A Delightful Run On Country Lanes

Today while Margaret was touring the renowned Derreen Gardens near Lauragh I availed of the opportunity  and went for a run on a 16 kilometer loop from the car. To say the least I have been lacking in discipline and training of late and as the pounds have gone on my appetite for real outdoor effort has waned. Still I was feeling good and as I started off down through the old forested road I was enjoying myself and looking forward to the challenge. I was soon in the hamlet of Lauragh and here I turned left onto the most lovely little road that wend and wound its undulating way upwards to the pass to the east of the pretty hill called Knockatee 330mtrs. The run was at times fairly steep and my lack of training was showing but I persevered and I was somewhat relieved to finally reach the pass. Here I turned left and made a quick detour to the summit. A brief drenching from a passing squall didn't dampen my delight at the stunning panorama that was on show. To the north the entire Everagh Peninsula was laid out before me and on the other side the stunning mountains of the Beara Peninsula were equally pleasing. I had to try and capture a few pictures with my phone and that done I set off down for the road and continued on my way.

The view over Kilmakillioge harbour

Cummengeera

A great little mountain

It was great to run at my ease down the road from the pass and when I got a little lower I found myself marveling at the beautiful little pageants that presented themselves. Gurgling streams tumbled through pockets of woodland whose floor was often carpeted by bluebells. Songbirds serenaded everywhere and when you add to this the glorious scenery all about it was little wonder that I felt privileged to be here and be able to enjoy the experience. As I trundled along I was thinking about the 16 year old boy from north Kerry that had come to prominence last year when despite suffering from terminal cancer appealed to young people to turn away from suicide and try to live their lives. Today he had lost his fight for life and the news just reinforced my determination to enjoy what gifts I had been given. The route followed the coastal road from Tousist to Bunaw and back to the garden in Derreen. It was such a joy and I couldn't think of anything better than running deserted little roads that went from little cove to cove and whose adjoining paddocks resounded with the calls of little lambs frolicking in the sun. So after a couple of hours I arrived back at the car tired but delighted with my day. We compared notes on our respective outings and we both professed ourselves pleased. Sometimes it is hard to beat the southwestern tip of Ireland.

Purple Mountain in the Wind

Stunning Black Lough

What is good weather?. It seems so long since we have had a stretch of decent weather in this part of the world.  March 2012 we had a long sunny and warm spell of weather and it seems to have been wet and windy ever since. Today was no exception as there was a stiff wind and frequent heavy showers about as we set off from Killarney and headed into the Gap of Dunloe with the intention of climbing Purple Mountain. We drove into the Gap as far as Cushnavally Lake where we parked up and changed and set off up the little lane  past "Turnpike Rock" until we were just past Black Lough when we turned left and made our way up the steep ground towards Glas Loch. This afforded frequent scrambly sections and we enjoyed picking out the best and most interesting bits along the way. This was also a first chance for me to break in my new boots. I had been looking for a lightweight pair of boots that would also be able for rough ground and also be able to take a crampon so I opted for La Sportiva Trango Alp boots which seemed to tick almost all of the boxes.

Nice scrambly sections

Reduced to tears..its windy and its raining....big jessy :o)

The conditions low down were reasonably pleasant but we were in no doubt as to the strength of the wind on high as we could see the speed the clouds scudded past the summits. We emerged past the scrambly bits above the lake and we were soon following the frequent trails that headed towards the summit slopes. The wind was now strong enough to buffit us and unfortunately a shower of rain arrived at this point as well. Now we were in no doubt that summer was still some way off and the horizontal rain that felt like it would scour the skin from our faces and the gale that threatened to knock us over meant that comfort quickly disappeared. We struggled round to the leeward side of the mountain and this gave us some bit of shelter from the elements but thankfully the rain was passing and views were once again distracting us from our travails. Eventually we reached the bleak summit and here we gratefully entered the round shelter cairn. A welcome bite to eat refreshed and restored us and we were ready to set off again along the ridge towards Tomies.

Towards the Black Valley

Thankfully the weather had improved and we were now heading more or less in the direction of the wind. There was a brief discussion about cutting the route short and heading down directly to the car but we were drying out and warming up so we opted to continue to Tomies. As we went we gradually quartered around until by the time we were descending from Tomies summit we were once again heading directly into the wind. Thankfully we didn't have to contend with rain and as we got lower the ferocity of the wind eased and the temperature rose. When we reached the boggy plateau above the Colleen Ban Cottage we were delighted to see a majestic sea eagle soaring a few hundred meters away. We stopped and quietly admired the beauty and grace of this giant of the sky and the sheer size of the bird was really emphasized when a territorial raven decided it didn't like this threat to its probable nearby nest and harried the eagle until it disappeared from our view. The raven (which is a big bird in its own right) looked really small alongside the eagle and it is one of my dearest wishes that I will one day get to see really close up sighting of one of these wonderful creatures. Another great bit of news is that there is a good chance that the bird we had seen could have been one of the proud parents of the chick that recently hatched in the Killarney National Park. It is to be really hoped that this is the first successful breeding of many and in future years we be able to see indigenous birds soar in our skies.  We arrived back at the car a little windblown and very happy with our day. Yet again laughter and such a relaxed friendliness made the day just fly by and I look forward to to our next day out which will hopefully not be in the too distant future.

Looking down towards Kate Kearneys

The beautiful Gap of Dunloe

First rock climbing day of the year.

On Sunday I went with Frank to the Gap of Dunloe for our first stab at rock climbing this year. The weather all spring had been rubbish and even though we were now into May this was our first opportunity to climb dry rock. The previous week I had pulled a muscle in my back in the gym and I hadn't been able to go running all week. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and a couple of late nights only added to my malaise but it was great to be back in the "Gap" again and I was really looking forward to getting stuck in. We opted to head to rescue rock and soon I was getting the harness on and readying the rope for my first climb. I opted for the relatively easy "Umbongo" a 10 meter Severe route just to the left of Rescue Rock that climbs a lovely arret. The start is easy and before you know it there is a fair bit of air under your backside. Below the top there is a vertical wall that requires a committing couple of moves and well lets just say I struggled for a while before I finally topped out. It had been a while since I led on rock and it showed. Still I was up and Frank easily followed.

Starting off

Almost there

Next we turned our attention to rescue rock itself and we now opted to top rope our routes. The weather was also showing signs of turning and drizzle seemed to blanket "An Tarbh" in the neck of the Gap and the wind was now quite strong. I scrambled up and set up the rope and we then climbed Rescue rock itself 10 meter Severe and Quartz Movement 10 meters VS. This is a lovely route that is quite hard for the grade and had a lovely airy feel to it (top roped of course) and required a fair bit of searching blind for hand holds around the corner. After a bite of lunch we decided to have a go at the classic "Mother of Prague" a 20 meter E1 that keeps its toughest test for near the top. The wind was now really blowing and it made communication with Frank all but impossible. He managed to get as far as the crux but then exited off to the left. I went down to give it a go but with no way of communicating with Frank my heart wasn't in it and I gave up before I really began. We decided that that would be that for today but we plan to return at the soonest opportunity to explore some more. It is always lovely to have a day out with Frank and next time I hope to have more energy for the fray.