Exploring Castlemaine Harbour

A beautiful and easy hike in County Kerry through ecologically important wetlands teeming with wildlife

If you are looking for a beautiful—and easy—walk on the Dingle Peninsula that is fascinating in any season of the year, I would highly recommend Castlemaine Harbour.

Located at the head of Dingle Bay, between the Dingle and Iveragh Peninsulas, Castlemaine Harbour consists of a complex mixture of mudflats, sandbanks and saltmarshes. The harbour also forms an estuary for two major rivers: the River Laune and the River Maine.

Estuaries are places of transition, where fresh water and sediment from the land mix with salt water, tides and waves from the sea. This mixing of two different ecosystems creates wetlands that form a rich, complex, interdependent ecosystem in which an enormous variety of plants, animals, insects, birds, fish, amphibians and microbes intermingle and thrive.

The species that thrive within a particular wetland depend upon its unique climate and geography, as well as on the amount and movement of the water that flows through it.

For example, Ireland is on the east Atlantic flyway for water birds that breed in northern latitudes, and it has mild, wet winters. As a result, the island provides a winter home for over 50 species of water bird every year, and many of them make their homes in Castlemaine Harbour. These include light-bellied brent geese, black-tailed godwits and oystercatchers.

Little egrets enjoying the sun, sand and water

Castlemaine Harbour also provides a home for the natterjack toad, Ireland’s rarest amphibian species. (I haven’t seen one yet, but I keep looking!)

Another special aspect of the harbour is that its mudflats support the fourth largest Zostera noltii beds in Ireland. Also known as eelgrass or seagrass, these flowering plants provide food, refuge and spawning grounds for a vast array of wildlife.

The grass, which grows in intertidal mud and sand, traps and stabilizes sediment and acts as a natural coastal defence. In addition, its decaying leaves enrich the sediment and form the foundation of important food chains. For all of these reasons, seagrass is vitally important to all facets of the coastal environment.

Exploring the wetlands

Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the wetlands up close thanks to a levee that edges Castlemaine Harbour. A small parking lot at Laughtalla Pier, just outside the small village of Boolteens, makes an ideal starting place.

The walk is a bit lumpy because the levee is covered in grass, not tarmac. When you head west on the levee, the path takes you through a couple of gates that divide up farmers’ fields. When you head east, the path crosses a couple of stiles. Other than this, it is fairly flat and easy.

The path on top of the levee

Last Sunday, the day was sunny, with only a slight breeze, so Gerhard and I decided to take the opportunity to visit the harbour. We began our walk by parking our car at Laughtalla Pier and heading west along the levee toward the Slieve Mish Mountains.

Swans enjoying the waves at the foot of the Slieve Mish Mountains

Along the way, we saw a variety of wildflowers.

Wild roses, pink valerian and yellow rough hawkbit flowers

We also saw some contented horses.

When the levee ended, we retraced our steps back to the pier. As we did so, we saw beautiful views of the McGillicuddy Reeks Mountains. This range, which is on the Iveragh Peninsula, is home to the three highest mountain peaks in Ireland.

Cow enjoying the meadows with the McGillicuddy Reeks Mountains in the background

Once back at the pier, we climbed over a stile and headed east. Now the path took us along the Maine River, past thick fields of reeds.

The path eventually ended its journey along the river and turned inland. Because evening was coming, we simply turned around and retraced our steps back to Laughtalla Pier.

The walk along the levee was truly a peaceful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon!

Gerhard mesmerized (as usual) by the sea