Monday morning, the Bridge House owner’s dog, Jack, happily greeted us as we woke and rose from the van.
After Hadleigh prepared breakfast in the van (including the last of the Moran’s fresh eggs) we set off to continue exploring Dingle.
After spending most of the morning strolling around the town and checking out the cute shops, we were ready for a 99! 🍦 The name comes from the Kingdom of Italy, where the King had an elite royal guard of 99 soldiers. Anything considered top-tier or special became known as a “99”. This ice cream definitely lives up to its name.
Having treated ourselves in Dingle, it was time to continue our journey west— to the most western part of Ireland!
Goodbye, Dingle and hello, Slea Head Drive! This road wraps around the entire Dingle peninsula, offering many stops at beaches and pubs along the way.
Though, after about 15 minutes, a completely unexpected pull-off presented itself and we had to stop.
We fed some friendly sheep, goats, horses, pigs, and donkeys!
One sheep in particular was extremely fond of Hadleigh. This sheep’s name was “Emily.” Emily eagerly followed Hadleigh all around until Hadleigh eventually pawned Emily off on some other excited visitors.
After a triple hand-washing, it was back to the van to continue on. It’s nearly 5 o’clock and we’ve still got to find our campsite for the night! Luckily, the sun won’t vanish until just after 9:00pm tonight.
Photos of our continued journey on Slea Head Dive below – the 50 kilometer costal loop around Dingle Peninsula.
Jake did lots of research for this part of the journey. Before leaving Boston, we had made a list of six potential campsites on the Dingle Peninsula.
We stopped at one spot, drove a few minutes to the next, then another, and another, each stop even more beautiful than the last.
“Let’s check out one more,” we said.
Arriving at the sixth and final location, we immediately knew this was the winner.
Arriving at this location, we noticed a couple loading up their German Shephard into the car. Hadleigh and I instantly thought of her parents’ shepherds, Mabel and Lou, and said “this is a sign.”
We parked the van and ventured out further on foot before deciding which exact spot we would claim for the evening.
This little peninsula and its panoramic views won by far!
Jake excited to make the first fire of the trip using “turf” from the Morans!
What a grand spot for dinner and some shuteye! Absolutely fabulous! Or “fab” as the Irish say.
Coldplay bumpin’, fire roarin’, and waves crashing—not a soul in sight—we were in paradise. Hence the Coldplay kick, which began with their song, “Paradise.”
Our last night in the van but certainly not our last visit to this special place. We hope to return here with you all one day. But in the meantime sharing the experience through photos and stories will suffice!
Leave a comment