Our trip to the Dingle Peninsula, and Dromoland Castle, Ireland
April 20-30, 2015
Drive to Dingle, Garvey's, and Best Cottage on Earth
Tuesday, April 22
It took our bags a LONG time to get to the carousel! They both made it, intact, so we loaded them on a cart and got our rental car. We used Hertz again this year and they gave us a Silver VW Golf TDI which was well-worn (35,000 miles) but zippy. The boot only held the two large bags; but, with 4 doors, putting the carry-ons in the back seat was no problem. This car was very economical - we only filled the tank once.
The cost for the week was E330 including E116 fuel deposit and E16/day comprehensive collision. If we return the car with a full tank, we get the fuel deposit back. Net-net, we're paying E22/day. We used an American Express points coupon.
Our VW Golf TDI had a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel inline-4 engine
(EPA city/highway fuel economy: 30/42 mpg)
and a 6-speed manual transmission.
The car was parked outside the terminal - NO SHUTTLE!
We were on the road a little before 7:00, took the longer scenic route along the coastline, and got to Dingle a little after 9:00am.
Route from Shannon to Dingle, 120 miles (191 km), approx. 3 hour drive:
Low lying clouds:
We have never been in Dingle this early! We hoped to have breakfast at John Benny's but they didn't open until 10:30! John was outside setting up tables and suggested we eat at Harrington's, next door, but it didn't have the ambiance we were looking for.
We stopped at Garvey's Market for provisions but they were in the middle of a massive renovation and the place REEKED of adhesive! I couldn't stand being inside. KC suggested we try LIDL, the Aldi-like store at the edge of town.
We forgot to bring change for the cart, so I waited by the door while KC went back to the car to get it, and who should walk out but Brian! We caught up on family news and then asked him where we could grab a bite this early. He recommended the Treehouse Cafe , near the butcher. We'd eaten there before and it was good.
We went in to LIDL, and it is a cavernous place, but 99% of it is conventionally grown and most of it is their private lable. I did find organic eggs, but no cream. There was also no Cadbury's for KC. When I walked through the liquor section, they told me they couldn't sell it before 10:30. Aha! So that's why John Benny's wasn't open! There was hardly anyone working and, the ones that were, were pretty surly. As KC put it, they offer, "Service with a Snarl." We picked up the minimum and moved the car to Green Street by Dingle Crystal . We stopped in at Re Nua for some organic staples like coffee, crackers, and coconut oil, and then walked over to the Treehouse Cafe .
I ordered a latte and a blueberry-lemon scone; KC had a latte and the full-Irish breakfast.
Breakfast:
While we were eating, Sean and Liz walked in! We caught up with them, got back on the road, and arrived at the best cottage on earth shortly before noon.
The weather was amazing, warm and clear:
Location of The Cottage in Graigue (pronounced groig) northwest of Dingle:
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 drive is a 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. Although it was a gorgeous day, we took the shorter route.
Tig Meaig - Meg's Stone Cottage
our PHILOMENAL home base for the next 9 days
The cottage we rent is owned and managed by Philomena and Alec O Conchuir (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 EIGHT 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, which would add reams to this webpage, here is the link to the website I created for them with dozens of pictures and other information that anyone looking for a rental in this area would be interested in knowing:
Press here for link to the cottage website (a new window will open).
The EXTERIOR IS ALL STONE, a requirement for us,
and there is parking for at least 4 cars:
Press here for additional pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).
The cottage is RIGHT ON THE COAST, another requirement for us,
and has an INCREDIBLE VIEW of the ATLANTIC OCEAN
Press here for additional pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).
Close-up location of the cottage with respect to the shoreline
(i.e. what you are seeing when you look out the window):
Here are pictures of the living, dining and kitchen areas, where we spend most of our time. Although the cottage has 4 en-suite bedrooms, and we have never used more than two of them, it is NOT too big for only two people.
Because of the incredible view from the living-dining room we would not want to stay anywhere else.
Pictures of the living, dining, fireplace and patio:
Kitchen:
We always use the master bedroom, upstairs, because we like the extra space the sitting area offers (and the phenomenal view of the coastline when we wake up). We could just as easily use the large bedroom on the ground floor and reduce our heating costs by turning off the heat to the upstairs; but, the heat is so reasonable, we can't justify the savings.
The master bedroom suite:
View from master bedroom:
Press here for additional (almost 100) pictures of the cottage (a new window will open).
We put the food away and KC noticed that the fridge wasn't on. He found the fuse box (in the kitchen, over the small table) reset the breaker, and we were good to go! He then fell asleep on the sofa while I unpacked. Coming to this cottage feels like ‘coming home' for us.
Phil stopped by around 2pm. She told us there was a young couple in An Sciobol! We were worried they might compromise our privacy but, in retrospect, we never saw or heard them. Not once!
We didn't want to go to bed too early, and we didn't feel like cooking, so we drove into Dingle for an early dinner. We stopped in at Siopa Ceoil music shop to say hello to Micheal, Dara, and Caitriona. Caitriona said she would be biking Slea Head Drive tomorrow and would be passing right by our cottage! Unfortunately, we had planned to do an archaeological tour tomorrow and would miss her. Dara, who had arranged the tour, called the operator and we arranged to meet him here, at Siopa Ceoil , at 10:30am tomorrow.
Micheal recommended the Marina Restaurant for a decent meal but we had our hearts set on Murphy's Pub so we headed over there. KC had fish and chips and raved about it; I had the grilled hake which was tasty but a bit under-cooked and had a few bones. The sticky toffee pudding and Irish coffee were excellent, though, and made up for the fish. (KC LOVED the potato salad and ate mine as well as his!)
Dinner at Murphy's Pub:
Back at the cottage KC read, and I did crosswords, until the sun went down. I was so tired I went to bed a little before 9pm and KC wasn't far behind me.
Sunset:
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Page 01: Mon - Prep and Travel to Shannon.
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Page 02: Tue - Drive to Dingle, Treehouse Cafe, Murphy's Pub.
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Page 03: Wed - Archaelogy Tour, Eilish @ JohnBenny's.
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Page 04: Thu - Inch Beach, An Canteen.
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Page 05: Fri - Shopping, An Canteen, Pool.
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Page 06: Sat - Dara, Dingle, Global Village, Foxy John's, Small Bridge
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Page 07: Sun - Cruach Mhartain, Louis Mulcahey Cafe.
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Page 08: Mon - Goat St. Cafe, Dunquin Pottery, An Canteen, Music at Courthouse.
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Page 09: Tue - Michelle, Sean's workshop, Goat St. Cafe, Blue Zone, Kennedy's
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Page 10: Wed - Drive to Dromoland, Hawk Walk, Dinner
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Page 11: Thu - Return Home
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Original, all-on-one-page version.
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Last Revised: May 21, 2015
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