day 4: Anascaul to Dingle

location: Anascaul to Dingle

distance: 15.8 miles

entertainment: The Name of the Wind, Snap Judgement episode 313

sights: Minard Castle, panorama of Iveragh Peninsula, Garfinney Bridge

lodging: Rainbow Hostel

dining: a touristy pub not worth remembering.

route: today's hike started easy over little-used country roads down to the beach beside Minard Castle with incredible views across the water to the Iveragh Peninsula (better known as the Ring of Kerry). the road from there was less picturesque than previous days; as we cross the hill we encountered a pair of guys driving oil tankers stop and chat while heading to/from wherever the oil was being used. there were narrow lanes with tall hedges on either side, fields beyond presumably for grazing sheep or cows. we walked past a wool collective and one of the larger milking farms of the trip. 

nearing Dingle (and reassuring me we hadn't strayed from the track) we came upon the Garfinney bridge, a 16th century stone construction that collapsed a bit over the years but which has been restored to picturesque, traversable glory. as we hiked through this bit, I listened to an episode of Snap Judgement about the Apocalypse (which originally aired in December of 2012) and got to thinking about what it would take to survive a cataclysmic event in a place like the one through which we were walking. one story mentioned zombie preparedness.

the walk into Dingle was along a somewhat busier highway -- two whole lanes! with lots of curves that kept us zig-zagging across the road to stay visible. we arrived into town and headed for the bustling grocery store where the hostel shuttle was due to make an appearance in the near future. Andy supervised the packs while I headed in for some lunch and supplies. as the most visible and possibly largest supermarkets in Dingle -- the only place on the peninsula with a fully stocked grocery -- the place was thrumming. took a bit to find all that we might need, as well as find an ATM with the cash we'd need for paying for lodging for the remainder of the trip.

evening: after recovering a bit at the hostel, which was a fair distance outside of town and longer than we'd want to traverse after a day of hiking, we caught a van ride back into town. Dingle is a lovely town, but after several days at a slower pace and spending time in more off-the-beaten-path places, it came as kind of a shock. we found a pub for dinner that was perfectly fine, but felt a bit touristy. had some fried brie and cranberry sauce, which is apparently a hot appetizer, that turned out to pale in comparison to what such a thing can taste like (we enjoyed that fantastic plate three nights later at The Old Pier).

we'd worked ourselves into a bit of a corner by kind of pressuring the hostel guy to come back with the van at 9 to pick us up. we could have stayed out later, perhaps caught some live music, but we certainly weren't interested in walking the extra distance back to the hostel. so after a quick wander around town and a half pint of Murphy's at Murphy's on the waterfront, it was back to the hostel to settle in for the night. 

(at midnight, after we'd been in bed and asleep for a good while, someone came crashing into the hostel kitchen, intent on cooking something. signs clearly stated the kitchen closed after 11:00 p.m. but it was about ten minutes before the staffer got this point across and something approaching sleeping conditions returned.)