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Showing posts from 2018

Club Bus Trip To Sneem

  On Sunday Oct. 28th the Club had a Bus trip to do part of The Kerry Way Stage from Sneem to Kenmare. Again we left town at 8am with a good travelling party of 14 to head off to West Kerry and our starting point of the Blackwater bridge. As usual with our club we use Kealy's Coaches  who always offer us a good service and a luxury bus for our trip.   Our destination was the Blackwater Bridge between Kenmare & Sneem which was our starting point of our walk on the Kerry Way walking route which goes all around the famed Ring of Kerry. No matter how many times you come here you still marvel at the beauty of this part of the country. Our walk started along the shoreline of Kenmare Bay and looking across at the Beara Peninsula and other places we have been earlier in the year.  After a while we came back onto the main Ring of Kerry Road until around Templenoe we veered onto country roads and a bit of climbing as well but this left us with complete views over the Kenmare b

Cardiac Steps and Torc Mountain

On Sunday 14 Oct on a beautiful clear morning, with a slight touch of frost we left town at 08.30. We were headed to Muckross House in Killarney. As the morning fog along the Blackwater valley burned off, the Derrynasaggart mountains were in sharp relief against a blue sky to our left, in front of us the Reeks could be seen. Arriving at Muckross we changed into our gear,and went to the cafe for tea / coffee. Outside the windows the lush parklands stretched out before us, with Torc Mountain as a backdrop. The summit of Torc Mountain at 535 meters was to be the highest point of our walk. The first part of the walk took us through gravel paths on level ground before we crossed the N 71. Then we were climbing gradually through woodland and finally we reached the path on our left. This is the start of what seems a never ending stone staircase. Up and up they go all the while fantastic views of the lakes coming into view behind us. On our right buried somewhere in the dense unde

Cumeengeera Horseshoe

Now that my biro has dried out the blog can finally be written. On Saturday 15 Sept. the club had originally planned to do the Gougane Barra loop,however it was changed to the Cumeengeera Horseshoe route. This is in the rugged Beara peninsula bordering Cork and Kerry. We set off westwards towards Kenmare on a dry morning. Arriving in Kenmare we stopped for tea / coffee, before heading through Lauragh and to the start of the hike at Shronebirrane stone circle. This is at the head of Rabach’s glen.  Called after Cornelius “Rabach” o Sullivan. Rabach means violent in Irish and Con earned his nickname well. In 1800 he murdered a sailor who called to his door one bad stormy wet night looking for shelter. He later murdered a woman who had witnessed the crime and had threatened to inform the police. Eventually he was caught and hanged in Tralee Gaol in 1831.... We climbed the Horseshoe in an anti clockwise direction. The weather was excellent but the climb was a thigh burning slog to reach t

Caherconree & Club Barbecue

For the club outing on Sunday 02/09/18 we travelled west to Camp in County Kerry. Our walk was to the summit of Caherconree. 835 meters over sea level this is the second highest mountain in the Slieve Mish mountains and is the 26 th highest peak in Ireland...lt was a bright clear day when we left town at 08.00.... Someone said the forecast was for passing showers in the Dingle peninsula...how right they were...they omitted however to say how long it would take them to pass. Approaching Blenerville there was a beautiful rainbow over the windmill. But the summit of Caherconree was shrouded in cloud..We stopped here to have coffe / tea. Refreshed we continued to Camp village and turned left up bothhar na gCloch ( Road of the Stones ). Parking up there was some rain so we put on our wet gear... Conditions underfoot were quite boggy and as we made our way uphill the rain became persistent and heavy.. eventually reaching cloud level visibility was reduced and we arrived at the remains o

Carrauntoohill Climb

On Sunday 19th August we headed west for our walk. Leaving town at 08.00 we journeyed to Killarney,where we met up with some more members. Unlike previous walks the gender balance was biased towards the men.We had a break for tea / coffee and then set of in convoy for Cronin’s yard. Here after some more refreshments, we finally worked out the logistics of conveying our group to the start of the walk at the hydro road, and returning transport to Cronin’s yard for the end of walk. There should be an app for this... Finally kitted out we started the thigh burning climb up the hydro road. This is a steep hard slog up the slope of Cnoc Iochtar. After awhile the path turns right and the climb eases off. Eventually you cross a gate and arrive at the old hydro dam at Lough Iochtar at 438 meters.Crossing the outlet we set our course South across some boggy ground then turning South South Eastwards to gain the ridge leading to Caher West top at 975 meters. On our left 500 meters b

Coumshingaun loop

For the club outing on Sunday 5th August we travelled east to County Waterford. We left town at 08.00 headed to Kilclooney wood. Stopping  in the heritage town of Lismore for tea /coffee. The weather was a little overcast, but with a promise of sun. Arriving at an overflowing car park at Kilclooney we were lucky to find parking. It was evident that more people than us had heard the call of the hills... We changed into our hiking gear, and took the path that meanders through the forest.Reaching a forest road we turned right, and passed the fake tree which disguises a communication mast. Eventually we reached a stile and turning left up a boulder strewn dry river bed.. Then the serious climb began. Our first destination was a prominent rock shaped like a rabbit, or frog depending on how vivid  your imagination is...This was a conversation killer and we made steady progress... Reaching the rock we made our way to the rocky ridge that rises to the south of Coumshingaun Lake.This is

Gleninchaquin Park

The club outing on Sunday 29 July was to Gleninchaquin Park in the north west side of the beautiful Beara Peninsula. We left town at  08.00 in some what overcast conditions, with a smattering of rain. Undaunted we travelled west towards Barraduff. Turning for Glenflesk then through Healy Rea country . We stopped in Kenmare for coffee / tea and to stretch our legs. Refreshed we carried on. Turning  left after a few miles into Gleninchiquin Valley. This long narrow coomb valley was formed approx 70000 years ago by glaciers. The roadway into the head of the valley is a winding torturous route, a test of driving skills which thankfully all our drivers passed with flying colors. By now the weather had brightened, and with Cloonee Loughs  and Inchaquin lake to our right and the majestic 140 meter waterfall tumbling down to the valley floor in front of us, we knew we were in for a treat. After the recent rain the waterfall was in full spate. Reaching the car park we changed

Mount Brandon

On Sunday July 8th the club outing was to Mount Brandon in the Dingle Peninsula. At 952 meters this mountain is just 86 meters shy of Carrauntoohil. It is a formidable mountain and it dominates the peninsula. Rising up from sea level to its majestic summit. Leaving town at 08.00 on a bright morning, we had high hopes that we would have cloudless views from the summit. The mountain is notorious for its cloud covered head. We had reports that the summit had been  clear all week. We stopped at a filling station in Blenerville for coffee / tea and  to meet up with members who had travelled from other areas. A few kilometers outside Tralee we met some light rain. Imagine in Ireland it was a talking point in the car....we had actually seen some rain..the sky darkened. After some time the sky brightened again. Passing through Cloghane we turned left up to our starting point at Faha. Here we got lucky as we found enough room to park in the small car park. Changing into our gear we cou

Night climb Up The West Pap

On Saturday 23 June the annual Club nighttime climb took place. Our destination was the West Pap. As the last of the night owls were heading to their beds we left town at 01.00 heading for Clonkeen. We passed through the sleeping towns and villages eventually arriving at the parking spot at the start of the climb. Initially, there was great interest in the climb, but people dropped out one by one, until there were only four left all male. We were amply rewarded for our efforts. At the car park, we geared up and fitted our head torches. The night was balmy as we made our way upwards. As we gained altitude the twinkling lights of Killarney came into view. We proceeded at a steady pace as conditions underfoot were excellent and the route was gradual. Time on our side we decided to rest up in the lee of a rocky outcrop and had some refreshments.We didn’t want to summit too early. We had the mountain to ourselves save for a few startled sheep, whose eyes glowed in our headl

Ballycotton Cliff walk

On Sunday 24 June the club travelled to the village of Ballycotton. Leaving town at 09.00 we travelled to the beautiful rich countryside of East Cork. We parked up at Bayview Hotel and had the usual cuppa in the outdoors area overlooking a Mediterranean blue sun-kissed sea. We then proceeded uphill to the start of the cliff walk. Ballycotton being a fishing village has had its fair share of sea tragedy . A stark reminder at the start of the walk of how unforgiving the sea can be is a plaque to a young skipper who lost his life in 2006. Also at the start is the decommissioned lifeboat the Mary Stanford which served in Ballycotton from 1930 to 1959 saving many lives during that time. This boat and it’s crew took part in the ledgendary rescue of the Daunt Rock lightship which broke it's moorings in the 7 Feb. 1936 bringing all eight crew members home. For their efforts, the crew were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for bravery. The boat also got a medal for gallantry, t

Old Kenmare Road

The Old Kenmare Road was described in 1750 as a Grand Jury Road by Charles Smith. It was built by subscription to link Killarney to the sea.It was known as the Glanerought Road. The road was in regular use up to 150 years ago. The club walk on Sunday was on this ancient trail. Leaving Kanturk at 08.00 we headed for Muckross House where we parked up. Then got on the pre booked bus for Kenmare. The weather was glorious.We headed up through Molls Gap and Ladies View soon we were in Kenmare. The bus took us to the town land  of Goulane. This eliminated a few kilometers of road walking. The steep road soon gave way to a rough track and behind us the views over Kenmare Bay opened up. The Beara Peninsula off in the distance. The faint outline of the Skellig could be seen. Upwards we went until we reached the Windy Gap, here we stopped to take in the views, and some water.At 300 meters this is the highest point of the walk. Peakeen mountain to the West and Knockanaguish to the East. The Win

Cork Walking Week Trip Around Clara Mountain

On Sunday 20 May the club hosted a walk in conjunction with Cork Walking Week. The walk was the Clara loop walk which is 10 klms long. Using the power of social media and some old fashioned posters we advertised in the area. We timed the walk for 13.30 with registration at 13.15 in the GAA Hall in Millstreet. This was new territory for us and we weren’t sure how many to expect. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors we had an ample supply of fruit, chocolate bars and water available for all walkers. The turnout was better than expected. It was great to see so many people, young and not so young  interested in doing the walk. After registration and a quick talk on the rules for the day we headed out of town, down the Clara road. Passing the grotto we turned left and continued for 500 meters before turning right into Mount Leader wood. Through the wood until we reached a stile. Our trail then skirted the forestry. We eventually came to a gate which led to open mountain and the summ

Glanageenty Forest Trail

As it turned out this weekend we had to rearrange our plans due to circumstances but our tour of south Munster still rolled on & we ended up doing the Glanageenty Forest trail in Ballymagelligot  just after Castleisland.  On an absolute fantastic morning which was warm with clear blue skies & this left us great views all the way back to Mount Brandon & Tralee Bay on one side & The Paps on the other side with Carrauntoohill & The Reeks straight ahead of us. There is really only one thing to say , on a sunny day like Sunday we live in a great country.  One thing you do notice about this trail is that it is steeped in history as you will find out with all the palques & signs.  The walk itself was perfect & has a bit of everything with a few short but testing climbs & then into valleys as our route contoured up & down with sometimes in the wide open & next trailing through a forest.  Not much more to say but a great visit topped up with a

Crohane Mountain

On Sunday 6th May ( Dromtarriffe Well Day ) the club walk was on Crohane mountain the second most easterly summit in the Mangerton mountains. At 650 meters it looms over Glenflesk. We left town at 09.30 and continued to Glenflesk where we stopped for coffee /tea. We car pooled from here as there was limited parking at our destination. None of us had done this mountain previously so it was a new experience. We continued on the N22 to a junction to our left with a sign for Lough Guitane. Turning left here we continued until we came to a tarmac lane on our left. Parking up here we changed and made our way down towards Lough Guitane. Hugging the Mediterranean blue water to our right and Bennaumore straight ahead we continued on the lane. Eventually our way was blocked by a fence so we veered left up the slope of Crohane. There was no clear path so we had to find our own way. We zig zagged up, it was a tough enough slog, but the views that opened up as we gained altitude, more than

Galtymore

On Sunday 22/04 we headed East to the Galty Mountains for the club walk. We left town at 09.00 and continued on to Kings yard, which was the starting point of our climb. The Galty mountains traverse the Limerick Tipperary border and run from East to West. At 919 meters Galtymore is the highest inland mountain in Ireland. Leaving Kings yard we headed North East to link up with the Black road. On the slopes to our left there appeared to be some evidence of “lazy beds” which were used in the growing of potatoes before the great Famine of 1845. It would also appear that the mountain was home to a good number of people in the past, judging by the number ruins on its slopes. Reaching the Black road we went north along the track.Conditions were excellent for walking and we made steady progress. It was a very gradual ascent. There were great views southward to the Knockmealdowns. In the distance the the rounded summit of Galtymore our destination loomed ahead. Reaching a cairn it was dec

St. Finbars Pilgrim Route -Kealkill To Gougane Barra

On Sunday 8th April the club walk was the Kealkill to Gougane Barra section of the Saint Finbarr’s Way. After leaving town at 09.15 we made our way to Gougane Barra, where we had coffee and left a car with our change of clothes. We then continued to Kealkill to begin our walk. As it was Pilgrim Path week the car park was full so we had to park in the village. We started at Carriganass  ( Rock of the waterfall ) Castle. This castle was an outpost of Donal Cam O’Sullivan Beare. After the battle of Kinsale in 1602, having lost control of his strongholds in Dunboy and Dursey. He led his band of 1000 followers past this castle in mid winter, on a tragic journey to Leitrim. Attacked by both Irish and English on the way only 35 arrived in Leitrim 14 days later. We continued up the road past the castle climbing all the way. After after a little Bantry Bay can be seen.  Two and a half kilometers later we leave the road crossing a stile on our left, climbing steeply towards Knockbreteen hi