Our Ireland adventure, Part 2 (see Part 1 here). We knew we wanted to end our Ring of Kerry tour with a visit to the Gap of Dunloe, before making our way to the Muckross Park Hotel & Spa for the night. We didn’t even quite know what the Gap of Dunloe was, only that everyone and their mom recommends it when visiting the Ring of Kerry, and you could drive it so I didn’t have to get out of the car unless I wanted to. Win.
(As a side note: while the rooms were OK at the Muckcross Park Hotel & Spa, the spa was probably THE best one I’ve ever visited. It truly felt like an oasis, and the staff were absolutely lovely. I’d highly recommend staying there if you ever do a Ring of Kerry tour).
After pulling over to the side of the road to take some photos of the absolutely stunning coastline (the first few pics in this post), we continued on to Moll’s Gap and then the Gap of Dunloe.
We ended up coming up to the Gap of Dunloe from the south (rather than the north, which is usually what people do), and let me tell you: best decision we made on the road trip. Not for the feint hearted, the drive to get to the gap essentially involves you coming off the road and driving into the mountain pass Like a Boss. It literally feels like you’ve deciding to do some off roading, except Google Maps approves of your life choices.
About 20 minutes later of slowly winding your way around and up the mountain, you end up curving around the summit and stumbling on the prettiest landscape and valley between two mountains, i.e. the Gap of Dunloe. Trust me when I say, my pictures do not do this beautiful scenery justice. So beautiful that I eventually got out of the car and into the cold to take pictures for the blog. The things I do for love.
Although the day was gloriously sunny, it had been raining like crazy the day before, and so wellies on our Gap of Dunloe ‘hike’ were necessary. I say the word ‘hike’ loosely, because it was sunset and we had to reach our next hotel, we couldn’t go all that far. Also, a lot of the area is sectioned off (we ignored this to see the sheep and take some photos). There isn’t much ‘to do’ per say except walk around, take in the scenery, do a bit of hiking and take pictures.
The other thing I suggest you all take away from this is the following: for Autumn/Winter travelling, invest in a coat with a hood. Hell, I’d even say for city life — when carrying umbrellas is such a pain because you have too many shopping bags in your hands and a 30 minute walk ahead of you — invest in one. Your hands are fee for photos, you are still warm BUT, if a sudden rain shower hits, your head is dry and comfortable. Honestly, as much as I love my winter coat selection, I will always have a trusty coat-with-hood for travels and rainy days.
What I’m Wearing
| Wellies: Hunter Boots (Navy boots are 40% off at The Outnet)| Plaid Shirt: Zara (Old; Zara’s 2016 version here) | Jeans: Lucky Denim | Coat: Zara (old sale purchase; they have a version out now in sand)
My next post about Ireland will be about our stay at the Southeast of Ireland — and why you need to stay at Mount Juliet Estate. Stay tuned!