what's the Killarney to Dingle road like via Inch

seefin

Novice driver and my first big trip solo next weekend. I think I'll be grand, just wondered are there very narrow,windy, mountainy roads on the approach to Dingle ie will I have to drive something like the Connor pass ??

No. All grand.

Just watch past Inch where you meet a T Junction to connect up with the main Tralee Dingle road. It kinda comes up pretty quickly, and have had to slam on the brakes...or maybe that's just me being so used to the old road.

dobman88

No. As Conor said it's a grand enough road. A couple of twists and turns just after Inch but nothing major. Just drive at a speed comfortable for you and you'll be grand.

Enjoy.

seefin

Thanks for that. Was in horrors would end up on a stretch with constant bends and a sheer drop !!!!

.red.

Its a beautiful drive. Couple of sharp, hair pin bends going uphill but hit them slowly in 2nd gear and all is fine. If its a good day its a really nice spin.
The conor pass isnt too bad. Its narrow in places but its a slow road so you wont have people up your rear trying to overtake. The thoughts of it woud probably scare a novice but due to the slow speeds its easier than youd imagine as long as your ok with hill starts. Again its a beautiful spin.

seefin

I won't be looking at any scenery with the stress of it all !!!!

lottpaul

Just beware of the bridge at Listry church. It's very narrow and only really wide enough for one car at a time. Just approach it slowly and yield if someone is closer to it than you are. It's not too bad though.
Then in Milltown you come to a stop sign in what seems to be the middle of the Main street! You have to stop and yield to traffic coming to and from Killorglin. It's not difficult at all but I've seen people being unsure because you're yielding to traffic coming from what seems to be a side street.

(Faha is a great spot for speed cameras but something tells me that might not be an issue for you )

Otherwise it's a very level road most of the way to Inch. After that it starts to climb but is ironically a better, wider road.
You'll be fine. Very little daytime traffic on that road at this time of the year and allow yourself time to stop and get out to admire the view, especially from Inch to Dingle

seefin

Thanks everyone!! And no fear of me with speed cameras unless I'm on dual carriageway when it's way too easy to break limit!

dohouch

Has everyone forgotten the stretch between Castlemaine and Inch. Awful, it is straight yes,

BUT, it's narrow, has lots of house/farm entrances, and worst of all is its undulating nature meaning oncoming cars disappear into dips and then reappear again.

BUT
then the stretch from Inch to the main road at Annascaul is one of my favourite pieces of road, normally as a cyclist but also as driver, majestic.

POI. the house here

52°08'09.8"N 10°03'13.9"W

where Bishop Casey and Annie Murphy, watched the sun set on the Irish Catholic Church.

Jippo

dohouch wrote: »

Has everyone forgotten the stretch between Castlemaine and Inch. Awful, it is straight yes,

BUT, it's narrow, has lots of house/farm entrances, and worst of all is its undulating nature meaning oncoming cars disappear into dips and then reappear again.

I would like to second this. I can't understand how there are not more serious accidents on that particular stretch of road.

seefin

If I go really slow along this stretch I should be fine though???

dobman88

seefin wrote: »

If I go really slow along this stretch I should be fine though???

Just drivee to your own comfort level. It's really not as bad as it's being made out to be here. Stay at a speed you're comfortable with and you'll be fine. That applies to all roads, not just this one.

seefin

dobman88 wrote:

Just drivee to your own comfort level. It's really not as bad as it's being made out to be here. Stay at a speed you're comfortable with and you'll be fine. That applies to all roads, not just this one.

Thanks. Yeah the only kind of road I really want to avoid is a narrow one where nowhere to pass another car and a steep drop !!

Ciarrai76

seefin wrote: »

Thanks. Yeah the only kind of road I really want to avoid is a narrow one where nowhere to pass another car and a steep drop !!

You don't need to go the Conor pass road to Dingle, and you won't go that way if you are going via Inch anyway as you would be coming into Annascaul from Inch and onto Dingle. The road that turns off for the Conor Pass is more from the Tralee direction.

When you are coming out of Dingle on the way back, just take the main road you came in on. Its fine, just take your time.

RiderOnTheStorm

welcome to the world of driving seefin! dont worry, it gets easier the more you do it. you are doing a great trip with Killarney to Dingle. Try to enjoy it, its very beautiful, and you will feel like a champ when you finish it (with no incidents, I am sure!). Like prev posters said, just drive at speed you are comfortable with, and stay to your own side of the road. You will be grand !!!

Maybe stop now and again to enjoy the view and let the fingers un-curl from the wheel! Annascaul is a great spot for a coffee and a leg stretch, as its home to the South Pole Inn, the final chapter in Tom Crean's life. You are fairly close to Dingle at this point, so maybe its too close to stop. Maybe Castlemaine for a cuppa? Its the home of the wild colonial boy afterall ....

Lastly, dont forget to pop back here and let us know how you got on! :-)

seefin

Will do .thanks all !!

weisses

Once you get to Dingle ..Its safe to drive up the conor pass and go to the car park on the left ...It has some fabulous views and you can take the same road back to dingle ...The road is Is nice and wide

dobman88

So how did you do?

seefin

Hi there, my dog sitter fell through so had to cancel after all that. Easter weekend now. I checked on Google maps and the hills close to Dingle are a bit daunting alright but otherwise I'd say I'll be grand. Are you climbing for miles and miles ie would I have to be in second gear for a good bit?

Ciarrai76

seefin wrote: »

Hi there, my dog sitter fell through so had to cancel after all that. Easter weekend now. I checked on Google maps and the hills close to Dingle are a bit daunting alright but otherwise I'd say I'll be grand. Are you climbing for miles and miles ie would I have to be in second gear for a good bit?

No, its not that steep! Its more the hairpin bends which will slow you down, but its not that bad a road. Driven in plenty of times & in snowy conditions! No need to panic over it.

seefin

Thanks so much. Roll on the time when I feel capable of any new driving experience and dont feel i have to plan this stuff out!

dobman88

seefin wrote: »

Thanks so much. Roll on the time when I feel capable of any new driving experience and dont feel i have to plan this stuff out!

Nothing wrong with planning things out. Safety first and all that. Kudos to you imo.

Lia_lia

I'm also a novice driver (passed test at end of January, driving since July!). Drove from Cork to Killarney to Sneem via Molls gap last weekend. Then drove from Sneem to Caherdaniel and back to Killarney/Cork. Was a bit freaked about Molls gap. But was grand! Used to the hills from Cork. Quite bendy though. Once you go slow it's okay. Never driven to Dingle but I've driven to Milltown a few times and it's fine. Just take it handy and take no notice of eejits driving up your arse..

Ciarrai76

Lia_lia wrote: »

I'm also a novice driver (passed test at end of January, driving since July!). Drove from Cork to Killarney to Sneem via Molls gap last weekend. Then drove from Sneem to Caherdaniel and back to Killarney/Cork. Was a bit freaked about Molls gap. But was grand! Used to the hills from Cork. Quite bendy though. Once you go slow it's okay. Never driven to Dingle but I've driven to Milltown a few times and it's fine. Just take it handy and take no notice of eejits driving up your arse..

Those egits will drive up anyone's arse, no matter how fast or slow you are going....they just don't know how to drive! LOL
Hate tailgaters with a passion!!!

seefin

Lia_lia wrote:

I'm also a novice driver (passed test at end of January, driving since July!). Drove from Cork to Killarney to Sneem via Molls gap last weekend. Then drove from Sneem to Caherdaniel and back to Killarney/Cork. Was a bit freaked about Molls gap. But was grand! Used to the hills from Cork. Quite bendy though. Once you go slow it's okay. Never driven to Dingle but I've driven to Milltown a few times and it's fine. Just take it handy and take no notice of eejits driving up your arse..

Jaysus,I feel like a total wimp now!! No way on earth would I think of doing molls gap . You're right though about the cork hills- i'm well used to hill starts !!! I hate when see tailback behind me. Was coming back from kinsale at weekend and was probably doing 70 in an 80 zone. Pulled over twice to let cars pass,i felt that guilty !! I'm like that outside of driving though,hate anyone to be pissed off with me

Lia_lia

seefin wrote: »

Jaysus,I feel like a total wimp now!! No way on earth would I think of doing molls gap . You're right though about the cork hills- i'm well used to hill starts !!! I hate when see tailback behind me. Was coming back from kinsale at weekend and was probably doing 70 in an 80 zone. Pulled over twice to let cars pass,i felt that guilty !! I'm like that outside of driving though,hate anyone to be pissed off with me

Haha don't worry, you're not a wimp at all. This driving business is pretty scary at the start! I plan out pretty much every new journey I haven't done before on Google maps streetview beforehand. Give me Molls Gap over Cork city at rush hour any day, though. Took me an hour to get from the North Mall to Wilton today..ugh!

I know what you mean by people tailgating. I used to also pull in for people when driving from Cork to Killarney (my hometown!) at the start. Now I am so used to the road that I am always at the speed limit. Amazing how many people still overtake you though at the speed limit!

Quackster

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

Those egits will drive up anyone's arse, no matter how fast or slow you are going....they just don't know how to drive! LOL
Hate tailgaters with a passion!!!

I would say to anyone that if some eejit is driving up your arse (or if it's just a case of you driving slower than the traffic building up behind you), then the best and safest thing to do for all concerned is to pull over at the next safe opportunity and let the traffic pass.

Your nerves will thank you for it.