Dingle Way (Ireland) stage 1: Tralee - Camp

This is the first stage of the Dingle Way that starts at Tralee and brings you to the small town of Camp. The route starts a bit ordinary with a lot of paved ways, but really starts to shine when you go into the mountains. Unfortunately for me the weather was quite bad at my hike meaning that I didn't enjoy my hike to the fullest extent. The second half is even more beautiful with a few hidden gems such as a very small valley near a waterfall and a small grass path leading to the ruins of a church.

In Tralee you will start in the park and the next two kilometers are taking me next to a channel. It's important to look out for the ridges at the end of the road, because my hiking partner didn't do that and she fell three meters below into a small channel. Luckily with no major incidents, but it wasn't a good start for the Dingle Way... Up until kilometer six the route consists mostly out of paved roads and will ascent gradually.

The real fun starts around kilometer six where a rocky path which will take you through the mountains for the next few kilometers. As the path is really rocky it requires attention where you set your feet and your pace will drop significantly. The altitude makes it possible to enjoy the beautiful sourroundings of Tralee, but due to the bad weather this was not really an option for me. The undulated path in combination with its rocky nature requires a set of steady feet, but in my humble opinion it's also one of the most beautiful parts of the entire Dingle Way.

The second half of this stage was saved by the sun and a few hidden gems popped up. There was this small, green valley near a waterfall, but also a river that had to be crossed over a few stepping stones. Not without any danger, because one day later I learned that a fellow hiker fell into the water with his entire backpack. This is not something you want to do yourself... Maybe the best part was the sequence of these paths leading to a sense of wonder I rarely expierenced on a hike. Given the fact that I already did my share of hikes that's a pretty big compliment!

One thing you need to look out for is where you are staying at Camp. Apparently Camp consists of an upper and lower part and our B&B was situated in the lower part, although I navigated towards Upper Camp. If you think the recorded route stops suddenly that's because I realized I was following the wrong route. Luckily enough a very friendly lady called the owners of our B&B and they picked us up. An eventful ending for an eventful day.

The weather in Ireland - and even more so for the Dingle peninsula - is very unpredictable and unfortunately for me this stage was impacted a bit by the heavy showers that day. Nonetheless I really enjoyed the more adventurous nature of the mountain path and the wonderful second half that consists of a few hidden gems. Without a doubt the best opening stage of any trekking I have done (together with the Jordan Trail that is).