Climate and Weather


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Climate and Weather on the Dingle Peninsula

Bhí aimsir mhaith ann - the weather was good. Aimsir bhog - soft, wet, weather

Mild Temperate Climate 

Ireland enjoys a mild temperate climate all year thanks to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, a current of warm water and air that flows from the Gulf of Mexico towards Europe. The warming effect of the Gulf Stream is strongest around the Irish coast. With Dingle Peninsula being a long narrow strip of land on the south west this warming effect is even more noticeable. Average temperatures throughout the year for Ireland range from about 2°C-19°C (36°F-66°F). For the Dingle Peninsula the averages range from 7°C -16°C (44°F- 61°F). Frost and snow are rare especially at the western end of the peninsula. When it does snow it is usually only visible on the mountains and higher ground as it melts quickly at sea level.

Best Time to Travel

People often ask 'when is the best time of year to travel to the Dingle Peninsula?' The answer is anytime.Traditionally the warm months of July and August are the peak of the tourist season with highest temperatures (mean temperature 15 - 16°C) and highest visitor numbers. Late spring (mean temperature 10°C) and early autumn (mean temperature 12°C ) are also very popular with long bright days and a breeze to keep the rain cloud away.  However even in the months of November, December and January the temperature can be comfortable for exploring and sight-seeing with a mean winter temperature of 7- 8°C. The peninsula can be at its wildest and most beautiful in winter, particularily if you like windswept beaches and unspoiled nature.

how to dress for Dingle Peninsula weather

The Atlantic Coast is famous for unpredictable weather and whatever time of year you come be prepared for rainfall. Showers of rain can pass in ten minutes giving way to glorious sunshine or gentle mist can envelop everything for hours in ‘almost rain’ which caresses your face lightly and dampens your hair. The ancient landscape of the Dingle Peninsula is beautiful in all weather, moody and magical in mist and rain, dramatic and windswept in storms, and (as a result of plenty of rain) glorious, lush and technicolour in bright sunlight. 

How to dress for the weather on Dingle Peninsula? It is possible to experience four seasons in a single day - so the best piece of advice is to travel prepared . Layers of clothing, a rainproof jacket and shoes will make you flexible and free to enjoy whatever nature brings all year round, with a warm coat and hat being advisable for the winter months.

Finn Melon

monthly mean temperature for Dingle Peninsula

The temperature on Dingle Peninsula is greatly affected by the moderating effect of the sea, and height above sea level. Mean annual temperatures generally range between 10°C and 12°C with the higher values in low lying coastal zones. July is normally the warmest month, followed by August and June; the coldest month is January followed closely by February and December.

JAN

 

7 - 8°C

 

  (44 - 46°F)

FEB

 

7 - 8°C

 

  (44 - 46°F)

MAR

 

8 - 9°C

 

  (46 - 48°F)

APRIL

 

9 - 10°C

 

  (48 - 50°F)

MAY

 

12°C

 

  (53°F)

JUNE

 

14°C

 

  (57°F)

JULY

 

15 - 16°C

 

  (59 - 61°F)

AUG

 

15 - 16°C

 

  (59 - 61°F)

SEPT

 

14 - 15°C

 

  (57 - 59°F)

OCT

 

12°C

 

  (53°F)

NOV

 

9 - 10°C

 

  (48 - 50°F)

DEC

 

7 - 8°C

 

  (44 - 46°F)

Finn Melon

Monthly daily average sunshine hours for Dingle Peninsula

There is a big difference in length between a winter day and a summer day on the Dingle Peninsula. A June day is over 18 hours long while a December day can be less than 7 hours long. During mid summer nights, there is an extended twilight.

 

JAN

  2

     MAY

6 - 6.5

    SEPT

4 - 4.5

FEB

  2.5

     JUNE

5.5 - 6

    OCT

3

MARCH

  3.5

     JULY

5

    NOV

2

APRIL

  5.5

     AUG

5

    DEC

1.5

Finn Melon

Rainfall for Dingle Peninsula

ANNUAL RAINFALL

The highest rainfall occurs on the high mountainous ground which forms the central spine of Dingle Peninsula. The areas with lowest rainfall are west of Dingle town around Ventry on the south coast  and from Castlegregory out along the Maharees on the north coast.

Lowest 1200mm
Highest 2800mm
Average 1600mm

SEASONAL RAINFALL

The driest seasons on Dingle Peninsula are Spring and Summer, with an average of approximately 350 mm, Autumn and Winter have  averages of approximately 550 mm.

MONTHLY RAINFALL

 The driest months on the Dingle Peninsula are April, May, June and July, with an average of approximately 125 mm each month.

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Geology


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Geology of the Dingle Peninsula

The area attracts geologists and students from all over Ireland, Europe and North America for both geological teaching and research studies
Ken Higgs and Brian Williams - Geology of the Dingle Peninsula

The geological history of the Dingle Peninsula started 485 million years ago when Ireland was south of the equator. The rocks track our movement northwards through shallow seas, volcanic activity, deep ocean and tropical conditions. They also show evidence of mountain building events, faulting, folding, and fossil remains of life. The landscape we see today is due to the presence of glaciers in the last 2.5 million years. The Dingle Peninsula is special to geologists because its amazing and complex story is accessible along the coast over a relatively short distance. The geology of the area and the work of the Atlantic Ocean have given Kerry its special coastline, loved by local people and visitors alike.

Is 485 milliún bliain ó shin a cuireadh tús le stair geolaíochta Leithinis an Daingin, am ina raibh Éire sa domhain theas. Insíonn na carraigeacha scéal an aistir ó thuaidh a rinneamar trí fharraigí tanaí, bolcán-ghníomhaíocht, doimhneacht an aigéin, agus aimsir thrópaiceach. Léiríonn siad fianaise chomh maith de chruthú sléibhte, éascadh, filleadh, agus iontaisí den saol a bhí ann.  Tá an tírdhreach mar a fheiceann muid inniu é de bharr oighearshruthanna ag dul siar 2.5 milliún bliain. Is ceantar speisialta do geolaithe é Leithinis an Daingin de bharr go bhfuil teacht ar iontaisí a scéal casta, thar achar ghearr taobh na farraige. Idir geolaíoch na háite, agus fórsa an Aigéin Atlantach tá cósta ar leith ag Ciarraí, rud a mheallann turasóirí agus daoine áitiúla.

10 places of geological interest on the Dingle Peninsula

The following list of ten places have been taken from the 'The Roadside Geology of West Kerry Project'. A series of signs that explain and illustrate the geological features seen at ten localities around The Dingle Peninsula were erected in 2012. The information for these signs was provided by Dr Patrick Wyse Jackson (Department of Geology) and the project was co-funded by the Heritage Council and Kerry County Council. The project aim was to increase public awareness and understanding of the significant geological heritage of this part of County Kerry. Some additional information has been taken from the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) new field guide book - details below.

  • 3. Ferriter's Cove

    Silurian fossils

    52.1748,-10.4404

  • 5. Kilmurry Bay

    Storm beach and 380 million year old fossilised sand dunes

    52.1255,-10.1088

  • 1. Caherconree

    Fossils and Caherconree fault 

    52.1933,-9.8575

  • 2. Clogher head

    Volcanoes at Clogher Head

    pyroclastic deposits found associated with fossil-bearing sediments in the Dunquin district.

    52.1491,-10.4720

  • 4. Slea Head and Blasket Islands Rocks

    Conglomerate and fine to coarse-grained sandstone make up the Dingle Group - deposited in river systems during the late Silurian and early Devonian.

    52.0976,-10.4542

  • 6. The Inch Conglomerate

    rare sedimentary rock type whose coarsest portion contains cobbles of metamorphic rocks gneiss and schist 1.38 to 3034 billion years old.

    52.1433,-9.9849

  • 7. Maharees Tombola

    low lying tombola and limestone bedrock

    52.3001,-10.0276

  • 8. The Ice Age on the Dingle Peninsula - Mount Brandon

    paternoster lakes and glacial valley

    52.2202,-10.2290

  • 9. The Ice Age at Pedlar’s Lake - Lough Doon

    Glacial corrie once full of ice that fed the Owenmore valley glacier.

    52.1722,-10.1418

  • 10.Glacial deposits at Kilgobbin

    52.2339,-9.9327

caherconree in snow dingle peninsula

1.Fossils and faults on Caherconree

Silurian Trilobites. These fossil arthropods are preserved as fragments in the Ballynane Limestone. This remote mountain-side outcrop and its fossils were first discovered and described by Jukes and Du Noyer in 1863. The Caherconree Fault is a major fracture that can be traced southwards for 25km to Minard Head.

clogher head cliffs and sea dingle peninsula

2.Volcanoes at Clogher Head

During the Silurian period Ireland was divided into two portions separated by the lapetus Ocean. As this closed on account of plate tectonics a series of volcanic islands developed in western Ireland. On the Dingle Peninsula these volcanoes produced ash, myolitic lava and pyroclastic deposits which are now found associated with fossil-bearing sediments in the Dunquin district.

ferriters cove dingle peninsula

3.Silurian Fossils of Ferriter’s Cove

At Ferriter’s Cove are found purple to buff-coloured siltstones of Silurian age in which fossils including corals, trilobites and brachiopods, are preserved.These animals all lived in a shallow sea close to the volcanic islands once near Clogher Head.

rocks and sea at slea head with blasket islands in the background

4.Slea Head and Blasket Islands Rocks

Much of the western end of the Dingle Peninsula is composed of terrestrial sediments such as conglomerate and fine to coarse-grained sandstone that make up the Dingle Group. These were deposited in river systems during the late Silurian and early Devonian. There is a distinctive gap between them and the overlying red sandstone best seen at Bull’s Head. While Inishvickillane is made of older volcanic rocks the remaining Blasket Islands are composed of Dingle Group rocks.

kilmurry bay dingle peninsula with storm beach in foreground and minard castle in background

5. Ancient deserts at Kilmurry Bay

Kilmurry Bay is of great geological interest for two main reasons.Here 380 million year old fossilised sand dunes can be seen in the cliffs and it contains one of the finest storm beaches in Ireland. In the Devonian period rivers flowed south across a large desert and carried sands and coarse sediments. Today the coarser material forms conglomerates now seen at Inch while the sand that formed crescent-shaped sand dunes in the desert makes up the pale yellow coloured Kilmurry sandstone. This is a unit of the Old Red Sandstone that forms much of the Slieve Mish mountains and those seen on the Iveragh Peninsula opposite. Blocks of sandstone have become rounded by the action of the waves and from knocking against each other. Storms have thrown them towards the back of the beach where they have form a ridge called a storm beach.

cliffs west of inch beach dingle peninsula taken from the road with sea on the left

6. The Inch Conglomerate

This is a rare sedimentary rock type whose coarsest portion contains cobbles of metamorphic rocks gneiss and schist 1.38 to 3034 billion years old. The Inch Conglomerate sucession is exposed in the foreshore west of Inch beach beyond the defensive boulder wall at Coosarone.

the maharees tombola dingle peninsula Ireland stretching out to sea with beaches either side taken from high ground

7. Spits and Tombolas

The low lying narrow Maharees Peninsula is an excellent example of a tombola, a depositional landform in which a rocky island is connected to the mainland by a long narrow spit. The beaches along either side of the tombola show the complex patterns of recent sand deposition and erosion by both wind and marine currents. The limestone bedrock exposed only at the northern end (at Kilshannig) represents the youngest sedimentary bedrock seen in the Dingle Peninsula.

conor pass valley floor and lakes dingle peninsula Ireland

8. The Ice Age on the Dingle Peninsula

The climbing route on the north east of Mount Brandon from Cloghane brings you to a series of corries and lakes on the north-east side of Brandon Peak. The string of lakes are known as paternoster lakes. Ice from the corries fed the valley glacier below that flowed from south to north. The imposing east-facing cliffs of Mount Brandon are composed of sandstone beds and show the large and shallow folding of the lower Devonian Dingle Group Strata.

the conor pass dingle peninsula Ireland taken from pedlars lake looking down into owenmore valley

9. The Ice Age at Pedlar’s Lake

Lough Doon (locally known as Pedlar’s Lake) is a glacial corrie that was once full of ice that fed the Owenmore valley glacier.This location is accessed from a small car park beside the waterfall on Conor Pass and provides the most accessible place in the Dingle Peninsula to study glaciated mountain scenery. You can see the glacially striated rock lip of the corrie lake and boulder strewn moraines, a moraine-dammed lake and a kettle hole lake in the wide U shaped valley below. 

stradbally beach dingle peninsula Ireland

10. Glacial deposits at Kilgobbin

The cliffs at Kilgobbin are composed of glacial till (boulder clay) that was deposited when the ice of the last Ice Age melted. By mapping bedrock one can determine the direction that glaciers and ice sheets flowed by looking at the rock types left behind in the glacial till. These were picked up by the ice as it passed over the bedrock.

cover of book titled geology of the Dingle Peninsula

More Information

Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) have launched a new field guide book and 1:50,000 geological map of the Dingle Peninsula  This beautifully produced 246 page full colour publication meticulously and engagingly guides the geologist and non-geologist through the sites of importance in the story of the Dingle Peninsula.  
Geology of the Dingle Peninsula – a field guide was written by two internationally renowned geologists, Emeritus Professor Ken Higgs, University College Cork, and Emeritus Professor Brian Williams, University of Aberdeen, both of whom have worked for many years in the area, and have taught and inspired many of their students on the beaches, coves and headlands of the Dingle Peninsula. The book is dedicated to Ralph Horne, former Assistant Director of Geological Survey Ireland, who contributed enormously to promoting the modern geological understanding of the Dingle Peninsula. Speaking at the launch Koen Verbruggen, GSI Director said, "This book is amazing, it captures the beauty of the Dingle Peninsula, the importance of the geology, and explains the origin and science of the rocks in a way that is accessible to both geologists and non-geologists."
Geological Survey Ireland was founded in 1845 to map the geology of Ireland and to gain an understanding of the mineral resources. Early mapping was carried out by people walking the length and breadth of the island, marking every rock on the newly produced Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps, making drawings, sketches, and detailed descriptions of the rocks. That early work is the basis of our work today but we now use boats, planes, drones and drills to enhance that knowledge.  GSI is part of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The Dingle Peninsula was first mapped for the Geological Survey in the 1850s by George Victor Du Noyer. His maps are works of art as well as science.

Read more: Geology

Islands

Islands - Dingle Peninsula

Two groups of islands lie off the DIngle Peninsula. The Seven Hogs or Maharee Islands off the north shore near Castlegregory where two of the Maharee islands are joined to the mainland by a sandy spit. The world renowned remote Blasket Islands lie off the most westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula near Dunquin.  Ferries operate to the Great Blasket Island from April to October (weather permitting) and leave from Cé Dún Chaoin (Dunquin Pier) or from the Marina in Dingle. Eco tours operate from Ceann Tra, Ventry and Dingle which will bring you on stunning boat trips around the islands. Sea Safaris run from Sandy Bay on the Maharees Peninsula taking in Brandon bay, Tralee bay, the Maharees Islands (The Seven Hogs) the monastic settlement on Illauntannig Island and the marine wildlife of the area.

The Blasket Islands - Na Blascaodaí

On the most western point of the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland and Europe, are The Blasket Islands (Na Blascaodaí). This stunning archipelago of islands are renowned for their magnificent beauty and rugged wildness; literary heritage of the Great Blasket,  An Blascaod Mór; magical marine life – seals, whales and dolpins; puffins and array of sea birds; the “Cathedral Rocks” of Inis na Bró; the most westerly lighthouse of Ireland - An Tiaracht; and our famous “Sleeping Giant”, An Fear Marbh (the island of Inis Tuaisceart which resembles the profile of a sleeping man on the horizon)

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The Seven Hogs or Maharee Islands

The Magharees Sound separates the mainland from the group of islands known as The Seven Hogs. These islands which were inhabited until the 1980’s are now used as summer grazing for livestock. The largest Island  ‘Illauntannig’ named after St. Senach has an Early Christian ecclesiastical site at the edge of low cliffs on the south east side. Known as a 5th century monastic site it contains two small oratories, three clochauns (beehive huts) a souterrain, three leachts (rectangular drystone-faced mounds of stone), a burial ground and a stone cross.

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Islands off the Dingle Peninsula

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Flora and Fauna


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Flora and Fauna of the Dingle Peninsula

sceach gheal - hawthorn 
  • head and shoulders of a seagull

    Birdwatching - Eanealaíocht

    The Dingle Peninsula is one of the best birdwatching areas in Ireland, particularly famous for its seabird colonies. The Blaskets and the Maharees together have tens of thousands of nesting birds each summer, including Storm Petrels, shearwaters, terns, gulls and auks, including the colourful Puffin. The cliffs fringing the peninsula also hold good numbers of Chough and Peregrine Falcon. Lough Gill is one of the best lakes to see waterbirds, including Whooper and Mute swans and a variety of duck, and the mudflats at Tralee Bay and Castlemaine Harbour host a huge number and variety of wading birds and wildfowl. Large numbers of Brent Geese winter in these areas, along with Pintail, Scaup, Wigeon and waders such as Curlew, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. The shallow bay east of Castlegregory is also one of the best places to see rare grebes and divers.

    A brief guide to some top birding spots Birding the Dingle Peninsula can be downloaded as a PDF document

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  • hawthorn hedge

    Hedgerows

    A network of hedgerows and treelines are home to a wide variety of plant and animal species on the Dingle Peninsula.These hedgerows which are populated with native wild flowers, flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, play a vital part in the food chain, supporting insects, birds and other wildlife with food and shelter. Gorse, Hawthorn, Willow, Holly, Fuschia, Ash, Blackthorn, Oak and Wild Privet are some of the most common woody species to be found in the hedgerows of Dingle Peninsula, West Kerry. Bees, bats, owls, butterflies, ladybirds, beetles, hedgehogs, badgers and many bird species depend on the hedgerow for shelter, food or hunting ground. Serving as ecological habitat corridors across agricultural land, the hedgerows allow wild plants and animal life to migrate, disperse and survive. (it is estimated that 5000 kms of hedgerow criss cross the Dingle Peninsula). The conservation of these hedgerow corridors is  important to protect native flora and fauna.

  • two otters at dingle aquarium

    Wildlife on land

    The Dingle Peninsula is home to terrestrial mammals such as the otter (Lutra lutra) and badger (Meles meles). Fox, Irish mountain hare and Irish stoat are also known to use the upland grassland habitats in the area. Bees, bats, owls, butterflies, ladybirds, beetles can be found in the hedgerows of the Dingle Peninsula. A large herd of native Irish red deer is thriving on the Blasket Island of Inisvickalaun. The natterjack toad, the most endangered of only three native amphibian species to occur in Ireland can be found around Castlemaine Harbour and along the coastal strip west of Castlegregory on the Dingle peninsula. An ongoing habitat creation scheme established by the NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Service) in 2008 is helping this  rare amphibian to make a come back. Vulnerable species of invertebrates are the marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia), the Kerry slug (Geomalacus maculosus) and the freshwater pearl mussel (considered to be ‘critically endangered’ in Ireland).

  • fuschia plant in flower

    Plants

    The moist mild weather in West Kerry creates a micro-climate on the Dingle Peninsula suitable to plants from much warmer climates. Many of these come under the category of Mediteranean-Lusitanian and flower from May to early July. The estimated 5000 kms of hedgerow that criss cross the Dingle Peninsula ditches are full of plant life. Gorse, Hawthorn, Willow, Holly, Fuschia, Ash, Blackthorn, Oak and Wild Privet are some of the most common woody species to be found. Bluebells, cowslips and primroses in the spring and early summer, foxgloves and honeysuckle, along with hazel, spindle, privet and wild roses, are some of the flora you will find. The most well known and favourite of these plants are the fuchsia and the orange flowers of montbrieta, (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora) which create a blaze of colour along the small roads and hedges of the Dingle Peninsula in late summer.

  • three dolphins jumping out of the water swimming near ventry

    Marine Wildlife

    There is an abundance of marine life in the waters off the West Kerry coast including seals, whales, dolphins, basking sharks and bluefin tuna, Atlantic salmon, puffins and an array of sea birds. Dingle Peninsula is one of the best locations in Ireland for whale watching with a variety of whales including humpback, minke, fin and killer whales passing the waters south of the Blasket Islands and Slea Head between March and November. Seals come from as far away as Scotland and the British Isles to breed around the Blaskets in late summer and early Autumn and stay for the winter until early summer when most of them leave. Over recent years a resident population has stayed around the Blasket Islands and can be seen basking on the Trá Bán beach of An Blascaod Mór.

    Several experienced and knowledgeable local operators run boat tours that will bring you out to view the wonderful marine life in the waters surrounding Dingle Peninsula. There are specialist whale and dolphin watching tours as well as eco tours to view dolphins, seals, whales and birdlife. Land-based whale watching can be done with a telescope from Slea Head and Clogher Head.

    The IWDG organises an all-Ireland whale watching day in August – see iwdg.ie/events for updates.

  • Nature Reserves on the Dingle Peninsula | National Parks & Wildlife Service

    A Nature Reserve is an area of importance to wildlife, which is protected under Ministerial order.  Most are owned by the State. However, some are owned by organisations or private landowners. The following are on the Dingle Peninsula

    Mount Brandon Nature Reserve Latitude: 52.267 Longitude: -10.24  State-owned.

     Upland blanket bogs, a variety of grasses, sedges and heathers, mountain blanket bog/heath complex and famed alpine flora. Choughs and ravens.


    Tearaght Island Nature Reserve Latitude: 52.074 Longitude: -10.66 Partly State-owned and partly privately owned. 

    Of international importance because of the large colonies of seabirds it supports. A marine reserve has been established on the surrounding area of sea and seashore to ensure the protection of the birds and control activities that might cause disturbance.

    Derrymore Island Latitude: 52.256  Longitude: -9.828  Privately owned.

    A compound spit composed of a series of pebble beaches, supports many rare plant communities mainly of a salt marsh type. Wigeon and Brent Geese graze the salt marsh on the eastern side of the spit. The white top of the spit is an important high tide roosting area.

    Tralee Bay Nature Reserve Latitude: 52.254 Longitude: -9.805  State-owned

    Of international importance for waterfowl especially the wintering populations of Brent geese that it supports. Other birds of the bay include Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Golden Plover and Curlew.

More Info

Nature Reserves on the Dingle Peninsula | National Parks & Wildlife Service

  • Mount Brandon Nature Reserve

    52.2673,-10.2444

  • Tearaght Island Nature Reserve

    52.0747,-10.6602

  • Derrymore Island

    52.2586,-9.8265

  • Tralee Bay Nature Reserve

    52.2551,-9.8115

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Coastline

Coastline of the Dingle Peninsula

The Peninsula is known for its spectacular scenery and dramatic contrasts. Rugged rock and cliff meet crashing Atlantic Waves, steep mountain passes with vertiginous cliffs rise into the mist and cloud. Sheltered coves and golden sandy beaches give way to soft rolling hills and a mosaic patchwork of irregular small fields divided by low stone walls.

Edged on three sides by ocean the varied coastline of the Dingle Peninsula consists of steep sea-cliffs, broken by sandy beaches, small coves and inlets. Two large sand spits project outwards forming Inch to the south and the Maharees to the north. Three drowned valleys form natural harbours at Ventry and Dingle in the south and at Smerwick in the northwest. The eastern half of the northshore is dominated by a low coastal strip, bordered by almost continuous sandy beaches. Two groups of islands lie off the DIngle Peninsula. The Seven Hogs or Maharee Islands lie off the north shore near Castlegregory with two of the Maharee islands joined to the mainland by a sandy spit. The world renowned remote Blasket Islands lie off the most westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula near Dunquin.The Blaskets can be visited by boat from April to September or viewed from the dramatic sea cliffs of Slea Head and Dunmore Head, considered the most westerly point of Ireland and Europe.

The coastal climate of the Dingle Peninsula has made it popular for watersports such as surfing, windsurfing, diving as it is influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and is in the path of the prevailing southwesterly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. With lakes, inlets, salt marshes and safe harbours the area is also popular with both freshwater and sea anglers.

Experience the Dingle Peninsula Coastline

Walking

Walking is highly recommended as the way to get close to the dramatic coast of the Dingle Peninsula. A series of short and long waymarked walks and trails will bring you to special places on the coast that cannot be viewed by car. Click here for our list of walks.

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The Dingle Way long distance walking trail ( 176 km /109 mile) is the ultimate way to tour the Dingle Peninsula coastline and can be done as a whole trail in 7 to 8 days or it can be broken into shorter sections which can be easily walked in a day. Large parts of this circular walking route follow the coastline of the Dingle Peninsula and is a great way to get up close and experience this dramatic scenery. Most of the walk is on quiet tarmac roads, mountain, field and cliff paths, with over 20 km of beach walking. The route is known for spectacular, varied scenery and passes close to many cultural, archaeological and historical sites.

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Slea Head Drive

The Slea Head Drive (Slí Cheann Sléibhe) is a circular route, forming part of the Wild Atlantic Way, beginning and ending in Dingle, that brings you along the dramatic coastline and stunning views on the western end of the Dingle peninsula. The route is clearly labelled by road signs throughout its length. To properly enjoy the Drive, a half-day should be set aside for the journey. Travellers are advised to travel clockwise in order to avoid the large tour buses that frequent the route during the summer. The route is suitable for motorists, but is also enjoyed by cyclists: it is possible to hire a bike at a number of locations in Dingle.

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Boat Tours

A great way to view the spectacular coastline of the Dingle Peninsula is to take a boat trip. Experienced local operators run excursions and tours from different points along the coast. View the spectacular sea cliffs of Ceann Sibeal from the sea below, visit the Blasket Islands or take a whale watching or marine wildlife sea tour.

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Coastline highlights of the Dingle Peninsula

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