Spring Comes to the Slea Head Drive

Cliffs, islands, seagulls, sea pinks, farmers' fields and a man named John Harte

Ever since moving to the Dingle Peninsula four years ago, Gerhard and I have been urging our friends and family to visit us in late April to May. This is because the weather tends to be fairly dry then, spring is abloom in all her glory, and the hordes of tourists are more manageable than they will be in mid-summer.

After the years lost to the Covid lockdown, our friends and family are finally taking us up on our suggestions! Two friends from Germany arrived with their 19-month old baby in late April, then came one of Gerhard’s stepsons and his partner from Austria. The other stepson and his partner arrive in two days, and my daughter and her partner arrive from the States in 11 days!

We have so many wonderful options here for entertaining our visitors, depending on what they are most interested in. Some are passionate about nature and outdoor sports, others are drawn to fun towns like Dingle, others want to drink a pint of Guinness while listening to traditional music in a local pub, and others want to explore ancient Celtic and early Christian ruins. The Dingle Peninsula offers all of these options and more!

The Slea Head Drive

Whatever our guests’ interests, Gerhard and I tend to include one destination on all of their itineraries: the Slea Head Drive. This scenic circular route begins in Dingle Town and heads west, along the far edge of the Dingle Peninsula. Along the way, it takes visitors through Irish speaking villages like Dunquin and Ballyferriter and then back again to Dingle.

The Slea Head is one of my favorite drives in all of Ireland because the views are spectacular: steep rocky cliffs, crashing waves, distant islands and ever changing clouds drifting above the Atlantic Ocean.

The route also passes numerous historic sites, a few film locations that featured prominently in a couple of major Hollywood films (like Star Wars and Ryan’s Daughter), and glorious views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Blasket Islands, the Sleeping Giant, and the Skellig Islands.

There are several places along the way where visitors can stop and take in the views. One of our favorites is Radharc na mBlascaoidí / Blasket's View near Coumeenoole Beach. Some of the fun attractions here are a few particularly tame seagulls who seem to hang out just so visitors can take their pictures!

Another attraction is a unique Irishman named John Harte, who sells his CD and some handmade flutes and Irish jewelry here on most days. John is a surfer, storyteller and flautist with a unique look on life. Gerhard and I bought his CD a couple of years ago and really like it. Unfortunately, it is not available online and can only be purchased directly from John.

The Clogher Strand Loop Walk (Cosán Cuas na nEighe)

The Clogher Strand Loop walk has become one of our favorite guest destinations because it is an easy, mostly flat and short (2.7 km) walk with spectacular views of green fields, mountains, cliffs, islands and the Atlantic Ocean. (Note that the last half of the circular walk takes visitors on a narrow highway that is not particularly interesting, so we always retrace our steps along the cliffs again.)

Although it is fairly easy, the route takes visitors through several farmers’ fields and has four stiles to cross. (Because the fields are home to many sheep, no dogs are allowed on the walk.) Gerhard loves going barefoot here, but if your feet are a bit more tender or if it has rained recently, you might want to wear some good walking shoes.

The wildflowers at this time of year are absolutely spectacular—especially the lovely sea pinks (thrift), which create carpets of pink all along the coast. These amazing plants thrive in the most challenging conditions—on the faces of sheer cliffs and on poor, salty soil constantly lashed by gale force winds and ocean waves.

The route also has spectacular views of rocky cliffs jutting into the sea and of an island called the Sleeping Giant (in English) or the Dead Man (in Irish). If you look carefully, you can make out the giant’s head to the right, his stomach in the middle, and his feet to the left in the picture below.

Our most recent exploration of the Clogher Strand took place just three days ago on a lovely, warm day. After a nice, gentle walk in the sun, we decided to take a rest and Gerhard did his best to emulate the Sleeping Giant—except that he is facing the wrong direction!

More Information

For more information, check out the following links:

https://dingle-peninsula.ie/explore/slea-head-drive.html

https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/sight/slea-head-drive/