Q&A #2: How to allocate time between Dingle and Doolin, recommendations on what to do, Ireland itinerary, and more!

Meegan had some questions for me, and my response ended up being too long for a comment.  So, Meegan, here are my answers - I hope this helps!

Ireland Picture Post #6: Conor pass

These photos are from Day 8, Part 1, where we drove from Doolin to Dingle via Conor Pass.

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Our little Fiat Punto, in one of Conor Pass's several overlooks/pull-off areas. These are a good place to pull aside when another car is coming through the pass.

Ireland Day 8, Part 1: Doolin to Dingle via Conor Pass

Try at least one Irish breakfast per B&B, you say? Challenge accepted.

After savoring one more breakfast at the B&B, we hit the road.  Today's route would be fairly simple.  It's possible to get to the Dingle peninsula by heading east, following the coastal curve inland to Limerick, and then back down southwest.  However, this would easily be close to 5 hours when you factor in stops. After several days with a lot of time spent in the car, we were ready for something more direct.  Instead of the scenic route, we'd be taking a more point-to-point southerly drive, made possible by a car ferry from Killimer to Tarbert.

Ireland Day 7, Part 1: Doolin to Inisheer via ferry

Not gonna lie, even Seattleites don't call this "clear weather".

We have new neighbors, and they moo.  

Considering that I’m a city girl at heart, I surprisingly have a sense that I could get used to this.  The greenness of the hills out the window is simply amazing.  There’s also something pretty funny about having a conversation be punctuated from time to time by a lowing moooo in the background.  Who knows, it might get old after a while, and I might also feel differently if we were downwind.  As it is, I can’t smell the cows, just see and hear them.  All the romanticized benefits without any of the olfactory downsides!

First breakfast at the restaurant downstairs was lovely: muesli (cue immense excitement), homemade brown bread with golden Irish butter (yes, the butter is better here), creamed oatmeal with honey, and melt-in-your-mouth locally smoked salmon with a fluffy mound of scrambled eggs.

Ireland Day 6, Part 2: Coastal drive to Doolin town

After winding our way through the Burren, it was time to start thinking about getting to Doolin.  We drove north from Poulnabrone Dolmen up to Ballyvaughan, which is almost due west of Kinvarra (the town just 30 minutes south of Galway which we'd driven through initially).  So, after 5+ hours of travel we'd essentially come as far north again as we'd gone south.  The reason?  A scenic drive, of course!

From Ballyvaughan we followed the coastline west and then southward, taking in beautiful seaside views.  As official "make sure we don't die" driver extraordinaire, Jason had to be careful not to goggle too much.  These roads were very serpentine.

Ireland Day 6, Part 1: Galway to Doolin via the Burren

Phew – the car is fine.  Jason got it repaired this morning – it took no more than 30 minutes and only cost 30 Euro.  The rim was bent, not cracked as I’d originally worried, so it just needed to be hammered back into place.  There was a puncture in the back left tire, so the mechanic patched that up, too.  (Bless his heart, he answered my panicked call to his all-hours number at close to midnight the previous night, which, while posted on his website, he apparently doesn’t get many calls at – it sounded like it was his home phone.)  Now that we're paying more attention, there are a lot of signs for "tyre repair" and safety checks alongside the roads here.  Looks like issues with potholes and bushes are pretty common.

We had another amazing breakfast at the B&B and consulted with our hosts on the best path to take.  They gave us some great tips for restaurants and sights to see along the way, and we were off.