Slea Head Drive, Ireland

We set off from Dingle for our exploration of the Slea Head Drive, which loops around part of the Dingle peninsula.  It’s a combination of striking sea coast, emerald green fields dotted with sheep, and ancient drystone structures – including beehive huts.

First, a view over the coast.  Even on a cloudy day, the water is churned to a white and turquoise froth.  The jagged rocks remind me of the Skellig Islands,

Then it was on to a sheep farm, where the latest crop of lambs were ready for a feeding.  The farmer was trying to feed four lambs at once when we arrived, so he was grateful for D to lend a hand!

One of the most famous sites on the Slea Head Drive is Gallarus Oratory, a drystone chapel that dates from about a thousand years ago and which is, remarkably, still perfectly intact.  (The Gallarus name may indicate that it was meant for “foreigners”, like Gauls, though that is debatable.)  It’s amazing that you can go inside and look around in complete solitude, with no gates or fences at all.

There are also some slightly more modern churches.

And sheep.  Lots of sheep!

One nice thing about the Slea Head Drive (as compared to the much larger Ring of Kerry) is that you can easily pop back into town for lunch and then continue on.  We had fish and chips and some Guinness, watched through the window by the local cat.

After lunch (and an ice cream) we went back out, seeing a few more sights including some stone ruins.

And finally, our guide Colm drove us up to the Conor Pass, where we got out to look at the beautiful views.  Once again, we were grateful to have him at the wheel as we went up and down the winding and narrow roads!