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Our trip to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
Nov 4-14, 2010

Travel to Shannon then on to Dingle and Cottage

Our Cottage:



Page 1: Prep and Travel to London.
Page 2: Fri – Drive from Shannon to Dingle and Cottage.
Page 3: Sat – Dingle, Michael, and John Benny's.
Page 4: Sun -Storm.
Page 5: Mon - Storm.
Page 6: Tue – Inch Strand.
Page 7: Wed – Climbing and Set Dancing.
Page 8: Thu – Glanteenassig.
Page 9: Fri – Shopping.
Page 10: Sat:Mon – Return Home via London.
Original, all-on-one-page version.
Press here to return to personal picture menu.

Press here for 2009 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2008 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2007 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)


Travel to Shannon and on to Dingle

Friday, November 5

Our flight to Shannon left at 10:00a.m. Heathrow advised us to allow 2.5 hours for check-in so we got up at 6:30. Neither of us wanted to shower in that awful room so we put our old travel clothes back on and returned to the airport. We breezed through check-in and security with 2 hours to spare so we nipped into The Tin Goose for breakfast; fried eggs, ham and coffee for KC and oatmeal and cappuccino for me. It was pretty good for an airport restaurant.

The (Aer Lingus) flight left on time. We were in row 12, the exit row, and were told to put everything – and I mean EVERYTHING including purse, coat and fanny pack – into the overhead bins for takeoff and landing. The flight was uneventful but the takeoff was a bit rough and when I casually mentioned “my stomach” to KC he rummaged in the seat pocket and handed me the air-sickness bag. I laughed all the way to Shannon. We landed on time, our bags came out quickly, and the rental car pickup was easy (it's across the street from the terminal here, thank goodness) but the ATM in the arrival lounge was out of order so KC traipsed to the departure lounge for cash. We bought some water for the trip and were on our way to ‘heaven' by 11:30.

We used Hertz this year and rented an Audi A3 hatchback.
It had a 2 liter, I-4, 200-horsepower engine and a 6-speed manual transmission.
KC said it was fun to drive but it was a bit small (all our bags didn't fit in the back)
and it dragged around corners when it was full of luggage:



The countryside was much greener than I expected for this time of year.
Many of the trees were turning and the colors were beautiful.



Using last year's “best map ever” (we did remember to pack our maps this year)
we decided to take the scenic route along the coast from Limerick to Listowel
rather than the slightly shorter inland route through Castleisland.
(We drove by the castle in Listowel but did not stop there).

Route from Shannon to Dingle:



Although the route was scenic it seemed like we were constantly behind a slow-moving vehicle. They were all so different from what we see in the US, and so different from each other, that I started taking pictures of them. They were taken through the car windshield so, unfortunately, many of them are blurry; but they will give you an idea of the weather and landscape at this time of year.

Slow Moving Vehicles on the way to Dingle:


We drove nonstop to Garvey's Market in Dingle where I got some cash and we stocked up on staples – eggs, sausage, bread, cheese, mustard, mayo, beer, cider, salad and veggies. I was surprised and pleased to see a LOT of organic foods, including things like coconut oil, avocados, and arugula (they call it rocket), so next year we will travel much lighter.

Garvey's Market advertizes that they support Irish products and, I suspect, that most of the things grown locally are organic whether they're labeled as such or not although I could not find any data on the subject. I'm pretty sure rBGH is banned in the EU and I know that there are virtually no Genetically Modified Organisms there because of their strict labeling laws. Why the US is so far behind in this respect is beyond me.

Because we had not stopped to eat on the way we were both famished and, not willing to cook (or clean up), we had a late (4pm) lunch at Murphy's Pub . KC had fish (breaded cod) and chips, I had the Dingle Bay house-cured salmon salad appetizer, and we shared a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. The salmon was rich and flavorful but the portion was huge, a full meal. KC ate the 4 slices of brown bread that came with it. He had a guiness and I had an Irish coffee. It was a perfect meal.





Before we left Chicago, Caitriona had sent me a note saying that Michael would be leaving for the Canary Islands the day after we arrived and that she would not be around Dingle either. This is the slow season for them and it is when they take their own vacations. We were disappointed but we understood. However, if there was a possibility of seeing Michael, even for a few hours, we would take advantage of it, so we drove down to Michael Herlihy's Siopa Ceoil an Daingen to see whether he was in.. He wasn't so we drove on to the cottage. On the way to the cottage I called Phil and let her know we were on our way.

Graigue Cottage
our home base for the next 7 days


The cottage in relation to Dingle:




As you can see, there are two routes from Dingle to the cottage. The northern route through Ballyferriter is a little shorter; the southern route along Slea Head dive is a little longer but more scenic. We generally take the shorter route in the evenings (when there isn't much to see), and the scenic route when the weather warrants it.

The cottage we rent is owned and managed by Philomena and Alec Ó Conchúir (O'Connor). We call it the The Philomenal Cottage, an intentional misspelling, because the cottage and Phil are both PHENOMENAL! The cottage is large but cosy, traditional but with every modern-day convenience, and is ideally situated to either explore the countryside or just sit and gaze out the windows. It is truly perfect. And the owners concern for your comfort and safety is unparalleled.

Obviously, we love it, since we have stayed here three years in a row and have already booked next year's trip. I have posted a few pictures below; but, rather than reiterate all of its virtues, here is the link to a webpage I created with dozens of pictures and other information that anyone looking for a rental in this area would be interested in knowing:

Press here for pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).

Press here for link to the cottage website (a new window will open).


When we got to the cottage, just after dark, it was like coming home. Although it had been over a year since our last visit, it was still as clean and neat as it was on our first visit! We were surprised to see that the fridge was FULL – cheese, eggs, milk, juice, hummus, mustard, mayonnaise…all the things we'd just bought at Garvey's! Apparently, the last occupants had not opened many of the things they'd bought so Phil left them for us. And, of course, there were freshly baked scones on the counter.

Shortly after we got in Phil stopped by to tell us that she'd left us some burgers in the freezer in case we hadn't had time to stop for dinner. She really is the most amazing hostess.

Because it was dark when we arrived (and because it was our third visit), we have no shots of the cottage as it looked when we got there so I am reposting some pictures from 2008. Each photo below will take you to the cottage website where you can book your own stay, and you WILL want to do that because this cottage is, without a doubt, the best one around not only for the physical amenities it offers, but for the efforts that Phil and Alec make to insure that your vacation is truly special.

The exterior (taken at 5:30 p.m. in April of 2008) was all stone, a requirement for us:


Press here for more pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).

Press here for link to the cottage website (a new window will open).

The foyer (these stairs are now carpeted):




On the right was the living room (the furniture was very comfortable):




The dining room with seating for 8:




The BREATHTAKING view from the living-dining area:






The fireplace, visible from both the living and dining rooms:




Another view of the living-dining with view of the fireplace and entry to kitchen:




The kitchen is huge:




The master bedroom (which has an attached bathroom with tub AND shower):



In addition to this bedroom there are THREE OTHER BEDROOMS each with AN ATTACHED BATHROOM, and every bathroom has HEATED TOWEL BARS and a SHOWER. There is also a HALF-BATH RIGHT BY THE FRONT DOOR (invaluable when you are running in from a long trek in the hills with a full bladder). The house truly is perfect and you will not regret it if you choose to stay there.

Although the exterior is stone, the interior is plaster, so if you are concerned about spiders and other bugs THERE ARE NONE IN THIS HOUSE! There are also no bedbugs (yes, we did check, as we do everywhere we go).

(An interesting story Phil told me about this cottage: they refer to it within their family as "John na Ghraige" from the original owner, John of Graigue, as it was called "John of Graigue's house" when he lived there. It has also been known as "Tig na Chonors", or "Conor's cottage" after the subsequent owners (who were not, by the way, the current O'Conors who now own it). I find stories like this to be fascinating.)

Press here for more pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).

Press here for link to the cottage website (a new window will open).


When Phil left, we finished unpacking (there is a place for everything in this wonderful cottage!) and then KC had a conference call while I updated my journal. I called Michael and arranged to meet him at Siopa Ceoil an Daingen tomorrow and told him we would call again in the morning when we knew what our schedule would be.

We had a light dinner and played two rounds of cribbage both of which KC won. They were close, though. At one point he needed only one point to win but I counted first and I had just enough to go out! I then finished my journal, while he read, and we were in bed before midnight.

EOD cribbage score: KC=2 BH=0



Page 1: Prep and Travel to London.
Page 2: Fri – Drive from Shannon to Dingle and Cottage.
Page 3: Sat – Dingle, Michael, and John Benny's.
Page 4: Sun -Storm.
Page 5: Mon - Storm.
Page 6: Tue – Inch Strand.
Page 7: Wed – Climbing and Set Dancing.
Page 8: Thu – Glanteenassig.
Page 9: Fri – Shopping.
Page 10: Sat:Mon – Return Home via London.
Original, all-on-one-page version.
Press here to return to personal picture menu.

Press here for 2009 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2008 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2007 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)


A NOTE ON THE MAPS
Most of the maps I posted here were created using screen caps from MapQuest and Adobe Photoshop. I found that MapQuest had more detail, especially in the shoreline, than Google. But, neither MapQuest nor Google was detailed enough for our nature hikes so those maps I created by scanning the Ordnance Survey maps we use when we were hiking and then photoshopping the scanned images together. Please do not rely solely on my maps if you travel to this area -- buy your own Discovery Series Ordnance Survey Maps they are invaluable.


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Last Revised: January 14, 2011
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