The Slieve Mish Mountains on the Dingle Peninsula

Today I returned to the beautiful (and sometimes overlooked) Slieve Mish mountains near Tralee for another visit to Baurtregaum and Caherconree. I must confess to having something of an ulterior motive though...I was anxious to take the opportunity to have another dip in the sea. So after returning home after night work I left after a bite to eat and headed west. The forecast was for sunshine and showers and this proved accurate and the temperatures were more autumnal that high summer but I reckoned that the water would still be as warm as it was a few weeks ago. I reached the end of the little overgrown lane at 09.15 and I was on the move a few minutes later.
The mountains were clear right now but it was also clear that this wasn't likely to remain the case. Squalls could be seen to the north and west so the waterproofs were packed close at hand. The going is initially easy as you climb gently to reach the Dingle Way path (they are also trying to re-brand it the "Kerry Camino" which I think is bloody awful) and here I turned left and followed it for a short while until it crossed over the Derrymore River. Now I turned and made my way up through the bracken to reach the steeper slopes of the long spur that descends from Baurtregaum's North East top. I found the going tough as I struggled up the pathless mountainside through long grass, some gorse and heather. It certainly got the blood pumping and it was only when I was about 250 metres higher did the vegetation become more amenable and the going become a little easier. Not that things became easy mind as one of those squalls arrived and ensured I wouldn't confuse today with high summer any time soon.

The way up on the left...the descent on the right

Bye bye squall

Heading to Caherconree...Dingle Bay on the left

I don't want to paint a negative picture of the morning...I was loving it and in my element. Is there anywhere finer than being on a mountainside, enjoying wonderful views, getting a good physical workout and getting a good blast of fresh air forced into you???. The rain eased but the cloud engulfed me and suddenly I was cocooned in my own much smaller world. Bleak would have been a good description of the mood but soon enough the cloud gradually rose and once again my horizons stretched far. There are few things I like better than re-emerging mountain views. Things always look more dramatic when clouds scud over ridges and into glens. Eventually I reached the NE top and it is easy going to reach the stony broad summit of Baurtregaum (851 metres). The wind was strong and still had a damp chill attached to it so I continued easily towards Caherconree. Another little spit of rain threatened but never amounted to much and I had the rest of the hike dry and mostly clear. The views to the west from the ridge after Caherconree are beautiful and I reminisced about my three day hike last May and the more recent trips to Stradbally and Benoskee. The descent is pretty straightforward and before too long I was back on the Dingle Way and soon back at the car.
Just under 11 kilometres...940 metres climbing and 3 hours 20 minutes.

The stunning views to Stradbally and beyond

Autumn isn't far away

But the fun wasn't over yet. One of the main reasons I came back was to treat myself to another dip in the sea. The weather the past couple of weeks had been less than summery and strong winds had made the waters more brown than blue but I reckoned that the temperature of the water would still be okay so I decided to give it a go. I drove to the nearby Derrymore Beach and without giving myself too much time to think I put on my shorts and headed across the sands. The tide was mostly out and I know from a previous visit that to reach water of any depth would entail wading 100 metres out and this didn't appeal so I waded out to just above my knees and basically lid down. It was still wonderful. There are no breakers here and the rise and fall of the water was minimal. I waded around and found a waist deep area and enjoyed frolicking about there for a bit. I love to just do a little breast stroke and with just my head above the water enjoy the wonderful views and immerse myself in the invigorating experience. I stayed about 15 minutes and returned to the car. Once dressed in warm dry clothes I felt great and settled in for the drive home. I'm already looking forward to more salt water dunks before Autumn takes too strong a grip.