Ireland 2025 – September 8&9 – Days 4&5
Today is Tuesday, Day 5 of our trip and Day 2 of our hike. We started Day 1 of our hike yesterday in Tralee, the official start of The Dingle Way. As the capital of County Kerry in Ireland, Tralee is known for its International Rose Festival, which occurs every August. Years ago, our son Davis spent quite a bit of time in this town for a class he was taking in College.
The Dingle Way is one of over 30 Irish long-distance walking trails located throughout Ireland. Situated in the south-west of Ireland, the walk completes a circuit of the Dingle Peninsula, starting and finishing in Tralee. The trail is 112 miles long and takes an average of 8-9 days to walk. The Dingle Way is such a popular trail because of its diverse landscapes – a turn in the path often reveals a dramatic change of scenery. This includes walking in the foothills of Slieve Mish to crossing the shoulder of Mount Brandon, from experiencing the crashing waves of the Atlantic at Slea Head to the tranquil setting of pastoral farmland, and then hiking on lonesome strands of golden beaches on the Maharess.
In addition, some of the finest archeological sites in Ireland can be encountered on the Dingle Way. Standing stones, ogham stones and a multitude of beehive huts are the most obvious structures to be spotted.
Yesterday, our first day on the Dingle Way, we hiked from Tralee to Camp, which was a 13-mile hike. After taking some roads through town, we spent some time on canal side paths, passing by Blennerville windmill; the largest working windmill of its kind in the British Isles! While on the canal trail, I discovered black berry bushes with hundreds on ripe berries. I stopped and ate some. I stopped and ate some more. Little did I know that on the first two days of our hike, I would see many more “hedges of blackberry bushes” with ripe berries so numerous, you could litterally fill up on blackberries as you hike the trail.
We then climbed up to open moorland and hiked almost 7 miles along the shoulder of the Slieve Mish Mountain range. We must have crossed 25 streams/small rivers during that stretch. And if you went off the trail, you were mired in bog. In addition, the trail itself was a stream at times. In some places, steppingstones had been laid across the Irish bog. It was a beautiful hike. We finally crossed the Finglas River and descended to the very small village of Camp. We spent the night at The Camp Junction House B&B, which had panoramic views of Tralee Bay and the Slieve Mish Mountains.
Today, the second day of our hike and our 5th day of the trip, we hiked from Camp to Annascaul, which ended up being a 13-mile hike. On this stage, we walked across moorland and farmland. Most of the early hike was in a valley. As we climbed out of the valley, we crossed a saddle between Corrin and Knockbrack peaks. We then descended to the stunning nature reserve of Inch Beach. With its crashing waves and pristine beach, Inch Beach is wide and beautiful. The movie Ryan’s Daughter, which was filmed here in 1970, won an Oscar for best cinematography for capturing the wild beauty of the Dingle Peninsula.
We stopped at Sammy’s Café and had a Guinness and fish and chips for lunch. Afterwards, several of us went for a dip in the ocean! As I walked across the beach in my swimwear and nothing else, people almost gawked at me. So that I would not lose my courage, I literally ran into the surf. It was not as cold as I thought it would be.
After Inch Beach, we made our way along small roads to our overnight stop of Annascaul, the birthplace of Antarctic Explorer Tom Crean. We will be having dinner at South Pole Inn pub, which was originally owned by Tom Crean, who completed three Antarctic Expeditions with Shackleton and Scott, including Shackleton’s tragic 1912 expedition. Tomorrow we hike 14 miles and will end up in the town of Dingle.
