Kanturk Hillwalkers and Mountain Climbers | Blog

On Sunday 16 June 2019 the club walk was the Devil’s Punchbowl circuit in the majestic Mangerton mountain range.Mangerton is the only mountain visible from the Main Street in Killarney. We left town at 08.30 and travelled west. The day was dry and sunny. The forecast was for showers at 12.30. We arrived at the starting point and geared up. Initially we walked on level wet ground through Cormicks haggard which was the site of a famous battle in 1262 when the McCarthys halted the Norman invasion into the kingdom. We continued southwards up the northern slopes of Mangerton at a brisk pace now gaining altitude. To our right the lakes were spread out below. With Killarney off in the distance. Underfoot conditions were reasonably good and we made steady progress. Stopping now and then to admire the views , and give our lungs a chance. Soon the terrain leveled off and we contoured south west for a while. We then veered south to bring us to approx mid way above the Devil’s Punchbowl. A sti...

On Sunday 25 March the club outing was to Killarney. Our intention was to do Mangerton / Stoompa loop. We set off from town at 09.00 everyone had remembered to put their clocks forward. We arrived at Tooreencormick and parked up. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were a good number of hill walkers about. It’s good to see so many people heading for the hills. Safety being paramount in the club, we had dispatched a member to scout out the terrain earlier in the morning. Due to the previous heavy rain and melting snow, there was a possibility that the Owgarriff river which would have to be crossed after Stoompa might be in flood. The scout was to do the route in reverse and meet us on top of Mangerton. The clubs two way radios were put into action. Leaving the car park we headed off through Cormacks Haggard resplendend in our new snoods courtesy of Flahavan’s. “The perfect food for hillwalkers”. Conditions underfoot were muddy for the first couple hundred meters. We made stead...

On Wed 27/12/17 the club outing was to Mangerton Mountain. Leaving town at 09.30 we headed for Killarney the roads were dodgy but drivable with care. The weather looked ok. After Barraduff we ran into a heavy shower of hail but decided to continue. Before reaching Killarney the sky brightened. We parked up at the trail head where already there was a few cars and people about. We changed into our gear and started the climb, conditions underfoot were quite muddy, and a few hundred meters in we got a shower of hail, which thankfully cleared. Onwards and upwards we went through Cormacs Haggard where here in 1262 Cormac Mac Cartaigh defeated the Anglo Norman FitzGeralds. However Cormac lost his life in the melee. As we ascended conditions underfoot got better we made steady progress each meter gained helping to shed the Christmas excesses, Turkey, plump pudding, trifle,beer wine evaporating as we crunched our way through the snow.The talking stopped and all that could be heard above the...

On Saturday we got back out again after a few weeks of a break due to lots of other things on and one really bad Sunday of wind and rain, so it was great to get out for some fresh air and scenery . The chose destination was Mangerton in Killarney . I know we come here a bit but the beauty never ceases to amaze, when you get a clear morning up this mountain the views over looking the lakes and into the distance takes your breath away, which may not be hard considering the hard first section of this mountain. On Saturday we had 6 which included a new member, which was good as 2 of our stalwarts were out of the country for a christening, from all of us Anna we hope you have a great time while you are in your homeland. The weather on this morning was clear, maybe a bit cold but dry for most of our trip. One thing I had to do on the way back was to stop and take a picture of Caherbanagh. The day had to be good after that view.We made reasonably good time up, we may not be the...

We took off on our first trip of the year to Mangerton near Killarney.To get there you go out the Muckross Rd. and turn left after Molly Darcys pub, so it is not too far away. Torc seen from Mangrton path The first thing we noticed yesterday when we arrived at the starting point was the amount of cars that were there, I have often been here both in Winter and Summer but never had to conquer a parking problem like the one on Sunday. Working off the Christmas and New Years Resolutions, I suppose they had a big bearing on the parking issues. We had 9 in total that is including a few young boys so we had a nice handy crew for our first day out in the year and hopefully we will have more the next day out. Going up to the Punch Bowl The reason why we chose Mangerton was there is a defined stony path nearly all the way to the top and once you get over the first few hundred yards you are nearly over all the really mucky parts and that is one major advantage Mangerton ...

Yesterday 7 of us went on climb up Mangerton, a mountain reached by going out the Muckross Rd. out of Killarney and turning left after Molly Darcy's Pub and then following the signs. Mangerton is a relatively safe mountain to climb once you take the usual necessary precautions like checking the forecast and having the right gear & some food & water. The one thing I find handy if unsure is to go at a busy time like a Saturday or Sunday morning as if need be you can tow in with others or least there are others in the vicinity. This Climb started off very foggy but after a while we seemed to be over the fog but yet still under the cloud but visibility was reasonably good but we were still waiting for the cloud to lift or blow away , but on this morning there was absolutely no breeze at all and it was virtually completely calm . After a brief stop at the Punch Bowl we got to the top where it was very cloudy so much so we passed the turn off to go back down by over a 100 ...