Dingle to Doolin

Another day of driving along the coast of western Ireland. Today, we are driving from Killarney to Dingle and from there to the town of Doolin. I love the names of these Irish towns and villages. It sounds so musical !

Admiring view from Slea Head Loop in Dingle Peninsula :





The drive from Killarney to Dingle had more amazing views ! This is a scenic fun 1 hour drive ! Alex was saying he is getting sick of the beautiful views :-)





Stopped at Inch beach on the way - a nice long beach ! They have surfing lessons here; but the water would be so cold !  Saw the local kids happily running down to the beach with surf boards.




The whole valley was a verdant green of many shades !  Hard to capture the beauty in photos !







Reached Dingle - Stopped at Murphys - a famous ice cream shop in Dingle. Alex had Irish Coffee & Whiskey flavored ice cream. What more can you ask for! Neel had a fennel flavored ice cream  (tasted weird but he liked it)!!


Dingle is a really charming town with colorful buildings and lots of people milling about, but we didn't have time to stop and admire ! We decided to do the Slea Head loop (clockwise). This is a scenic drive around Dingle Peninsula.  It is supposedly much prettier and rustic than the Ring of Kerry. 


We could see Skellig Michael and Little Skellig in the far distance. Lot more clear than the day we took the trip out to Skelligs !


 We visited more beehive huts - these have been reconstructed. These are much older than the ones we saw on Skellig Michael. 


More rock walls ! No shortage of rock walls and hedges in Ireland :-)







Beautiful sea gulls -- they are not scared of humans and allow you to get very near.


First view of the Blaskett islands. These islands are now deserted.




We pulled off the road to hike to Clogher Head. 


Lots of wild flowers !

This short 15 minute hike rewards you with amazing panoramic views ! The climbing is mostly on stones and so a lot of fun , as long as its not slippery !! By this time, the sun was out partially and it was a beautiful day.





Lots of rocks to scramble over !!







I love the below pictures that Neel took ! It captures everything I love about hiking and nature. I am so insignificant compared to the majestic views around me - the mountains, the ocean, the clouds and the sky ! I feel one with nature.







Reluctantly, we left Clogher Head. There were a lot of flies bothering Alex, probably because of his shirt being the same color as the greenery. It wasn't bothering the rest of us ! Also, we hadn't packed any lunch and needed to find some food ! Around 3 pm, stopped for lunch in a small cafe along Slea Head Loop with a nice backdrop ! The  summer salad I had was so yummy !!! The 3 boys had a lot of meat as usual !

Satto got to crush Neel finally !




Then we drove all the way to village of Doolin, arriving around 9 pm. Again, amazing views of mountains and the clouds !





We ate dinner at O'Connors pub (atmosphere was great, but not the food !). Tomorrow, we have a long hike planned along the Cliffs of Moher ! Went to bed praying for a rain-free day !!


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