Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula
 

If you could only do one, would you choose driving the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula and why? What are the real differences between the 2? What would we miss if we only did Dingle?

Thanks!

IMO, what you would miss if you only did the Slea Head Drive on The Dingle P. is traffic.
We did a short part of ROK and couldn't wait to get away from it with all the huge tour buses.

For us, The Slea Head was magical. Absolutely stunning scenery. Yes, there was also trafffic but not so much and not so many buses. We were able to stop and walk around in many places. We stayed out there a long time. Also loved The Connor Pass out of Dingle to Brandon Pt. Not much traffic, winding, mountainous rd. with waterfalls and gorgeous views.

Since we only did a short part of the ROK there may be others with a better opinion of it.

The Inveragh peninsula, Ring of Kerry is nearly 3 times the size of the Dingle peninsula and the Beara Peninsula. To get the most of the "Ring" you need to get off piste away from the regular 50+ seat coach tours.

Dingle Peninsula gets the smaller tour bus's for Slea Head and whilst many warn against the Cliffs of Moher in bad weather few warn about Slea Head. Like Inveragh to get the best from the peninsula you need to explore more than just the 4 places which draw tourists in.

Less known and for me all the better for it Beara is the southern unexploited peninsula with few small tour bus's and even fewer gift shops.

If you want to take a big tour bus stay on the main roads then the Ring is best. Dingle is best if you want a couple of hour mini bus tour of Slea Head. and Beara is best if you want to avoid the crowds and get your shoes muddy.

We had to make the same decision on our first trip to Ireland and we opted for a bus tour around the ROK. I'm not sorry we did. For first timers, it was a lovely experience. We did have a rental car but opted for the bus as we did not want to fight the traffic.

We chose the Dingle Peninsula and loved it. I was driving and was happy not to have to deal with all of the buses on the ROK.

My favorite piece of pottery was from here -
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~helendaly/index.htm#Pottery

I fell in love with the scenery in Ryan's Daughter many years ago and wanted to see the area. We were very glad we chose the Dingle. Gorgeous scenery, easy driving and not very busy at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNlLoPkSaJo

We did the Connor pass to Dingle town and left after getting our tire changed.

Okie, when will you be there? We did both, and also Beara, all very different. We had no problem with traffic on ROK, but we were there the end of September/early October. The Ring of Skellig off of the ROK is also lovely.

We came from the north so we traveled over Connor Pass on the way into Dingle, and explored Dingle Peninsula after lunch. ROK and Skellig the next day.

Are you limited by time?

Tony gave a great synopsis. All three are gorgeous, but the ROK is the 'star' and therefore gets most of the attention. The second time I was on ROK, there was a huge bicycle race, going the same direction we were - it was maddening, because they took over the road. Couldn't pass them (winding roads) and they wouldn't stop 'clustering' to let us by. We finally pulled off at Valentia Island and let them all go past.

Beara is sublime, but understated compared to the others. Much more wild, unspoiled, and less infrastructure for tourists (pubs, restaurants, petrol stations, etc.). Don't let that deter you - it's glorious!

ROK is bigger than the other two, and does have some fantastic bits. Valentia Island, Ballinskelligs beach and Skellig Michael are among my favorites. And Strawberry Fields - a crepe/tea restaurant hidden on the mountain!

Dingle is, IMHO, a mix between the other two. Smaller, gorgeous, with a couple nice spots like the beehive huts, the Celtic Prehistoric Museum, Gallerus Oratory, Conor Pass, and of course, Slea Head. Do explore the north of the peninsula if you go - Brandon point is breathtaking.

We drove the Dingle Peninsula because it sounded more "doable" than the Ring of Kerry. We thought it was lovely.

We were in one of those tour buses doing the Ring of Kerry a couple of years ago; wouldn't do it again, especially in a private car. True, there were a few lovely areas but not as spectacular as I'd heard or expected and the traffic was very bad.

The choice is easy really, the ROK has much more to offer. Don't get me wrong Dingle is stunning and was there twice in the last month but there is so much to see and do on the ROK. depends on what you are into...driving or getting out for a walk, kayak trip , etc

take your time and see all the sights. ...i see too many people doing the ring in one day from Killarney!!! Don't forget to get out of your car too and explore some place off the normal tourist radar

For example, I would visit the Culoo Cliffs on Valentia Island and Cahergal Stone Fort near Cahersiveen (both of which are not on popular travel guides). few other examples http://www.activeme.ie/guides/drivin...guide-ireland/

enjoy and if you pick Dingle then don't miss the Conor Pass drive, hike Mount Brandon or around it, and walk or surf on Irelands longest sandy beach between Brandon and Tralee

Conor Pass is sublime, but give yourself more than one chance to see it. Mist is endemic, and we could see nothing until our third trip! Valentia island is gorgeous. We hiked up the one end to see the Skelligs in the distance.

Dingle, without any doubt. I've done both and found the Slea Head drive on Dingle to far more enjoyable, less crowded, and almost devoid of iron elephants (tour busses). Dingle is shorter, and allows for more time to stop and get out.

If you decide on the ROK, starting early, going counterclock wise, and adding the Skellig Ring. The Skellig rig is worthwhile on itas own, but with an early start and headed in the opposite direction of the buses, many of them will pass while you are on the Skellig ring, and you will have avoided many of them when you get back to the ROK.

Tour bus's go round the RoK anti/counter clockwise as does all heavy traffic. That's the reason the Kerry tourist office advises taking the same direction so some poor soul in a Hertz micro mobile doesn't take one of the blind bends head on into the front of an oncoming truck or coach.