DAY 5: Dingle Peninsula

Day 5 in Ireland had us change up the day a little bit. Instead of heading out in the morning for an adventure, we had a slow day around the resort. We rented bikes from the resort and headed out to the playground in town and spent some time in Killarney with the plan to head out on an adventure in the afternoon. There was something special about the change in pace, the slow start to the day followed by a bit of adventure in the evening.

I read that Dingle Peninsula (and the smaller part of the peninsula Slea Head drive) is a beautiful part of Ireland and one of the best scenic drives. Scenic drives can be tough with kids, longer times in the car but with a lot of options to get out of the car and stretch your legs (and a lot of in and out of car seats which comes with its own set of headaches and tears). Traveling with kids means a lot of "less is more" so we decided to shorten the drive and do a few spots on the peninsula instead of the entire 58 mile loop. 

Our first stop on the peninsula was about a 40 minute drive from Killarney (our home base) which made it a pretty easy day trip. We stopped at Inch Beach, Minard Castle, and a sheep farm before turning back and having dinner in Dingle. If you are interested in the full peninsula loop, check out this map from The Irish Road Trip and head to their page for the full loop details. 

Inch Beach

Inch Beach is a 5km long stretch of sand and dunes at the start of the peninsula. It was truly stunning and the kids had fun splashing around in the water and playing in the sand. It was early May and the weather wasn't quite warm enough for a swim but it was still worth it to take in the scenery of coastal Ireland. If you visit in the summer months, you will have a chance to swim at a "Blue Flag Beach". A Blue Flag has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag international eco-label meaning it meets high standards for water quality, environmental management, safety, and other criteria.

Inch Beach

Inch Beach

Minard Castle

Minard Castle is a 16th century Tower House set on a hillside overlooking the water. While it was a pretty scene, the Disney-like castle set against the hillside, there really wasn't any parking and it wasn't worth getting the kids out of the car. The views from the water looked lovely but traveling with the kids, this was more of a drive by than a stop. 

Minard Castle

Dingle Sheep Farm and Sheepdog Demonstrations

The turn-around point for us was a sweet little sheepfarm at the end of the peninsula by the basket islands. If you want to see the sheepdog demonstrations, you will have to plan in advance as the demos typically only happen once a day at a certain time. You still can visit the farm and if you visit at the right time, hold a baby lamb. We really enjoyed taking the kids through the farm, seeing the VERY friendly farm animals, and taking in the coastal views on the peninsula. 

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle

I heard so many amazing things about Dingle and we loved the couple hours we spent in town. We ended up driving through on our way down through the peninsula and instead of doing the whole peninsula, turned around at the Sheep Farm near the end and stopped in Dingle for dinner and some shopping. If you have time and the kids, the Dingle Aquarium looked like it was worth a visit. We of course visited the local playground and Dingle had a great one. We had a great meal and enjoyed the shops before heading back the way we came. Dingle is constantly rated as one of the best little towns in Ireland and it's worth a full day and an overnight if you have the time. 

Dingle

Dingle Playground

Dingle Playground

Dingle

Next Time

If we had more time (and maybe the kids were older) we would ABSOLUTELY do some whale watching around Dingle or the Blasket Islands. I would also love to come back and spend a night or two in Dingle. I've heard the pub and night life is iconic Ireland and I would love to come back and experience it (again, probably without kids or with older kids). And then of course there is the entirety of Slea Head Drive (a section of the peninsula) we didn't get to experience and the northern portion which we skipped and drove back the way we came. 

Traveling with young kids is all about accepting that you can't do it all, and learning how to pivot.