Statistics: 13.5 miles, ascent 1536′, descent 1633′, 6 1/4 hours.
Rain was imminent as we left Finglas House and soon we were walking in a light rain. However, as we crested the first hill, the rain let up and the clouds lifted to reveal a pleasing, expansive valley.
Leaving Camp Upper we walked south, crossing from Tralee Bay over the neck of the Dingle Peninsula toward Dingle Bay. Nearing the heights of that mountain ridge, we came around Mt. Emlagh and the bay was spread out before us.
As if on cue, the sun fully broke out when we reached Inch Strand, a beautifully wide-open beach which had been a film location for the 1969 movie, “Ryan’s Daughter”. Across the bay was the Kerry Peninsula where we had hiked just days before. We stopped for tea and scones at a little restaurant on the beach which gave us time to enjoy this lovely area.
Due to the very active farming community in the area, a number of farm tractors drove past as we left the beach area and climbed up an easy, grassy path. Along this trail we also noted additional cottage ruins, probably more famine cottages.
Reaching the saddle of the day’s final climb, we found ourselves viewing another wide open valley facing Mt. Cummeen and Lough Cummeen. Who knew there were so many shades of green!
Now on the last leg of our walk to Annascaul, the road was clear and straight down the hill. As you can see in the picture, we were very often confronted with farm equipment, mainly large tractors which filled the entire road. We got pretty good at diving into the hedgerows!
Our hosts for this night, Brian and Beata Lucey, operated the very pleasant Old Anchor B&B, located in small, attractive Annascual. When chatting with Brian, I discovered he was a very active entrepreneur. In addition to the B&B, he also acted as the administrator for the Dingle Way Instagram site and sold Dingle Way T-shirts and hiking patches (the only such patches we found).
Annascaul can boast of a famous “son,” Tom Crean, a South Pole explorer who distinguished himself on three Antarctic expeditions from 1901 to 1916. After finally settling down and retiring from these travels he opened a pub, The South Pole Inn, where we had dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the Tom Crean memorabilia scattered throughout the pub and restaurant. (Note: Next time you find yourself in this pub, locate and open a door on an interior wall titled, “A Window to the Pole.” Let me know what you find…)
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