Dingle to Glengarriff

9th to 11th August
Dingle-Darryname-Lonehort-Glengarriff

Dingle was colourful and a delight, so it was no hardship to stay a couple of days whilst strong winds blew out at sea. I was lucky to be berthed near Paul in the most immaculate Westerly you could imagine. Paul is multi-talented and delightful, with more skills than you’d find in a dozen normal folk; plus he’d be at home in Hollywood or Cannes, or even with me. When wind and sea had abated a bit, we sailed together for 30 miles or so to Darryname, a pretty spot in the Kenmare Estuary. It was full of tanned, happy and excited holiday-makers, including that global phenomenon, shouting crab-catching youngsters.

Sailing out of Dingle with Paul on "Pzazz"

...and into the Kenmare River...

...and anchor in Derrymane

Up early next day to catch the tide through Dursey Sound, a narrow shortcut into Bantry Bay. I gather Dursey Sound has Ireland’s only cable car. The cables span the Sound and take people over to Dursey Island, but there was plenty of space for ‘Misty’ to whizz through underneath.

Through Dursey Sound and under the cable car

Peaceful in Lonehort

Hit with inertia and falling wind, I found a convenient deserted cove in Bantry Bay, Lonehort on Bere Island, for a sleep, and inertia still there, stayed overnight. Then, on early next day to the picture-postcard prettiness of Glengarriff, where tomorrow I’m looking forward to meeting Tom and Johnny, my two elder sons.

While exploring the byways of Glengarriff I could not escape the fact that there was an Irish hurling match on telly (a big semi-final, Dublin vs Cork). For local people in Kerry, the ‘right’ team won, so everyone was full of joy and celebratory spirit. The afternoon passed chatting with young Irish and Dutch holidaymakers, with only passing interest in hurling. (Please don’t ask me the rules of hurling. It looks wild, dangerous and complicated!)

Glengarriff, centre

Pretty Glengarriff anchorage