Dingle Way (Ireland) stage 4: Dingle - Dunquin

This is probably one of my all-time favourite hiking routes and that's coming from someone that hiked in Torres del Paine, Fitz Roy, the mountains in Iceland, the highlands in Scotland, the desert in Jordan, the Alps and other wonderful locations. But as with all the stages on the Dingle Way you need a bit of luck with the weather to really appreciate the magnificent views you encounter on your way.

The walk out of Dingle is an easy one as it only uses paved roads. When crossing the bridge you will be treated on a lovely view over the bay. The paved roads continue for five kilometers and therefore the first hour may seem a bit dull (because it actually is). Then a turn on a dirt road means a small climb and on the top of this hill you have really nice views over the surroundings. Especially the view where one sees the bay on the front, the ocean on the background and small islands in the far distance is a real gem. And you know what the best part is? It's even not the best view of the entire day!

The descent through the hamlet of Ventry takes me to the beach where I have my first extended walk on the beach. On rainy days this can become cumbersome I'll be learning a few days later, but today it's a sunny day with the soothing sound of the waves as my travel companion. Around kilometer ten I make a small detour to go to a pub (Páidí Ó Sé's Pub) to drink something. It's also possible to have a (small) lunch here. The beach walk continues and is followed up by a small section over paved roads.

After 13,5 kilometers it's time for the best part of the entire Dingle way. This climb brings me to an archeological site and while the ruins look lovely, it's not that impressive to me. It's rather the spectacular scenery of the cliffs and sea that put a smile on my face. Movies such as Ryan's daughter and the latest Star Wars trilogy are recorded on these locations and that says a lot about how fantastic the scenery is here. The only minor complaint I would have is the direction: the views are on the back-side, meaning that one needs to turn around a lot to appreciate the panorama. The path here can become a bit more difficult to walk on as there are rocks all over the place.

The descent brings me back to the paved roads, but even now the views remain extraordinary. This is proven by all the tourist busses that stop on a regular basis to take some pictures. The most famous stop is probably Slea Head and with a walking pace hikers can appreciate the greatness of this location more than tourist that are driven from stop to stop. The latest part of this route deviates a bit from the official Dingle Way as I prefer to go immediately to my B&B.

The beginning and ending of this route may be a bit dull, but everything else is what you expect from a world-class hike. A great variety in landscapes, some of the best views this planet has to offer, a bit of challenge with some steady climbs and of course the mandatory pub stop. But again: you really need a sunny day to appreciate this magnificence.