Stages 105-110: Co. Kerry: Ballyheigue to Dingle: April 2025: Six days over Easter: 187km or 116miles during Easter break
‘’And now I am on no hill, with no waves to see or hear far off. Death is not dark, but only deeper blue.” Sir Roger Casement describing his last days in Pentonville Prison before his execution.
Spending over a week around Tralee and the Dingle Peninsula has given me plenty of opportunities to try to tackle this part of Co. Kerry. Lucky for me I’ve got some company over these few days to help with the different runs. I completed six stages and even had time to do a pre-visit of Stage 112 along the beautiful Inch Beach Peninsula. My total mileage over the six/seven stages was 202.5km (126 miles) and that doesn’t include two 5k parkruns (Tralee & Inch)
Stage 105 Co. Kerry: Ballyheigue to Tralee: Good Friday 18 April 2025: 42.2km or 26.2miles
For practical reasons I decided to do this stage clockwise with the sea on my left, so we started in Tralee and finished in Ballyheigue. The reason for this is because Maureen and Brian (my support team) are staying the night at the aptly name Rose Hotel in Tralee. Also, with low tide predicted for 2.30pm, I thought it would be perfect to run along the magnificent Banna Strand and finish further north along the beach in Ballyheigue. There are four of us starting today. I’ve got my original coastal friend, Helen from Bangor with me and I’ve recruited two local runner, Niamh Abeyta and Loretto O’Sullivan from the Ballyheigue/Tralee area.
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| At the Rose Hotel: Helen, Me, Niamh, Loretto & Holly |
Until last Sunday we’ve had such beautiful warm and sunny weather, with temperatures up to 20 degrees. However, we wake up today to a miserable wet morning. It’s cold too and rain is forecast for most of the day. We leave the Rose Hotel and head west along the Tralee Canal. We pause to remember a local runner called Anila Mucaj who died just a few weeks ago in early March. Like all of us, she was just out for her Sunday morning run with her friends along the Canal Road in Tralee when she was tragically struck by an SUV. We actually pass close to this spot as we leave Tralee, running on the north shore along the River Lee.
After a while we see the ‘Blennerville Windmill’, Ireland’s largest working windmill. We stick to the coast and follow ‘Sli Ciarriai Thuadh’ (The North Kerry Way) for about 4k.
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| Helen & Loretto with Blennerville Windmill behind |
To keep our run, more or less traffic free, we’re able to join the old Tralee to Fenit railway line which is now a Greenway. Niamh and Lorreto are great local guides, and we run along the greenway all the way to Fenit (An Fhianait).
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| Running on Greenway |
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| Tralee-Fenit Greenway |
It's still raining as we arrive in Fenit. Steve and Alison Wise, my friends from Bangor, are there to meet us along with Holly, Helen’s daughter. Alison and Holly then join our group to make us six, as we head over the short bridge to ‘Samphire Island'.
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| At St Brendan Monument on Samphire Island |
There we see the statue of Saint Brendan the navigator who was one of the ‘twelve apostles of Ireland’ and born here in Fenit in 484AD. We’ll refer again to St. Brendan during this week as he is closely connected to this whole area. Even Mount Brandon, which we can see across the bay, is called after him.
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| Today's Team at Mikes Cafe in Fenit |
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| Loretto eating her boiled egg & wee easter egg |
We stop for a break at ‘Mike’s Café’ in Fenit and try to dry out a bit. The lovely coffee does warm us up and reluctantly we continue our journey.
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| With Mike and Kerry girls |
We stick by the coast and head out to ‘Fenit Within’.
It’s a strange name for what really is an island. We cross the causeway. I
thought we might be able to go and see Fenit Castle on the island but there is
a ‘private property’ sign, giving us no access to Fenit Within.
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| We can go no further onto Fenit Within/Island |
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| New born lamb |
Most know the story about how Casement organised a consignment of 20,000 rifles and one million rounds of ammunition from Germany and arranged their transportation to West Kerry on Good Friday, 1916. These weapons were due to arrive on ‘The Aud’ which was really a German ship called the SS Libau disguised as a Norwegian boat. However, ‘The Aud’ was intercepted by the British at nearby Fenit Harbour and captured. On the very same day, Casement himself was dropped off on Banna Strand by a German U-Boat but only made it as far as McKenna’s Fort before he was captured and subsequently tried and hanged.
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| At McKenna's Fort where Roger Casement was captured |
Sir Roger Casement was a fascinating character, and I have referred to him on numerous occasions in my blog and in my books. His arrival on Banna Strand in the U19 U-Boat exactly 109 years ago (Good Friday 1916 and three days before the start of the Easter Rising) connects him to a lot of historical and world events. I like to tell his story by linking him to two other interesting WW1 commanders, Edward Barry Bingham and Raimund Weisbach.
Weisbach was the German commander on the U19 that dropped Casement off on Banna Strand. Weisbach also played a significant role in the sinking of the Lusitania Ship in May 1915 as he was the German Torpedo Officer on the U20 who prepared and fired the torpedo. The sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of Co. Cork turned public opinion against Germany and was probably the main cause of USA entering WW1, although it took the Americans another two years after this, April 1917 before they did.
Edward Bingham has a few things in common with me. We share the same birthday (26th July), his father came from east Galway and later moved to Bangor, Co. Down. I now live in Bangor and the street where I have my office is called Bingham Street. Edward Bingham was awarded the Victoria Cross in WW1 and has a connection to the U19 U-boat that Casement and Weisbach travelled on in 1916. After the war the German Navy surrendered its U-Boats and the gun from the U19 was presented to the town of Bangor and specifically to Edward Bingham ‘in recognition of his valorous conduct on the HMS Nestor at the Battle of Jutland’. The Cannon Gun from the U19 now sits in Ward Park in Bangor – and to make a running connection, this is the exact spot where Bangor’s weekly parkrun begins.
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| At the Casement Memorial, just off Banna Strand |
Casement was captured not long after he landed on Banna
Strand. He was prosecuted at the Old Bailey by Edward Carson, who years earlier
had successfully tried Oscar Wilde. Carson was, of course, a famous unionist
politician, and his statue adorns Stormont Parliament in Belfast. Roger
Casement was found guilty of treason and hanged in Pentoville Prison in August
1916.
As usual I’m keeping an eye on my Ordnance Survey map. I use Google Maps and the OS maps all the time in my planning for my coastal run. It was interesting to find out that Robert Monteith, who travelled with Roger Casement from Germany to Banna Strand, worked for the Ordnance Survey office in Dublin. He was dismissed from his job when his Republican activities were discovered by his employer.
Back on Good Friday 2025 the rain is coming down and it’s feeling
even more miserable. We eventually reach Banna Strand, and to make matters
worse, we now face a cold north wind for the last few miles.
Although this is my first time seeing Banna Strand in real life, I remember years ago watching ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ (1970 film) for the first time. I couldn’t believe there was such an amazing beach in the world, never mind in Ireland. That opening scene when Sarah Miles and Robert Mitchum are walking along the strand just captures the whole beauty of the area. Herb Lightman wrote about the making of the film and how David Lean, the Director and Freddie Young, the Cinematographer did their own bit of running on Banna Strand in order to capture every camera angle.
‘‘They jog, never
seem to walk, up and down vast stretches of beach, selecting camera angles’’
All their running on Banna Strand paid off and it was no surprise that Freddie Young won the 1970 Academy Award for Cinematography, even if the Director, David Lean, disappointingly was not even nominated for an award.
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| Ballyheigue - but don't be fooled by this picture - these guys only did 10k. |
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| Arriving in Ballyheigue - Kerry girls with husbands & Conor Nickell |
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| Celebrating completing Stage 105 at Cassidys Tralee |
Stage
106 Co. Kerry: Tralee to Castlegregory: Saturday 19 April 2025: 31.1km or 19.3miles
‘’Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning, that made
me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee’’ by William Mulchinock
We start today’s adventure with a parkrun in Tralee. Helen’s Mum, Olive and her daughter, Holly complete the run along with Niamh, Loretto, Alison, Steve and lastly Sean, who is joined by his own support team, Patrica and Conor. I know Tralee is on the river Lee, but I’d didn’t realise the very obvious translation, ‘Tra’ (beach or strand) on the ‘Lee’. The town was founded over 800 years ago and is the county town of Kerry and by far the largest settlement in this part of the country.
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| Tralee parkrun: Helen, Alison, Holly & Olive |
After parkrun we realise it’s another cold morning with showery rain. We say goodbye to the Kerry girls and to the Bangor contingent. For our run today, it’s just Sean and me.
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| With Sean - our team of two for today |
The famous ‘Rose of Tralee Festival’ was inspired by this story. In the late 1950’s a group of businesspeople met in Harty’s pub to come up with ideas to bring more tourists to Tralee. It has now been running since 1959 and the 2024 Rose is Keely O’ Grady from New Zealand.
Sean and I are actually going to follow the ‘Kerry
Camino’ as far as the village of Camp. Officially the Camino starts at
St. John’s Church in Tralee and heads along a trail that Saint Brendan apparently
walked along over 1,300 years ago. At the Blennerville Windmill, we cross the
canal/river this time and then take a left before a Petrol Station. This first
stage of the Kerry Camino also follows ‘Sli Chorca Dhuibhne’ (the
Dingle Way). We climb a hilly road that takes us to the top of the Camino. It’s
both rocky and muddy up here. As we run along, we’ve got Tralee Bay on our
right and the Sliabh Mish Mountains on our left. We spot the peaks of Baurtregaum
(851 metres and translated as ‘Top of the three hollows’) and Cathar
Conraoi (835 metres). After the last few days of rain some of the trail
is flooded. Trail shoes were a good idea, but it doesn’t take long for our feet
to get very wet.
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| The Kerry Camino is flooded in parts |
At Camp Village we leave the Camino and the ‘Chorca Dhuibhne’, heading down towards the coast. It is low tide again and I thought it would be a straight long run all the way to Castlgregory. This was not the case at all. Even at low tide there were lots of rivers and streams flowing down from the Mish Mountains. Some of them were not that easy to cross and our feet were getting even colder.
One particular river was too difficult to cross, and we had to trace
it back inland to find a bridge to cross. Eventually we found a trail running
parallel to the sea that took us all the way to our finish line in Castlegregory.
Stage 106 completed. |
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Stage
107 Co. Kerry: Castlegregory/Stradbally to Brandon Point: Sunday 20 April 2025:
23.7km or 14.7miles
‘It’s not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves’. Sir Edmund Hillary
My son, Conor who now lives in England has joined Sean and I today. He flew in from Manchester to Kerry Airport and is staying with Maureen, Brian and I at our Airbnb in Tullig, which is about halfway between Castlegregory and Stradbally.
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| Conor in Stradbally (Sraidbhaile) |
Our starting point today is from our Airbnb in Tullig (Remember
I’ve already run around the Maharees Peninsula when we were here in March). We arrange
to meet Sean this morning in Stradbally village in glorious sunshine – a change
from the last two days. Even I didn’t realise the simple translation of the
village, Sráidbhaile. In Irish
it literally means Street Town. It does highlight the stupidity of some
Anglified names. Tim Robinson, the English writer who moved to Connemara said
that ‘Irish place names dry out when anglicised, like twigs snapped off
from a tree’.
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| With Conor & Sean - our team for today |
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| Brandon Bay Beach |
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| A lone fisherman on Brandon Beach |
We run to the end of the beach, turn around and try to take a short cut across a field to get back on the R550. Sean is a little bit enthusiastic touching an electric fence (he won’t do that for a while again), but we shortly get back on the country road.
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| Heading towards An Clochan |
Soon we arrive in the village of ‘An
Clochan’. It’s a hive of
activity as Mass has just finished. Also, there’s a Cake Sale in the church
hall but we’re not hungry enough yet. We keep running in the morning sunshine. Quite
close to Mount Brandon now and I know Sean is tempted to climb it today. I have
no desire to do this as there are enough hills for me on the country roads as
we head north.
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| Near Cappagh Beach |
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| Always nice to have a grassy trail to run on |
From here it’s a straightforward run/walk up the hill until we reach Brandon Point or Sron Bhroin (Raven’s Point). It’s beautiful up here with perfect views over Brandon Bay and the Slieve Mish mountains. It’s fascinating for me to see the long flat Maharees Peninsula jutting out into the sea. Shortly Maureen and Brian come to meet us, and we all linger a while to share the views across the bay and the hills.
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| At Brandon Point (Sron Bhroin) |
Stage
108 Co. Kerry: Brandon Point to An Mhuirioch: Monday 21 April 2025: 30.1km or 18.7miles
Not sure who made that quote, but it seems apt today. Plenty of adventures as we cover the area around Ireland’s third highest mountain. It’s just Sean and me today as Maureen drops us off at Brandon Point. Blue skies again and the forecast is generally good for today.
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| Back to Brandon Point to start todays Run/Hike |
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| Maureen drops us off at Brandon Point |
Straight away we’re climbing and soon we head SW on a trail called ‘Siuloid an tSais’ (walk of sauce). I presume its called that as it could be slippery and wet – and it is! We walk/run as close to the coast as we can but there are three peaks, one after the other, that we have to climb or get around. First, it’s An Buaicin (251m), then Cnoc Duileibhe (311m) and finally, Sliabh Glas (324m). At ‘Mas an Tiompain’ we follow a similar route but now it’s called ‘Sli Chorca Dhuibhne’ or simply ‘The Dingle Way’.
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| The slippery 'Walk of Sauce' |
We pass close to the
biggest mountain of all, Cnoc Brandon (952 metres). Interestingly, just a few
kilometres SE of Brandon is another peak. It’s 840 metres high and this summit
is often called ‘Brandon Peak’, which is a bit confusing. I
prefer the Irish name, ‘Barr an Ghearain’, which translates as ‘top
of the fang’, which sounds risky and scary.
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| It's beautiful up here - on the top of the world! |
Although it’s quite a sunny day with lovely blue skies it is
getting colder. I know the temperature drops by one degree for every 150 metres
of altitude so good that I have my base layer on today.
There have been quite a few plane crashes in the Brandon Mountains, especially during WW2. In 1940 a German Luftwaffe crashed on Faha Ridge but luckily the crew of six survived. They were the first of many Germans to land in Ireland during the war years. Most were imprisoned in the Curragh Prison Camp. Sean and I actually come across a Polish plane that crashed during the war.
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| Sean reading about the Polish Plane Crash during WW2 |
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| We meet a lovely French couple, Marion & Euan |
We loop around this mountainous peninsula on the west side and head downhill. We can see that dark clouds are appearing all around and as the sky is darkening. Luckily for us we are just at the foot of the mountain – and when the inevitable rain comes, we can shelter at the gable end of a house. As we wait in a dry area it pours down for about ten minutes. We continue and reach the R549 and head west over to Brandon Creek. What a magical place this is! According to a ninth century document covering the ‘Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator’, Brendan set sail from this spot in the sixth century and sailed as far as America. 1,300 hundred years later, in 1976, an adventurer, Tim Severin took a crew across the Atlantic to prove that Saint Brendan’s voyage to America would have been possible. Severin reached Peckford Island in Newfoundland and commented as follows.
‘We’ve proved that a leather boat can cross the North Atlantic by a route that few modern Yachtsman would attempt’’
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| It looks like Sean is praying to St Brendan at Brendan's Creek. |
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| Brendan's Creek |
We can easily imagine Saint Brendan heading off from here from this unique harbour. It reminds me of Ballintoy Harbour in Co. Antrim (Stage 13). From here at Brendan's Creek, Sean and I are able to stick to the coast along a soft grassy surface. We eventually join up with Dun Morain, near Ballydavid Head, (Ceann Bhaile Dhaith). As our ambition is to stay close to the coast we have to climb two steep headlands. The climb is worth it as the views are magnificent up here on the edge of the Atlantic.
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| Lots of steep headlands to climb |
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| We meet some Cork people with their dog, Winnie |
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| Sean viewing the Kerry surroundings |
There doesn’t seem to be a proper trail downhill, so we rough through fields to reach the village/townland of ‘An Fheothanach’ (Feohanagh). It translates as the ‘place of the thistles’ and sure enough it did live up to its name as Sean and I struggled to avoid them on our descent.
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| Coming into village of An Fheothanach (Place of the thistles) |
We reach the beach at An Fheothanach but perhaps we should have stayed on the road. We end up having to cross a fairly deep stream to reach the country road. We knew there was a coastal trail to ‘An Mhuirioch’ but we still had to run on the road for about 2k before we could join it. It was worth waiting for and such a lovely way to finish todays run with the sun still shining. The grassy path brought us all the way to Ballydavid or known as ‘Baile na nGall’ (the town of strangers). From there it was only one last kilometre to our finish point at the beach at An Mhuireioch.
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| Ballydavid: Thinking of my son, Matthew who lives in Boston |
Meanwhile Maureen and Patricia (Sean’s wife) had to drive cross-country,
passing through the mountains at Barr Conrach (Conor Pass) to meet us. It was
perfect timing. Sean had correctly predicted that we’d finish at 4.30pm – so exactly
a seven-hour hike through West Kerry.
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| Another successful Coastal Run completed |
Stage
109 Co. Kerry: An Mhuirioch to Dunchaoin (Dunquin): Thursday 24 April 2025: 24.7km
or 15.3miles
It might not be as mountainous as previous days but we’re still in hilly country here It does you good to be in the hills, lonely heart or not. We’re deep into the Kerry Gaeltacht now and in fact there is a famous GAA club called ‘An Ghaeltacht’ in this area, mainly known for the great family of O’Sheas who played football for Kerry in the early 2000s.
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| Crossing a stream at start of today's run |
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| Alison, Steve & me with 'three sisters' hills behind |
There
are four of us starting today and we all hail from Bangor, Co. Down. Alison and
Steve Wise are still in this area and Helen Byers has driven all the way back
down to Kerry to join me today and tomorrow. It’s a very dull and cloudy day as
we begin our run on the beach at ‘An Mhuirioch’. We stay by the coast and reach
a small headland jutting out called, ‘Traigh an Fhiona’ (Wine
Strand).
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| Alison warned us that there was no wine on Wine Strand |
At this stage Alison & Steve leave us and Helen and I continue heading NW along a wet and muddy boreen. The rain comes down as we run uphill along this rutted lane that seems to go on forever. We’re attempting to climb ‘An Triur Deirfear’ (The Three Sisters). These are three peaks, called Diarmad, Meanach and Hanrai. Not the nicest of girl’s names.
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| Now its time to tackle the three sisters |
The most northerly one is ‘Binn Diarmada’ which
was probably the peak that Charles Lindberg approached as he flew across the
Atlantic in the ‘Spirit of Saint Louis’ in 1927. He didn’t stop
off in Kerry as he was on his way to be the first person to fly solo across the
Atlantic – and his welcoming party of 150,000 were waiting in Paris. It took
him 33 hours to fly from New York and it won him $25,000 for the first flight
between the two cities. By all accounts, Lindburg seemed delighted to have spotted
Dingle Bay after flying for 27 hours. He recognised the Kerry coastline and
knew the route to Paris would be more straightforward.
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| Its a steep drop down from the cliff |
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| I'm afraid to stand up as its windy up here |
I hope Lindberg got better weather than Helen and me. It’s
raining heavily as we make our way across the bog and start steadily climbing
the big sister, Binn Diarmada. Quite scary when we reach the top as there is a
massive cliff drop into the sea. We don’t delay long and continue to tackle the
other ‘sisters’. It’s very exposed up here too with the wind coming at us from
all angles. Also, it seems as if there’s more than just three sisters as we
seem to be climbing one headland after another.
Out here along by the ocean we pass the area where a famous scene from Star Wars Film was set. This is where Luke Skywalker stares off into a twin sunset in the western horizon in ‘The Last Jedi’.
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| Helen impersonating Luke Skywalker |
We start to come downhill. On my OS map there is a trail back
down to civilisation but neither Helen nor I can find it. We struggle through
the bog, making our way downhill. To make matters worse there are electric
fences blocking all our routes. Eventually we somehow climb a wall and both
leap over the fence, feeling very relieved. We soon arrive at a farm. A
friendly farmers shows us a shortcut route through a Golf Course. A sign says ‘No
hikers or Walkers’ but it doesn’t mention Runners, so we carry on! It’s
a miserable day anyway, still raining, and no sign of any golfers around.
We reach the R559 and see a sign for an Art Gallery with a Café. However, when we get to gallery, the sign says, ‘Café Closed’. That’s a pity as we deserved a break. We continue running and leave the road to run to Clogher Head.
I remember a scene from ‘Ryans Daughter’ here at Clogher Head. This part of the film is when the young major arrives in Kerry. John Mills who plays Michael, the character with learning difficulties (and who never speaks in the film), is fascinated when he sees the major. Mills as Michael steals the scene and it was no surprise that he was awarded ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for this portrayal in the film. Later when John Mills accepted the Academy Award, he said he was speechless and referred to his time in Ireland where his character was also speechless.
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| The School House from the film, Ryan's Daughter |
It's raining heavily and Helen and I stay by the coast. We
follow a rocky trail that brings us to the ‘School House’ that
was used in Ryan’s Daughter. It’s a shame that the famous house has fallen into
disrepair and there seems to be no indication that it was even used in the
film. It’s getting slippery on the path and along here we both fall at
different stages. I think Helen’s scars are better than mine!
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| Inis Tuaisceart - nicknamed 'The Sleeping Giant' |
Eventually we spot the ‘Viewing Platform’ which
is part of the ‘Great Blasket Centre’ and Helen and I know we
have reached our finish line. The Centre/Museum is so unique and interesting.
Later we did investigate and learned a lot about the Blaskets and the islanders
themselves. In some ways it’s the perfect place to end todays run. We’re able
to dry ourselves, as much as we can, and make our way to the restaurant for
some hot seafood chowder. Soup never tasted so delicious.
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| The Islanders were a proud people |
Stage 110 Co. Kerry: Dunquin/Dhun Chaoin to Dingle:
Friday 25 April 2025: 36.1km or 22.4miles
Fiche bliain ag fas, fiche bliain faoi bhlath (20 year’s growing, 20 years in bloom) Maurice O’Sullivan
Maureen drives Helen and I back to the Great Blasket Centre to start todays run. The weather looks more promising today, and the Blasket Islands are easier to spot.
There are a few books written about the Islands. They all seem to have their own unique features and there are quite a few written by native islanders. Growing up in Ireland, every school kid remembers Peig Sayers. Another popular book is ‘Twenty Years a Growin’ by Maurice O’Sullivan. By 1953 there was only 22 inhabitants on the islands and not many of these were young people. Most emigrated to America and usually to the Springfield and Holyoke area in Massachusetts.
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| Winding down to Dunquin Pier |
From the Blasket Centre grouds we’re able to run down to the coast where we cross a footbridge and stay on a quieter country road. We shortly arrive at Dunquin Pier. It’s such a special place the way the lane winds its way to the shore at the bottom. Definitely worth the trip down. Helen agrees, even if it’s a steep climb back up.
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| Helen at Dunmore Head |
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| Ireland's most westerly point at Dunmore Head |
We keep to the country road and even when we join the R559 it’s
only for a short time as shortly we come to Dunmore Head (An Dun Mor),
Ireland’s most westerly point. To get to the point itself we follow a trail west
for about a mile before we reach the end. It’s beautiful up here and Helen and
I are the only humans here, sharing the headland with a few sheep. So, I’ve
been to the most easterly point at Burr, Co. Down (Stage 7) and the most
northerly point at Malin Head, Co. Donegal (Stage 17). Now I’ve finally reached
the most westerly point in Ireland.
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| Coumeenole Beach, near Dunmore Head |
When we come back from Dunmore Head, we make our way down to
the shore to the beautiful ‘Coumeenole Beach’ where there was
another scene shot of ‘Ryans Daughter’. This is the one where the
priest, Trevor Howard is explaining to Sarah Myles about the sacrament of
marriage and three reasons for getting married.
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| With Helen on Coumeenole Strand |
We continue on the R559 following the Slea Head Drive. Although it’s a climb up the hill, Helen and I are strong enough to keep running. Its sensible to cover more mileage now before the road gets too busy. We resist the temptation to stop off and pay five Euro to see some beehive huts (known as Clochans) and stroke a lamb. These huts are believed to date back to the early Christian period and linked to monastic traditions. I think there are similar huts on Skellig Michael. The huts are built in such a way so that they support themselves without needing any mortar.
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| Leaving main road and following a country trail to Ventry Beach |
We follow the Slea Head route as it hugs the coast. Once the road comes inland, we spot a ‘walking man’ sign and run down a trail that eventually takes us all the way to the south side of Ventry Strand or ‘Ceann Tra Beach’.
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| Another grassy trail |
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| Crossing the bridge on Ceann Tra (Ventry) |
So good to be running on a beach. It’s low tide and the sun is shining - so all is perfect in this part of Kerry. After we leave the beach, we decide to have a break. We get some takeaway coffee at Ventry Post Office and sit outside on the picnic table overlooking the beach. We could stay here all day, but we must continue.
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| Having a break outside Ventry Post Office |
Almost there. It’s not ideal running on the main road towards Dingle but shortly we come to the turn for Eask Tower. We follow this quieter country road all the way to the east side of this peninsula and then face a steep climb up to the tower. The views from the top over Dingle Bay are worth it. The tower is another Beehive type building, but it looks as if there’s no way to enter it. The Tower was constructed in 1847 by local people who received much needed income during the famine. It was a marker to guide fishing boats into the harbour. Eask, of course, translates as fish
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| Eask Tower, just outside Dingle |
It's all downhill back to the main road. I’m struggling after
my exploits over the last few days, but Helen is so determined and staying
strong. I’m so glad all the Easter runs have gone well. The plan I made weeks
ago - to arrive in Dingle on Friday 25th April - has been
successful.
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| We had to have Fungie 'the Dingle Dolphin' in the picture |
