Slept quite well and woke at 7:30 am. Quick breakfast at the B&B, then sad farewells to hostess Breege with many thanks for the incredible hospitality.

Then on the road, target Dingle. Stopped for petrol east of Galway, then headed southwest towards The Burren, a high, barren rocky area in County Clare.

Passed through villages named Kinuarra, Ballybaughan and Lisdoonvarna, until we came to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. We spent an hour taking dozens of photos of the incredible, steep cliffs hugging the Atlantic coast. It was very windy and chilly – definitely a bad hair day.

A bit further south we stopped at Vaughns for an incredible lunch of seafood chowder, crabmeat sandwich and delicious Bulmer’s cider. This may well have been the most delicious and memorable lunch I have ever enjoyed! We hated to leave.

After the delicious lunch we continued south through the emerald green countryside, through many small villages, until we arrived at Killimer, where we queued up for the four-o’clock ferry across the wide River Shannon.

We drove off the ferry after the twenty-minute crossing and found ourselves in County Kerry; it is actually greener here and the vistas are breathtaking.

We kept driving southwest through countless quaint villages and at 6 pm we reached Dingle, on the Dingle Peninsula, and our B&B, the Milestone. The Dingle Peninsula is not far from Killarney. The view from our B&B is of lush green rolling hills, craggy mountains and miles of shoreline. Sailboats dot the water and sheep graze in the meadows. It is truly an idyllic setting.

Barbara, our hostess, immediately welcomed us and gave us tips aplenty. We settled in to our large room (with three beds!) overlooking the Dingle Harbor.

At 7 pm we drove the short distance into the town, parked and walked along the narrow streets. The town has closed up for the night, but we found the door open to John Benny’s pub and we were welcomed inside the warm, rustic pub with the sweet scent of peat wafting from room to room.

The mussels, crab with Pernod, sweet and sour salad (pickled cabbage and sea weed) and Guinness were hearty, filling and delicious. Although our B&B appears to be fully booked, there aren’t many people in the town tonight and the pub is fairly empty.

Dinner was delicious and fun, but we were exhausted after today’s 240 mile drive through western and southwestern Ireland. I thoroughly enjoyed every mile (I would love to take our little red 5-speed Nissan Micra home,) but we staggered back to the car, found our way to the B&B and passed out after a truly wonderful adventure-filled day.

Next Day