Kanturk Hillwalkers and Mountain Climbers | Blog

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...

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 rea...

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...

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...

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 Lak...

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 p...

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 ge...