Woke up early to go for a run, which isn’t unusual for me back home, but I didn’t know how I would do here in Dingle. It was amazing. I got out of the house just as the sun had crested over the mountains, and it lit everything in a golden hue, making the fields of green come alive. Sheep dotted the fields, and the bay sparkled.
As I walked along the road to warm up, I breathed in the crisp air, glad I had put on my fleece so I didn’t freeze. I had checked the weather before I got dressed, and I knew at 48° I wouldn’t warm up enough during the run without the jacket. I’m not so sure it would have mattered, so smitten with the countryside was I.
As I started running, I stopped occasionally to snap a quick picture on my phone, regretting that I hadn’t gotten up early enough to go for a walk with the Canon. I reminded myself that tomorrow is another day, and I can get up and do it then. I’m trying to remind myself to be flexible and not be hard on myself for not doing something. Vacation always takes me a few days to get in the right mindset, and I finally feel like I’m getting there. Breathe in, breathe out, calm the inner child.
I ran down to where the bay ends in Dingle, then turned left and ran back towards town. While I’m still slow (and doing intervals), it was such a great run. It made me realize that I am definitely a better runner in the cold than in the heat. The air doesn’t weigh as heavily on my lungs in the cold, and I seem to breathe better. Probably true of most runners, but since I don’t do this all the time, it’s new to me.
I finished my run by the Pharmacy, glad to have had the morning to myself where there weren’t many people on the streets. It kept me from being self conscious of my running and to just enjoy it.
I turned around and started walking back towards the house, knowing that I’d have to take it a bit slower, since it’s all uphill. I didn’t mind so much though, having the views to accompany me. By the time I got to the top of the street, the sun was already pretty high in the sky, and now I could see more activity from the cows and sheep on the hills. I thought to myself that I’d love that view every morning, knowing that it’s a pipe dream.
I had a chat with a guy from Massachusetts the night before, and he talked about how he was enjoying the trip, but knew he would be bored senseless if he lived here. I kinda chuckled at that, since this was coming from a guy who lives in Chicopee, a suburb town of Springfield, Massachusetts. There never seemed to me to be a whole lot to do in Chicopee; I think Dingle has way more to do, though I could understand why some would think it boring at times. But that’s just my opinion…
Once back at the house, I tried to get ready as quickly as possible, knowing I wanted to grab breakfast and spend some time writing at the Bean in Dingle. This place is pretty special. It’s a tea and coffee shop that does sausage rolls and muffins for breakfast. If you’re looking for more of a traditional breakfast, this isn’t the place. But if you want a place to relax for a little bit, have a coffee (cappuccino, latte, flat white, americano, and espresso are available) or some tea (big selection of herbal teas), this is your place.
Decorated in a tasteful light grey and yellow, with chalkboards telling you about what’s on for the day, it’s a comfy spot to meet with friends or just sit and take in the local flavor. Signs like, “Procrastination is my super power” and “You’re a Keeper” decorate the walls.
Because I have a tendency to procrastinate, the first sign spoke right to my soul. Small vases adorn the tables, holding fresh local flowers that are in season. The piped in music is a mix of 70’s, everything from ‘Sugar Sugar’ to ‘Major Tom’.
The great thing about being in a coffee cafe is that you always end up chatting with people you wouldn’t normally have come in contact with. I can see why this kind of interaction is sought out by travelers. There’s no strings attached, you just spend a little bit of time chatting, learning about someone else, hoping that you and they leave a good impression on each other, and go about your day.
As I sat writing, a couple ladies came in, and we had a lovely chat. One was from Philadelphia originally, so we had a hometown commonality. They were traveling with other family members, and as is the case with some, the trip was not going so well. Family can be tough to deal with on a normal day; add travel stress and it compounds the problems. But, I was glad that the woman had her cousin to help alleviate some of the stress. As they headed out, I wished them well.
I spoke to one other couple and a local German man after my interaction with the two ladies, and it made me feel good that I could strike up a conversation on the fly. In the past, I would have looked for a deeper connection, hoping to make a friend and exchange contact info. But for now, it’s enough to just chat for a few minutes and move on, knowing I may have learned something new.
I had tapped today as the day I would drive Slea Head, since it was the better of the days this week. In April, I had started with Clogher Strand, but this time I wanted to see Wine Strand first, since it had been touted as a very pretty beach. Right down the road from Tig Bhric, it’s a beautiful area with a walking path that takes you along the ocean.
I came upon a field with some black cows and noticed that as they stood watching the paths and chewing their cud, they turned their heads sluggishly to see what was taking such an interest in them. Wary of people, they kept their distance until one decided it was thirstier than it was afraid. It watched with one eye as I snapped pictures, drinking from an old tub that someone had placed there for them.
I spotted Mount Brandon in the distance, covered in a thick bank of clouds, obscuring the peak from all view. I planned to hike it the next day, so I was glad to have a good day to size it up a bit. Sitting grandly, standing guard over Wine Strand and the Three Sisters, it’s easy to see why so many people love it there.
Tourist season was nearing its end, so there were still many non-natives wandering around, hoping to catch the views. As I walked down the path toward the beach, I met a German gentleman. He started off speaking French to me, until I said I only spoke English. He switched, and we chatted for a few minutes. He told me that he had worked for the US Air Force in Luxembourg, but he’s now retired. The encounter was brief, but as we parted company I thought to myself, “So many interesting people here.”
Standing in the road looking down at the beach, I turned around to see the Three Sisters in the distance, rising majestically over the land, guarding it’s inhabitants from the cold Atlantic. I turned back to the beach, continuing to snap pictures, watching sailboats and birds alike.
Afterwards, I headed back to Tig Bhric just to say hello. I then headed to Clogher Strand by way of Ballyferriter village, the town that the Star Wars crew stayed in to be close to Ceann Sibeal, where The Last Jedi was filmed.
The village is quant, with several tributes to Star Wars, including tire replicas of Yoda and Darth Vader. On one building I found a mural depicting key themes from the movie.
A 5 minute drive brought me to Clogher Strand, the place that I had been dreaming about since I visited in April. When I was there before, it had been a stormy morning, and I wanted to get pictures on a good day. Plus, I wanted to explore the trail on the west side of the beach, knowing I’d have a good vantage point from the top of the cliff that looked over it.
I followed the path and wasn’t disappointed. As I watched the waves crash against the rocks, I marveled at nature, reminding me exactly why I love the ocean. I looked out towards the sleeping giant, watching the clouds starting to gather, and knew a storm was brewing.
I headed back down the path towards the parking lot, and was glad that I had made it to my rental car just as the rain started. The one thing about the weather on the peninsula is that you often see it coming, giving you time to get to shelter.
As the rain enveloped the beach, I sat with the windshield wipers going so I could watch the storm roll in and pass over. It was a quick one; 10 minutes later the rain had stopped, the clouds cleared, and the blue skies returned once more.
After Clogher Strand, I headed to Ceann Sraithe, the vantage point where you can see Ceann Sibeal, the back side of Clogher Strand, and the Three Sisters.
In April, the area was muddy, so I couldn’t go very far, but this time the ground was dry and firm, so I went as far down as I could, fairly close to the edge of the cliff to take some pictures of the entire area. Ceann Sibeal and the Three Sisters stood majestically in the distance.
Enthralled by all of it, I turned to come back up the hill and saw wild flowers that caught my eye. So I started snapping more pictures. Bees buzzed around from area to area, beckoning me to pay attention to more flowers. The open purple buds against the closed yellowish buds set off the greenery, making a very interesting backdrop.
While there are many places on the peninsula to visit, there isn’t enough time in a day to visit them all. But I wanted to retrace some of my steps from April, so my next stop was to the Beehive Huts at the farmhouse run by Aedán Houlihan and his family for generations. Originally built by the Sayers (Aedán’s great great grandparents), the huts have been around since the 19th century.
In addition to the huts, Aedán also allows visitors to pet and hold baby lambs that are on the farm. Since they have a lot of sheep, often during the spring and summer, there are more lambs than the female sheep can feed, so he brings them into an area where he can bottle feed them. At the same time, he raises sheepdogs.
When I visited in April, Aedán wasn’t there, but his cousin Michael was. I had such a good time then, that I knew I’d want to go back. This time I took the time to take a lot more pictures, and I wasn’t disappointed with my subjects.
Aedán was raising a sheepdog and kept him with the lambs. I was able to get some really good pictures of this cute pup and the adorable lambs. Along with the beehive huts and the scenery around, I was very happy with the pictures I took.
