Kanturk Hillwalkers and Mountain Climbers | Blog

On Sunday 8th September the club walk was in Gougane Barra. We left town at 08.30 on a dry autumnal day. Reaching our destination we parked up and had tea / coffee at the restaurant overlooking the tranquil waters of the lake. We made our way by the lake, before turning north along a narrow road to reach a gate that gave access to the mountain. Conditions underfoot were not great, it was wet and boggy as we started our ascent. There is no defined path here and our aim was to make the crest of the ridge. As we progressed, the ground didn’t get any better in fact it got worse. Coarse grass , covering knee jarring holes and slippery rock. Then there was some rain and in the mist visibility was not great. On a clear day the views would have been worth the hard slog, but not today. After some time we rested up and had some refreshments. Continuing through the inhospitable ground conditions , we trudged along. Eventually our progress was brought to an abrupt halt , as we came to a...

On Sunday August 25 the club walk was on Knocknatobar mountain. Situated north east of Caherciveen. The mountain stands against the prevailing south west winds that carry rain in from the Atlantic. Fresh water springs out of the ground in many places, giving the mountain it’s name Knocknatobar ( Hill of the Wells ). Rising to 690 meters its the 32 nd highest in Ireland. At the foot of the mountain is a holy well called Saint Furseys which is reputed to have a cure for eye complaints. Leaving town at 08.30 we made our way westwards. The day was dry. We stopped in Glenbeigh at the Towers hotel for some tea / coffee and also managed to get a scone eventually. Arriving at our destination we put on our gear, our route was the pilgrimage path to the summit. This has been a place of pilgrimage for millennia, from pre Christian Era to present time. In 1884 / 1885 the fourteen stations of the Cross were erected along the path that zig zags to the summit. A large cross and altar were erecte...

On Sunday July 28th the Club Outing was to Carrauntoohill. As usual we left Kanturk at 8.30am to meet up at the staring point at Cronin's Yard . For a minimal charge this place is very handy in that you can a have a cuppa before you start if you want, a place to change your gear or have a shower after, your car and belongings are safe and you have a fine newly refurbished cafe to come back to afterwards. Our chose route was by the Brother O'Sheas Gully route which was very suitable to the group of 17 that we had with a good cross section of our members in that it gave everyone a good chance to do the climb. There is no easy way to climb Carrauntoohill. This route named after a local Brother O'Shea is the second most popular route to the top. The weather at this point was overcast, cloudy and misty with an odd drizzle thrown in. After leaving Cronin's Yard we made our way out along before we turned right for our route passing near the rescue hut & the ju...

  On Sunday 14 July ( Bastille day) Vive la France, the club outing was to Killarney. In Mediterranean type weather we left a town at 08.30. We travelled to Mucross house where we parked up. We headed  for Torc waterfall and continued up the steps, to join the Old Kenmare road. As we were a large group we formed into two smaller groups. The first group then went ahead with the second group to follow after an interval of 10 minutes.  The second group had some navigational issues to find the Kenmare road and after a vigorous work out we eventually got on track. The sun shone from a cloudless azure sky as we made our way along the valley between Torc and Mangerton, with the Owengarriffe river to our left. Then on to Esknamucky glen between Cromuglan  and  Stumpacommeen mountains. Reaching the junction for Galways bridge we followed the path to Derrycunnihy church by the N71. We rested here and crossed the busy road onto the path for Lord Brandon’s cottage. The...

On Sunday 30 June 2019 the club walk was the Coumshingaun lake loop walk in East Waterford. Leaving town at 08.30 we drove the picturesque Blackwater valley,through the towns of Mallow, Fermoy into County Waterford. On then to the heritage town of Lismore with it’s castle , Irish home to the Duke of Devonshire . The Comeraghs are between the towns of Clonmel and Carrick on Suir in Tipperary and the villages of Kilmackthomas and Kilrossanty in Waterford. Finally reaching Leamybrien we stopped for tea / coffee at the busy Applegreen service station. Refreshed we continued on to Kilclooney Wood. Parking up we changed into our hiking gear. The car park was full. The fine weather had brought the people out , and like ourselves they had answered the call of the hills. We made our way through some forestry and reaching a forest road we turned right past a fake tree disguising a telecommunications mast. Then over a style turning west we headed for a rock formation that to some looked l...

On Saturday 22 June the Summer Solstice club walk was up the West Pap. As the last of the night owls staggered homewards , we left town at 02.00 heading west to Clonkeen. The Paps are associated  with the goddess Danu she was known of throughout Europe as well as Ireland.The Paps have been the site of Pagan rituals for thousands of years. Speeding through the sleeping countryside we arrived at our destination, the southern  slopes of the Paps. Parking up we donned our gear complete with head torches. First we walked up a forestry road before crossing a gate onto open mountain. There is a fairly sharp incline for a while. Eventually we pass a gate and contoured in a South westerly direction. We then turned north and followed a reasonably defined track. By now visibility was greatly reduced as we were walking in fog. However we made steady progress , gaining altitude with every step. Unlike last year ,we couldn’t see the lights of any village or town. Our vision confined to the ...

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...