GAP OF DUNLOE
I know it has been months since we have been in Ireland, but a lot of people are wanting our travel guide to Ireland, and the Gap of Dunloe is way too beautiful not to share and have its own post! Look for our entire Ireland Travel Guide in a couple of weeks, I’ll have all of our tips, tricks, accommodations and favourite spots in one post altogether at the end! So be on the lookout for that if you are planning a trip to the beautiful Emerald Isle!
This stop was by far my favourite stop on our entire trip. It was the only rainy day we had in Ireland our entire trip, but I loved that it was misty and moody. I didn’t think that this stop would be anything significant, but I knew that it was close to Killarney and we would be in the area anyways! I stumbled across this location on instagram, thanks to geo tagging, and I am so glad I did, it was not advertised heavily along the Irish roadways. One little sign pointing us in the way of the Gap, and little did I know that this drive would be my favourite Irish adventure we had. It quickly turns into a single lane road, which sounds scary and dangerous, but you definitely get used to it. There was a handful of people walking instead of driving on the road, which still uncertain as to why people didn’t drive on it, but it made it nice because we only ran into two other people out there, and they were leaving as we were approaching. It was just the two of us and the hundreds of sheep roaming the hillside.
You drive on this windy roads leads you straight to the wishing bridge, beautiful brick and covered in natural green ivory. The rushing water under the wishing bridge and the mountains covered with a fog and mist in the background really just takes your breath away. We of course had to stop and get out to make stopped a wish on the wishing bridge, when in Ireland right? I love all of the Irish proverbs that they so strongly stick to and talk about, the Irish are the friendliest people around, so laid back and just down for a good time, nothing more relaxing and enjoyable then that!
We continued on our journey, but just for another 200 metres and then we pulled our car over into one of the many pullouts they have alongside of their single lane roads. We stayed at this spot probably for an hour, soaking in the gentle and calming waterfalls coming down from the tops of the mountains. Listened to the little sheep “bahhing” I could really listen to that all day, they are too adorable and fluffy not to love! My husband and I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we are used to lush and green all times of the year, the rain just really doesn’t stop sometimes, but Ireland is a whole new level of green, it really is just breathtaking. Their mountains and hillsides are not peppered in trees, they are all covered in emerald grass and dark coloured stone, they are so different then our snow capped mountains, but they are still just as strikingly beautiful!
Of course we took thousands of photos and videos, it is still so fun to look back at those, but like they always say, photos just do not ever do the experience justice. You can drive a long way on this road and it will eventually bring you around the Lough Leane. Here is just a glimpse into what we saw when we drove the magnificent Gap of Dunloe!
Happy Adventuring!
xoxo, Mara
