A Day on the Dingle Peninsula

Blue sky, azure water, verdant hills, a happy village, welcoming people, ancient ruins, Irish cob horses, scenic drive, pub music…a day to remember on the Dingle Peninsula. The village of Dingle is a very happy place with its brightly colored buildings lining the narrow streets that hug the hillside around the harbor. Although I was charmed by the hues of blue around town, the storefronts were every color of the paintbox and many had fun signs and embellishments. We stayed in a very centrally located B&B right on the quay and our host, Thomas, was very friendly and helpful in giving us information about the area and in making suggestions. As an aside, most of the B&Bs and guesthouses we've stayed in have been hosted by lovely people, mostly men, and all of them have been delightful! We feel very fortunate to have had so many positive experiences.

After walking around town in the early morning, I stopped in the tourist office to inquire about activities, particularly horseback riding, something we've been wanting to do since we've been in Ireland. The tourist office clerk rang the stables for me, and I booked an hour horseback ride for us out in Vestry, a tiny village west of Dingle, along the scenic Slea Head Drive that goes around the tip of Dingle Peninsula.

Long Riding Stables have close to 100 Irish cob horses, although there were only about a dozen or so out for riding when we pulled up. A lovely young woman, Katrina, greeted us and explained how to pick out hard riding hats and boots to fit properly from the selection in the tack room while she saddled up the horses for us. It is a mystery how or by what criteria she chose the horses for us (was it how tall we were, our weight, the look in our eyes, our smiles?), but I was put on a traditional black and white cob lad without a name as yet, though they were thinking he looked like a Michael, so Michael he was to me when the need arose to slow him down or get him going. I found him to be a slow poke most of the time, but he did give me pause during a trot when I thought he might bolt just to get away from the nasty flies that kept dogging him around the head. Although we've had wonderful weather for our trip, it's been considered very warm here, and the horses were feeling it. Katrina kept us to the hedgerows around the farmland and we had to forgo the gallop on the beach because there were already too many people there. Katrina also felt there was too much danger of the horses just laying down and rolling in the cool wet sand just to cool off, riders be damned! We had a delightful ride nonetheless, learning much about Irish cob horses (the best value for a horse these days, apparently, as these horses are sturdy and good for trekking or for working), and the local area as well, from Katrina who has lived in Dingle and worked with horses most of her life.

After our ride, we stopped off for some cappuccino at a pottery cafe (everyone seems to mix retail with the opportunity to cater to travelers in need of a rest and a pot of tea or coffee) and then wound our way along the Slea Head Drive, stopping here and there at the pull overs along the very narrow winding road for a spectacular view from this western most shore of Europe or for a viewing of some ancient site or ruin, the best of which were the ancient bee hive huts, or Clocháns. We stopped to look at a cluster of these huts that possibly date back to the 12th century. The huts are corbelled with dry rocks so that no mortar is needed and the hut can have an opening at the top for a chimney or light or air, but could be simply and quickly covered as well when the need called for it. The structures were small but elegant, simplistic and pure in form, reminding me of Andy Goldsworthy installations.

At the end of the day, after completing the majestic Slea Head Drive that brought us in a wide circle back in to Dingle, we took in the World Cup game of the night and then headed to the pub for dinner and traditional music. It was a perfect day on the Dingle Peninsula!