Gap of Dunloe (Ireland - Day 6)

Thursday morning, we reluctantly packed up and left the Dingle Peninsula, headed for Kinsale on the southern coast of Ireland.


We were excited to have another day of sunshine because our plan was to drive half way, stop in the town of Killarney and rent bikes to ride through the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow pass between two mountain ranges. The pass is supposed to be closed to motorized vehicles (although we saw many people disregarding this rule) so if you want to see it, you either have to walk, bike or take a horse drawn jaunty car:


We rented our bikes in Killarney and took the blue path outlined on the map below. This took us out of town along the northern edge of the lake. We then passed Kate Kearney's Cottage (the historical last stop for settlers crossing the pass) before climbing up a much steeper pass than we had anticipated. Coasting down the other side was a welcome rest. We got to Lord Brandon's Cottage just in time to load our bikes on a little motor boat which took us through a combination of lakes and rivers to Ross Castle. From there we made our way back to Killarney, exhausted!


Jason, still feeling energized and not knowing what's in store with the Gap of Dunloe in the distance:


One of the many lakes along the pass:


We have to ride up that?!

View from the top. It looked a bit like we could see to the end of the earth!


A bit further up the pass:


The path leading from Lord Brandon's Cottage to our awaiting boat:


Loading our bikes up:


Safety first!


We barely made it through this tight squeeze!


By the time we made it back to shore, we were too tired to even bother getting the camera out, but it was definitely worth it. This was by far one of our favorite experiences in Ireland. And, thanks to our day in the sun I would venture to guess that were are now part of a very elite group of people who can claim they have visit Ireland in March and come home sunburned!