Fell in love with Dingle this past May and would like to return next June with my family (10 total) for maybe two weeks, staying near the Slea Head Drive and Coumeenole Beach. Ages range from 13-53. Has anybody tried something similar and has any advice? Too long? Small kids get bored? Perfect? Anything? Thanks.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1817 posts
We enjoy the Dingle Peninsula, but two weeks there seems like a very long time unless you just want to relax and kick back every day. Dingle is a long drive from many other scenic places. Have you considered somewhere near Kenmare for part of your trip? It's a good location for most of south-west Ireland.
Posted by
1172 posts
My kids are 8 and 11 and we just spent 2 days in Dingle. We may have been able to spend one more but that is the most without them getting bored. I think it would be different if you could actually swim at the beach.
Posted by
Utah
446 posts
With two weeks I would consider adding time in the Ring of Kerry area, Killarney National Park and surrounds, and a trip to Skellig Michael. You could base in Kenmare.
Posted by
Chicago
492 posts
moserten:
You've made a wise choice. In 2010, I spent a week on Dingle as part of a 100-mile-long hike. I thought I was in paradise. If you want to hike, go to the Dingle Way site for information: http://www.dingleway.com/.
Take the Ring of Dingle ride. Rent a car.
You mentioned kids. When I began my hike, I met a family from New York. They went horseback riding on the Dingle beaches because their kids had developed it as a hobby.
Also, when I was there, I met a group of British folk on Dingle for a bicycle trip. There's bicycling galore all over Dingle. Find a place to rent a bicycle.
Take the boat trip from Dingletown to the abandoned Blasket Islands. I've never made the trip, despite two visits to Dingle, and have always regretted it.
Culture: There are thousands of Irish antiquities on Dingle. The best are the Gallarus Oratory, Minard Castle and the beehive huts. I've seen a lot of spooky castles in Ireland, but Minard is among the spookiest. Visitors aren't allowed in. Kids love that stuff: http://www.megalithicireland.com/Minard%20Castle.html
More culture: there is a good Blasket Island museum in Dunquin. There is an aquarium in Dingle Town.
As part of my hike, I had to climb Mount Brandon, the eighth tallest mountain in Ireland, but it's only 2,500 ft. or so. Kids like mountains but only you and your older kids might make it.
A good side trip is to Cork, Ireland, the third largest city in Ireland. I think it was only a two-hour bus trip from Tralee, but double-check the time.
Another good side trip is to the Kerry Peninsula, which is immediately south. Take the Ring of Kerry ride.
Back to Dingle. The South Pole Inn is a famous restaurant in Anascaul. When I visited Dingle in 2002, they treated us well, but by 2010 the place had seriously declined in terms of food quality and friendliness of the staff. It might still be worth going. The man who started the inn was part of something like five expeditions to the South Pole in the early 1900s.
Have the time of your life. Cheers.