretch called the Wild Atlantic Way. Our first stop was Inch Beach, a pretty stretch of tawny sand where we watched a man walking and training his horse along the waterline.
Continuing the drive, we went on to Dingle, the largest little burg in the area, where we had ham and cheese toasties for a quick lunch at Paudie’s Cafe in the Dingle Hotel. Driver Paudie (no connection to cafe owner) recommended this cafe. The bread was excellent, the ham and cheese tasty, the lettuce with the cole slaw perfectly fresh, and the service as speedy as we’d hoped. Like other Irish towns, many of the building facades are painted in strong colors. You cannot miss the cranberry red of the hotel.
As we made our way onto the narrow Slea Head route, our driver knew just where to stop to get the best photos. The Chief Penguin made good use of his big camera with its strong telephoto lens. Even I broke out my “real camera” as I refer to my SONY, and used it as well as my iPhone. A cove at Ventry Beach was the scene of one set of photos, including several the driver took of us.
As we continued around the head, it became more rural and the coastline more dramatic. Drivers are encouraged, but not required, to drive the route clockwise so that most everyone is headed in the same direction. This minimizes the number of times you have to pass someone mirror to mirror or back up to let another car or tour bus come by.
Having made the loop around Slea Head and coming back south to Dingle, Paudie then took us north along the Conor Pass. This road runs basically parallel to the Wild Atlantic Way, but is, by far, the narrowest and the most winding road of the day. Up and down hills and mountain and around until we reached the outskirts of Tralee.
Here we stopped to gaze upon the Blennerville Windmill. It is the largest windmill in Ireland at about 60 feet tall, is a working windmill of five stories, and today grinds wheat. Built in 1800, it was restored in the 1980’s after a long period of disuse. Tralee was also a port of embarkation for people leaving Ireland during the great famine.
From Tralee, it was a relatively easy drive south on Route N22 back to Killarney where we arrived at 4:30 p.m. We did dinner on the town at Quinlan’s Mad Monk restaurant. The Quinlan family are known for their exceedingly fresh seafood and fish. We shared a starter of lightly fried calamari with chili jam and a small green salad. The Chief Penguin enjoyed his proper scampi (breaded and fried little shrimp) with chips and salad.
My panfried fillet of salmon was heavenly, some of the best I’ve ever had. Moist and delectable. It came with their version of Lyonnaise potatoes with asparagus spears on top and a ring of carrot purée (an unusual touch) around it. This was a memorable meal.
After dinner we strolled across the street to a carnival with a choice of rides. Revisiting younger days, the CP tried out the bumper cars.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington
