Killarney National Park to Dingle

Bob and I had decided to take a boat and bike tour through Killarney National Park on Saturday, September 4, 2021. The boat trip through the Lakes of Killarney started at the pier in front of Ross Castle. We boarded the small wooden canoe, and bikes were loaded onboard, as well. (We didn't discover until later that our bikes ended up on a different canoe.) We headed out on Lough Leane (lower lake), which is the largest freshwater lake in the region. We spotted an eagle in the trees just after passing by the ruins of an old Abbey.  Before long we crossed under Brickeen Bridge, which crosses over the entrance to Muckross Lake - Ireland's deepest lake. Dinis Cottage sat peacefully on the shore of Middle Lake - what an idyllic place to call home!

At the "Meeting of the Waters" near Old Weir Bridge, the water was especially low.  A few men, including Bob, volunteered to jump out of the canoe and walk along the shore for a bit. The rest of us attempted to float under the bridge and got stuck. All passengers disembarked and we waited for the next boat to arrive. With the help of the other captain, they managed to maneuver the two boats through the low water crossing under the bridge and into Upper Lake. They delay gave us a chance to snap a few photos of our picturesque surroundings.

The scenery while floating across the upper lake was gorgeous with lots of great reflections in the calm water.

Just as we began to feel hungry and tired, the white of Lord Brandon’s Cottage came into view. We were anxious to proceed to the bike-riding portion of our journey, and discovering that our bikes were missing caused some frustration. We waited for a couple more boats to arrive and were reunited with our bikes, happy to be on our way and refuel our bodies in preparation for our ride through the Gap of Dunloe. Unfortunately, when we reserved bikes, there was only one electric bike available. Not knowing the challenging climb that was ahead of us, Bob agreed to riding a regular bike. By the time he had petaled up the mountain, I think he was regretting that decision. But he conquered the task like a champ!

It was a magnificent ride down through the Gap of Dunloe! It became clear why the journey through the gap was so highly recommended, whether by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. You have to love the rainbow colored sheep - creative way to keep track of your flock, I suppose.

As we descended into town, we rode through a park where the deer were sparring with each other. I didn't capture the fight on video, but suffice it to say we were delightfully entertained for a while. 

After returning our bikes, we began the short drive to Dingle, where we would walk around the town a bit, enjoy dinner - followed by Murphy's ice cream, and crash at our lovely reserved bed and breakfast. We made a quick stop at Inch Beach before reaching our destination.

A drive around the Dingle Loop was our plan for the next day.