Dingle to Dunquin 21 km

For the first time on this walk we cast a shadow today, and felt the warmth of the sun on our back. Life was good. Within the first hour warm layers were taken off, sun glasses, sun block and sun hats were put on. Life was very good.

An interesting and at the end spectacular day with many interesting things along the way. Breakfast wasn’t until 8.30 and we had a look around Dingle and the marina so didn’t get under way till 10. The first few kms were on sealed minor roads before starting on a long steep climb up a grass farm track. After a while we came to a farm gate and obvious evidence of cows using the track. We dreaded a repeat of yesterday but then a narrow board walk appeared at its side. We were able to tip toe along this free of the cow crap.

At the top was a wonderful view down to a long sandy beach at Ventry. A steep descent to this and we sat on the stones and had a coffee and cookie. It was a lovely walk on the firm sand of the beach for two and a half kilometres. From the beach we headed inland and came to signs indicating a Lios, or ringed fort. For €2 you could enter the fort and feed the sheep. We passed on the sheep but had a look at the fort. Basically it is a circular area about 25 metres wide with traces of 3 or 4 huts surrounded by a grassy circular earthen bank 2.5 metres high and then a ditch about 4 metres below the top of the bank. They date from early Christian times and were probably built to enclose a family group’s buildings. It was fairly unimpressive in my opinion but Barbara thought it was okay. Inside the bank it was nice and sunny and out of the wind so we sat there and ate our lunch, and the sheep watched us.

After lunch a very steep climb up a grass track to high on a hill side. Great views back to Dingle, down to Ventry and out over the vast Atlantic Ocean. We followed a very fine dry stone wall (called a “dyke”?) which meandered across the hillside following the coast. This area has an incredibly dense concentration of Archaeological remains and we saw many good examples of clocháns. These are small round buildings known as ‘beehive huts’ and are superb examples of the skilful use of stone. The ones we saw were not roofed but they would have had circular layers, each slightly smaller than the one below, until finished with a single capstone. It is not known for sure what these were used for or who built them.

Eventually we rounded the end of the Peninsula at Slea Head and had a very steep descent to the jagged cliffs at Coumeenoole Bay. Off the end of the bay are the Blasket  Islands, the most westerly point in Europe – despite what the Romans thought at Finesterre in Spain. But then The Romans never came to Ireland. We had to walk along the road from here and came across a cyclist. He asked if we had some sun block, which we did and gave him some. Turned out he was doing a 2,500 km bike race around Ireland and had completed 1,700 km. He cycles 300 km at a time and sleeps for 3 hours. I think he was German, about 30 and looked in super shape. Although he didn’t know what day of the week it was. He had a racing bike with aero bars, lights, and very slim minimalist bags. We had been feeling a bit tired by then, but after talking to him realised we really hadn’t done that much.

Dunquin is a tiny hamlet and has no facilities. When we arrived at our B & B at 4.30pm the owner advised us the only food available was at a pottery/bookshop/cafe we had passed a kilometre back and they closed at 6.00pm. So we had a cup of tea and rested a bit before heading back. What a gem it was. Two dear ladies in their eighties were running the cafe and we had a delicious bowl of homemade vegetable soup. I followed that with the best rhubarb crumble in Ireland. One of the ladies explained she grew the rhubarb herself and the secret was she collected seaweed from the bottom of the cliffs to use as fertiliser. My day was made.