Day 4 - The Dingle Peninsula and The Ring of Kerry

Today I was up early to attack the famous Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. At the hotel I had a bowl of Rice Krispies at the breakfast bar before I realized that I was also supposed to order a hot breakfast. So I sat down to my first "Full Irish" breakfast, which consisted of the following:

One fried egg
Two big pieces of ham
Two hash brown patties
Two links of sausage
Two tomatoes
Light and dark pudding (I still don't know what this is but it sure did taste good)
Two pieces of toast and jam
coffee
juice

I could barely walk after that breakfast but I managed to eat most of it. No need for additional food until dinner!

The tour around the Kerry Peninsula, known universally as the "Ring of Kerry" is a beautiful drive that is supposed to take a full day. I took the advice of one of my guidebooks and rode it in the clockwise direction, opposite the prevailing tourist traffic. That decision paid off as I made great time down the twisty roads. Well before noon I had knocked off the Ring and was ready to head out on the Dingle Peninsula.

The view along the south coast of the Kerry Peninsula.

Frankly, I liked the Dingle a lot better. It has far less tourist traffic, is less commercial, and just has a great feel about it. Riding along, it reminded me a bit of the Oregon coast.

The problem with riding a motorcycle by yourself is that you never have anyone to pose in your pictures...except the motorcycle!

I stopped in the town of Kerry to mail cards to my family. Sorry Grandmother, your Mothers Day card will probably arrive a little late.


In the town of Inch there was a beautiful wide beach. I took the opportunity to stop for a nice walk. A bunch of kids were on the beach for surfing lessons. The water looked so cold.

As I left Inch, the surf school was heading out into the water, boards in hand, to apply what they had learned.

I like this sign, which I saw on my way out of the town of Inch.


Rural countryside on the Dingle Peninsula.

The roads on the Dingle were mostly one lane, some quite a bit narrower than this. This didn't pose much of a problem for the motorcycle but I felt sorry for car drivers when they encountered a bus or truck traveling in the opposite direction. The big vehicles have the right of way and cars must back up as far as necessary to make room for others to pass.

In the early afternoon my luck with the rain ran out. The rain that started lightly continued in intensity throughout the day.

I spent all afternoon wandering around the back roads of the Dingle in the rain. Finally, I came to a road that just ended at the ocean. I had no idea where I was and couldn't find the place on the map. I found a couple of teenage kids walking their dogs down to the water for a swim. I talked with them for a while about growing-up out here on the end of the Peninsula. They gave me directions back to the town of Dingle and I was quickly back on track.

Crossing Connor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula.

The road down the backside of Connor carved along the side of the mountain. It was one very narrow lane nearly the whole way down. No fun in the rain, but luckily I didn't encounter much traffic coming in the opposite direction.

Looking across Connor Pass. The Ducati performed brilliantly in the rain!

After finishing my riding on the Dingle, it was time to head back to Naas to meet Aladin. I arrived in Tralee, just south of Limerick, around 4:00 pm and still had about 300 kilometers to go to reach my hotel. Even though I was on major "N" highways, the going was still very slow and the rain continued throughout my ride. Eventually I reach a major "M" motorway and the pace picked-up considerably. It literally took three hours to go the first 200 kilometers and less than 45 minutes to travel the last 100 once I reached the motorway.

I arrived in Naas a little after 8:00 pm. The sun was still shining, the rain had stopped and I was mostly dry after my long ride. This was by far my longest day on the bike.

I'm writing these words and posting these pictures from the pub in my hotel. Its great people watching here. There is a traditional Irish band playing and people are singing...even the sober ones. I've been getting some funny looks since I'm the only guy in the pub with a laptop open, but you gotta take advantage of free WiFi where you can get it.

But now its time to shut down the computer and join my new Irish friends in a song...and another pint of Guinness. Good night.