Ballysitteragh

Thursday 15th September
Today was a wash out. I drove over to the Dingle Peninsula with varying degrees of rain all the way. In Dingle I decided to head up to the Connor Pass and see what the weather was like. It was raining and cloudy. But because I can't resist doing a walk I headed westwards over Beenabrack along a grassy, boggy ridge up to Ballysitteragh. And then after lunch I walked all the way back. It rained heavily and the wind blew strongly almost all the way. I got soaked! Just two hours walking was enough to put me off for the rest of the day!

I drove back to Dingle and wandered the streets for an hour before driving around the picturesque Slea Head to get to the Dunquin Youth Hostel. Hopefully I will have better weather tomorow for my last days walk in Ireland over Brandon Mountain. [This picture of Ballysitteragh was taken the following day. I know, that's cheating.]

The Coumloughra Horseshoe

Wednesday 14th September
What started out as pretty awful weather turned out to be an absolute scorcher of a day in absolutely stunning weather. The day started overcast with very low cloud giving a fine mist everywhere. Parking at Breanlee I headed up the concrete track steeply up the hillside; I was soon into the clouds. Turning right the track leveled off and moved across the hillside over varying surfaces round to cross a stream and follow it to a dam. With the weather warming as the sun tried to break through the clouds I crossed the dam and started climbing steeply up the hillside through heather and across rocks. Halfway up I got a shock when I looked to my right and saw a mountain top poking through the clouds. Within minutes more mountains had revealed themselves as the clouds continued to break; blue could soon be seen above me.

Eagerly I continued climbing the steep slope, wearing myself out as I rushed up onto the hilltop. The view before me was a Thermal Inversion with dense clouds filling the valleys and clear blue skies overhead. With great enthusiasm I made my way along the ridge gazing out over the clouds and marveled at the Brocken Spectres on the clouds. I had always heard about these things but never seem one for myself. I felt very privileged. After passing over Skregmore I bypassed Beenkeragh on its north edge and headed across to Knockbrinnea. When this peak had been bagged I headed back across to Beenkeragh climbing steeply over the rocks up to the summit. After lunch I headed across the ridge to Carrauntoohil. This was an exciting and thrilling ridge crossing, especially with the route I took, keeping to the top of the ridge as much as possible. The ridge starts quite easily but later gets quite technical with some rather tough scrambling. It was great fun, I really enjoyed every moment of it. With the views getting better and better with the lifting clouds, and exciting ridge walks this was quickly becoming a very good days walk.

Once the ridge was crossed I headed up on to the top of Carrauntoohil, the highest hill in Ireland. The views were simply amazing. Once I had had enough of the views I headed towards the final ridge across to Caher. While enjoying the narrow, if simplistic ridge I was frustrated by a mist that drifted in from the sea. It didn't last too long, but had done it's worst to obstruct my views while I was on Caher. With no more tops left I resignedly began the long descent down to the bottom of the valley. The mist cleared while I was descending and the sun came out back out. More impressive views could be seen of the whole horseshoe ridge. The last section of the walk involved a boggy crossing back to the dam before I could follow the track back to the road. A great walk, in great weather, I hope my muck stays with me as I head over to the Dingle peninsula tomorrow.

Tomies Mountain & the Gap of Dunloe

Tuesday 13th September
The weather was the biggest factor today, but you couldn't say that it was really bad, it was just windy! Parking up at Kate Kearney's Cottage again I went back down the road over the bridge, up a track on the right into a field with horses in it, and up onto the open hillside. I now had a tough trek through heather, bracken and gorse bushes on ever steepening pathless terrain onto the hill above the Tomies Rock. It was a long hard slog that never seemed to end, but eventually I reached the summit cairn only to find the wind had markedly picked up. Trying to cross to the foot of Tomies Mountain I found that I could barely stand up let alone walk up the path. In an attempt to shelter from the wind I moved around to the lee of the mountain climbing up its northern face to the summit. Any further progress south to the Purple Mountain proved to be impossible. The wind was so strong I couldn't move from the cairn; any attempt to head into the win was an exercise in sheer futility. I quickly realised that I would have to abandon the walk and return to the car by the way I had come. Descending again, now with the wind behind me I headed back down the steep hill from the Tomies Mountain all the way back to Kate Kearney's Cottage.

After lunch in the car I headed up the Gap of Dunloe on the road, walking through the stunning scenery and against the strong wind. My main thought as I made my way up the hill was that it was a shame that a road had been built through such stunning scenery. Now any idiot in a car can drive up there. There is a sign near Kate Kearney's Cottage asking people not to drive up, but from what I saw a lot people just don't take any notice. Typical. Despite the cars, it was still a spectacular walk. Once at the top I turned around and walked all the way back down. As I was driving to the Climber's Inn the heaven's opened. I don't mind it raining now, but I hope the weather is clear tomorrow. I want to go up Carrauntoohil!

The MacGillycuddy's Reeks

Monday 12th September
It was a much longer walk today, over challenging terrain and changing weather conditions. I started off from Kate Kearney's Cottage, a tourist-haven cum pub/restaurant at the foot of the Gap of Dunloe. Walking up the road towards the Gap I veered off to the right up a very good path that zigzagged up the hillside revealing more of the spectacular scenery with every turn. When I reached the top of the ridge the view across the MacGillycuddy's Reeks could be seen plainly with Carrauntoohil standing proud at the end, but it didn't take long for the clouds to obliterate Carrauntoohil with the rest of the ridge quickly following suit; it was going to be one of those days!

With all trace of a path gone I made my way across the boggy plain to the foot of Cnoc an Bháca, jumping across the wide bogs as I went. Just as I began the ascent I realised I had lost my sunglasses, which were in my pocket (the sun had disappeared behind the clouds!).Despondentlyy I made my way back to the bogs remembering my first day in the Lake District three years ago when I lost my glasses onLoughriggg. When a search failed to locate them I dejectedly made my way back to Cnoc an Bháca until I suddenly came across them lying in the grass. Unbelievable that I hadn't seen them when going back to the bog! With great relief I made my way back towards Cnoc an Bháca as the clouds lifted in front of me. Everyone was happy!

Instead of going straight up to the top I contoured the eastern slopes to make for Cnoc na dTarbh. With hindsight I wish I'd missed this out; it's not a very big hill but I had to put a considerable amount of effort into getting to it and returning to Cnoc an Bháca. I was really weary from my exertion, probably due to not eating enough for such a strenuous walk. Feeling better after eating a small snickers bar I headed off along the main ridge past a dip and up the steep rocky ridge up to me first 3,000 footer of Ireland, Cruach Mhór. Surveying my surroundings in the bright sunshine I had my lunch and prepared for the most difficult part of the ridge.

Traversing the rocky ridge I made my way across to The Big Gun scrambling around and over large robstacles onleson the way. Keeping as near the top of the ridge as I dared I made the summit and preparedapred for the next bit. Descending to a col I then began the ascent along the narrow rocky ridge all the way up to Cnoc na Peiste, plunging into the cloud that had been coming up from the south. I tried to stay on the top or at least visit it frequently but eventually I had to abandon it in favour of the easier path that followed to the left. It was still an exciting ridge, almost an edge, and was disappointed when the summit emerged through the clouds.

The difficult section now over I was at the highest point of the walk with a relatively easy grassy ridge walk ahead of me. Since that would have been too easy, even with the clouds obstructing any views, the wind picked up necessitating the donning of my cagoul for the remainder of the walk. Walking along the ridge I passed over Maolán Buí­ and Cnoc an Chuillinn before descending steeply to a col with a rather rather non-descript grassy mound ahead of me (Cnoc na Toinne). Following a path that rose along the southern flanks I reached what I assume was the summit, but since there was nothing to be seen, being in the clouds, I have not way of knowing! With the last hill of the day behind me I descended the narrow grassy ridge down to the foot of Carrauntoohil and the head of the Devil's Ladder.

Leaving Carrauntoohil for another day I began the arduous descent down the Devil's Ladder to Hag's Glen through the badly eroded top end and down the scree slope to the valley floor. After all I'd heard I was expecting worse, but except for the initial bit at the top, which is very bad, the scree was pretty much standard fare and once omovable movale stuff I was skipping and jumping down with carefree abandon. Following the clear track beside the Gladdagh River I made my way to the road-end on the eastern side of the river. There now lay ahead of me a couple of horoadof raod walking as I made my way back to Kate Kearney's Cottage. A lift by a fellow walker after I had already walked 2/3 of the wayalleviatedeviated some of the tedium and hastened the end of what was becoming a very long walk. More tomorrow!

Mangerton Mountain

Sunday 11th September
I'm in Ireland for a Weeks walking in Co. Kerry. I've been really looking forward to this weekend having arrived yesterday evening at Shannon Airport and stayed at a local youth hostel overnight. This morning I drove (in a hired car) over to Kerry and through Killarney. I parked at a viewpoint near Tooreencormick on a minor road off the N71 with my target for the day, Mangerton Mountain clearly in sight across the moorland in the clear weather. Walking to the end of the road I headed off along a track that followed the Finoulagh River up the hill side; although boggy at first it improved as the views across the Killarney National Park and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks revealed themselves.

Eventually coming across an old broken down wall, I followed it's boggy course straight up the hill onto the ridge overlooking the Devil's Punch Bowl, ie a lake. With most of the hard climbing over I was able to enjoy myself as I walked up to the north top of Mangerton before returning to the ridge straight up onto the broad plateau of Mangerton Mountain. After the dramatic northern cliffs that overlook several lochs the flat boggy summit was a bit of a let down. Although distant hills could be seen, hazy in the distance, the plateau rather spoilt the view. Returning to the relatively bog-free northern edge I proceeded east around the top of Horses Glen towards Stoompa. After a somewhat arduous moorland crossing I reached the rock-strewn summit, it's always satisfying to find a splendid cairn on top of a hill. It is much better than the radio mast on Mangerton!

With any trace of a path evaporated I descended the steep, heathery, stony slopes of Stoompa with quite a bit of difficulty. At one point I completely missed my footing and literally went head over heels! Thankfully I survived to tell the tale. There remained now a tiring and frustrating moorland crossing below Lough Garagarry across to the outward path. This was a very challenging section of the walk because I had to get through pathless tracts of heather, bracken, gorse, and I also had a river to cross: the Owgarriff River, which had just enough stones in it to prevent me getting my feet wet. Then when I was almost on the path I came across a fence that was blocking my way; the only way around it was to follow the fence back up the hill and across the Finoulagh River. With considerable relief I arrived at he path and returned to the road and back to my car. Alright, not MY car, but the one I'm using this week. The effect on me was the same whomever the car belongs to.