Our Hike to Eask Tower

May 25, 2014

We woke up this morning and it was DRY and a tiny bit sunny! YEAH!!!! After our delicious breakfast we got organized to get back into the car. Today we were all driving the Dingle Peninsula Loop. The tour book suggested we either drive it by car or bike it - we chose the CAR (especially with 3 children)! 

We left Dingle Town driving along the waterfront. We were only on the loop for about 1km and we pulled off to a side road that connects to a trail up to the Eask Tower. Dingle Bay is so hidden that ships needed the Eask Tower to find its mouth. 

Driving out of Dingle town

We had many moments like this...

...and like this!

We found the entrance to the trail. It was a 2 Euro trail free at the hut but it was unattended, so you are supposed to feed the honor box. We decided to pay on our way back since we were not planning to hike the whole thing. 

We all climbed over the gate looking really pretty and taking lots of pictures...and then Mom C
just lifts up the hatch and walks through! Are you kidding me? She never even mentioned
that the latch worked before we climbed over. 

The trail first go through a sheep farm where we had to watch where we stepped. If you know what I mean? I think we all mainly talked about "poop" for the first part of the hike. 

The views were just amazing and they kept getting better and better

View towards Dingle Town

Zigzagging around sheep and their droppings

MC enjoying the hike

Taking a little rest for photographs

The children were all doing great and they wanted to keep going up the mountain. The trail was steep and even very muddy at certain places. 

A tiny sign just in case you needed help with directions

After about 45 minutes we reached the top! Mom C took K and T the rest of the way up to the Eask Tower. L was exhausted by this point and had to use the bathroom (in the grass!). 

On the way to Eask Tower

Eask Tower was built in 1847 to guide the ships and boats in the mouth of the blind harbor. There is a wooden hand pointing from the Tower, that guides the boats to their destination. The tower told sailors to let their sails down, enabling them to loose speed and to round the harbor mouth safely. The tower is solid stone and is 600 feet above sea level. 

Eask Tower

View of Dingle Bay and Iveragh Peninsula

View of Dingle town from the Eask Tower

After we took hundreds of pictures we started our hike down the mountain. There was a lady waiting for us at the bottom and we then had to pay her our 2 Euro since we did the whole hike. L noticed her dog right away and had to play with her for a little while. 

Best Friends!