Activities on the Dingle Peninsula

Childrens' Activities

• Swimming in the Dingle Skellig Hotel
• Blennerville Windmill and train ride.
• Go looking for fossils around the rocks between Dunquin harbour and Clogher head. Bear in mind that the beach at Clogher Head is very unsafe for swimming.
• Build sandcastles. Big tunnels in the sand and wait for the sea to flood them.
• Visit Crag Cave Visit Memory lane Museum to look at the cars.
• Visit Lynch's Farm.
• Make friends with Fungie the Dolphin.
• Go looking for interesting shells along the beaches in Brandon Bay.
• Hire bikes and helmets and go for a cycle ride. The dunes around Winestrand beach make a good BMX circuit.

Beach Guide

The beaches of the Dingle Peninsula are listed here in an arc from west of Tralee and then back along the southern coast. Few of them have any facilities or lifeguards and where wheelchair access is noted it is usually a rough bump down a rocky slope.

DERRYMORE STRAND 9 Miles/14 KM West of Tralee: Very large car park, no facilities, difficult wheelchair access. The most pleasant part of the beach is a good walk east of the car park.

TRA ATH NA CHAISLE 11 Miles/17 KM West of Tralee: This is a continuation of Derrymore strand. Car parking but no facilities and difficult access for wheelchairs.

CASTLEGREGORY BEACH: No car park, facilities or lifeguard but safe to swim. Wheelchair access. Miles of yellow sand with sand dunes and wildlife reserve behind.

STADBALLY STRAND 13 Miles/22 KM West of Tralee: This beach is on the other side of the spit of land that stands out into Tralee Bay. No facilities or lifeguard, wheelchair access, nice sandy beach.

FERMOYLE BEACH, An Extension of Stadbally: Good parking, no facilities but good access for wheelchairs. Cars can and do go down on to the beach. Excellent sandy beach, safe for swimming.

CAPPAGH BEACH 11 MILES/18 KM North East of Dingle.: Huge beach with a river flowing through it. Wheelchair access. Not really a sandcastle beach but it has interesting purple sand. No facilities.

BRANDON BEACH 13 MILES/21 KM North of Dingle: An excellent beach for children. Big waves, fine sand. Good for sandcastles, and dunes behind the beach offer shelter for picnics. No facilities but there is a pub behind the beach. Wheelchair access difficult.

BALLYDAVID BEACH 5 MILES/8 KM North of Dingle.: Two small sandy beaches in a sheltered bay. No facilities on the beach but there are two pubs and a post office/shop close by. Good fishing from the beach while the children make the sandcastles.

MURREACH STRAND 4 MILES/6.5 KM North West of Dingle: A very popular beach because of its shelter from the wind and safe swimming. Parking is limited and it gets crowded in high summer. No facilities. Wheelchair access. Back on the road to Ballyferriter is a small pub, Tig Ohric. Look out for the Ogham Stone in the dunes behind the beach.

BAL BAN STRAND 5 MILES/8 KM West of Dingle.: Less sheltered but safe since the water is very shallow. No facilities, access for wheelchairs.

CLOGHER STRAND 13 MILES/20 KM West of Dingle.: A wild and dangerous beach, safe enough to sit on but not to swim. Several people have drowned here. Very pretty but windy with fine white sand. In rocks around beach look for fossils. Car park, no facilities.

COUMEENOOLE STRAND 11 MILES/18 KM West of Dingle: Another tiny beach but with fine white sand. Parking space and wheelchair access. Used as a location for the film "Ryan's Daughter".

AN TRAG BHAN GREAT BLASKET ISLAND: The best and least accessible beach on the Dingle peninsula. Clean, sheltered, safe for swimming. Needless to say no facilities and only for the very adventurous wheelchair user.

INCH STRAND 10 MILES/16 KM East of Dingle: Vast stretches of smooth yellow sand with interesting sheltering sand dunes behind. Cars are allowed on the beach but be careful as vehicles regularly get stuck in the wet sand. Shop, toilets, wheelchair access. If you are prepared to walk far enough along the strand you can be quite alone even in the peak season.

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FISHING

Most fishing on the Dingle peninsula revolves around shore or deep sea fishing but there are places where game fishing is possible. The Owenascaul River flowing through Anascaul and the lough itself are good for grilse and sea trout from June onwards. No licence is necessary. Lough Gill at Castlegregory has brown trout. Fishing is from a boat which can be hired from Mrs. Kelleher, the Guesthouse, Loubeg, Castlegregory. Lough Eagle is also said to be excellent for brown trout. There is no coarse fishing on the peninsula.

SHORE FISHING:
Fishing from the shore is the most common means of angling on the Dingle peninsula and along the 62 miles/100km of shoreline there are many places where this is possible. Starting from the north-east near Tralee and working westwards along the north shore and then back eastwards along the south shore, there are twenty or so good spots.

The first is around Blennerville, good for bass and flatfish. Along Tralee bay there are good spots at Derrymore, Camp and Aughacasla. Lugworm is the preferred bait here. Surf fishing here will provide bass and flatfish. At the mouth of Lough Gill bass and flatfish can be got by spinning and bottom fishing, especially at high tide. On the end of that spit of land, the Magharees are good places again for bottom fishing and spinning. Along the western shore of the Magharees there is good fishing all along the beach especially at Fermoyle, Kilcummin and Stradbally. Surf fishing will provide bass, flatfish and the occasional tope. At Blackrock, conditions are good for spinning for bass, and surf fishing on the beach.

Further west at Cloghane estuary there are bass in the river channel as the tide turns to early flood and from Lady's island into the channel, spinning for bass and sea trout is possible. At the beach in front of the parking lot at lady's island at high water there are bass and flatfish(bottom fishing). At Brandon bass and flatfish can be caught on the north-facing beach. Travelling west Smerwick harbour has three beaches where bass and flatfish can be got by surf fishing while from the rocks at the centre of the bay spinning for bass is possible. Ferriter's cove offers possibilities for surf fishing as does Ventry harbour. From Dingle pier, mullet and flounders, can be got; arrangements can be made for deep sea and inshore fishing. Along the south shore, Benbane and Reenbeg in the mouth of the harbour are good spots for spinning for bass while further east Trabeg, Anascaul and Inch can provide spinning for bass and flounders and surf fishing for flatfish and occasional tope.

DEEP SEA FISHING:
For deep sea fishing, including tuna and shark, contact Sea Ventures in Milltown outside Dingle. Alternatively at Dingle Bay Angling Centre is George Burgum. His boat is Tourist Board approved, has lots of safety gadgets and can take 8 to 10 passengers depending on what you want to catch. At Angler's Rest Angling Centre, Dingle is Nicholas O'Connor. Similar boats rates and equipment. At Brandon Pier is John Young, The Curlews, Lower Tier. Slightly cheaper with slightly larger boat. All have equipment for hire and will offer weekly or individual rate. Deep sea fishing is usually available between April and October.

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GOLF

CASTLEGREGORY GOLF COURSE
Eighteen holes on sand dune at Castlegregory. Links 9 hole, 2920 yds (2670m), par 68. This challenging course is set amid the beautiful scenery of Tralee Bay and Brandon Bay. Green fee £10. Club Hire, Cart Hire, Pro-Shop.

CEANN SIBEAL, BALLYFERRITER LINKS
Eighteen-hole course on dunes. This is he most westerly course in Europe, and the best kept golfing secret in Kerry. Club Hire, Cart Hire, Pro-Shop, Bars, Snacks.

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Other Activities

FOREST TRAILS
Glenteenasig / Lough Slat: Gleann Ti an Easaigh - 2km west of Tralee to Castlegregory : Picnic sites, Forest and mountain walks, scenic views

GUIDED WALKS AND CLIMBS
ON-LINE - CELTIC NATURE EXPEDITIONS, Cooleen, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
Tel +353-66-9152095
Fax +353-66-9151991

Horgem Bergwandern Walking and Climbing Holidays, 2 Ballymullen,Tralee. Contact Michael Horgem.

Walking the Best of Kerry, Curragraigue, Blennerville. Contact Margaret Ryle.

AQUA SPORTS
Wine Strand Cottages, Ballyferriter. Holiday cottages that cater to diving parties. Compressor, tank trough, drying room, showers, changing room. Experienced divers only.

SURFING
Good beaches to Surf are Inch, Slea Head, Brandon Bay. Good all year round condition, waves average 1-3 meters. Bring your own equipment. Surfing and Wind Surfing school at Castlegregory. Hire available.

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ATTRACTIONS

BOAT RIDES
Trips to see FUNGI the Dingle dolphin can be arranged with any of the boatmen at Dingle pier.

To the Blasket Islands boats leave Dunquin pier from 11 am to 5 pm May to September.

DINGLE SEA LIFE CENTRE
This new state of the art facility is a purpose built Sealife Centre which gives excellent viewing opportunities to see the sealife of the Dingle Peninsula and also more exotic sealife species from other parts of the world.

DINGLE PENINSULA HERITAGE EXHIBITION
In Ballyferriter heritage Centre, open all year round. This display of the archaeology, history and literature of the area. Other exhibitions also on show. Open June to September 11.00 am - 6.oo pm Rest of the year on request.

HISTORICAL EXHIBITION OF DINGLE
At the Old Presbytery, Main St. Dingle. Open during the season, Monday - Saturday 10.00am - 6.00pm.

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EVENING ACTIVITIES

DINGLE
The main evening activity on the Dingle peninsula is, of course, visiting pubs. Many of them have regular traditional music or ballad sessions. Look locally for details of what is on. They often serve coffee and some do bar food. Many are also prepared to allow children in if they are fairly restrained. The following are pubs which regularly have music.

Maire de Barra, Strand Street. Opposite the new pier. Evening meals, cocktails. Traditional music every weekend and nightly from June to September. Murphy's Pub, Stand Street. Open fire, Bar food al day, music of some kind nightly from April to October, 9.30-11.30pm.

WEST OF DINGLE
Tigh T P, Ballydavid. Overlooks the pier beach and harbour, bar food, music. Kruger's at Dunquin is as close as you can be to the Blasket Islands and still have a drink. The story of one particular member of the Kruger family is told on one of the pub's walls, alongside photographs from the making of two films in the area: Ryan's Daughter and Far and Away. An Bother is a friendly pub, perfectly located for anyone who has just descended Mount Brandon. To get there, go past the Tigh and Phoist Hostel at Bothar Bui village and turn right at the next junction (left goes to Brandon Creek). The pub is half a kilometre along the road to Dingle. From Dingle head out of town but turn right or carry on straight (depending on which road out of Dingle was taken) before crossing the bridge over the river. Tigh Pheig is the main pub in the village of Ballyferriter. In Anascaul, there are two pubs of note. Dan Foley's has one of the more colourful proprietors one is likely to meet, while the South Pole Inn at the end of the village was originally the property of Tom Crean, a local man who was a member of Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1912. He survived and later accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton on a similar expedition. He bought the pub when he finally came home and gave it the name it still bears. In general, there are excellent pubs dotted over all over the peninsula. The best advice is to follow your instincts! You won't go far wrong.

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