Slea Head

 

I guess this is sort of a classic stop on the Dingle Loop - a day trip that circles the western end of the Dingle Peninsula with stops at beaches, ancient forts, early medieval monasteries, and pottery studios. People, especially the ones driving tour buses, are encouraged to drive clockwise, and this section at Slea Head is probably the main reason why. There's not much room to pass. Then you've got bicyclists, trekkers, and tourists still trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

There's a Christian shrine on one side, a steep drop to the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The old fields and pastures and stone walls extend way up the surrounding hills. It seems like an awfully desolate place to eke out a living, but the view while tending your sheep must be amazing - at least on a nice day.

Coumeenoule Strand (Beach) lies below the cliffs and there's more on that at Gravel Beach.

And out beyond that, there is Dunmore Head, the westernmost point in Ireland. Not counting islands. And therefore the westernmost point in Europe. Not counting islands. But wait, Ireland is an island. So is Iceland. So most-westest is all sort of subjective. Regardless, it's only about 1900 miles from here to Newfoundland.

Those are the Blasket Islands lying farther offshore. People live on them. Not many.

And apparently, this is all a good excuse to rent Ryan's Daughter, which features the local landscape.