January 2020..Out and about.

Sunday January 12th;

After the usual excesses over Christmas I was a little lethargic in getting back to the mountains. I put this to rights by visiting the Reeks to get some mountain miles in. It was a chilly but dry morning and while not a blue sky day there were some breaks in the clouds and I was hopeful of getting some views. I decided to head up Carrauntoohil first and opted for O'Sheas Gully for a change. It had been ages since I had last climbed this route (probably because it is a bit of a slog) so I was looking forward to doing it today.

There had been a lot of rain and the waterfalls in Coumeenoughter were lovely. The spectacular mountain scenery was made all the more beautiful by some bursts of sunlight as I rose higher. The interminable slog from the small lake in the upper coum to the top of the gully was a bummer but it passed OK and soon all that was left was the 400 ft climb to the summit. The summit itself was still in the grip of winter and quite atmospheric. Unfortunately the clear patches of sky had given way to thick cloud and views were limited to say the least. Still I was enjoying myself and relishing the day. I left the usual summit throng behind and set off towards the top of "the ladder". Once here I decided to continue as far as The Bone as this would make it a worthy effort. Usually once past Cnoc na Toinne it is seldom you meet many but today there were quite a few people on the East Reeks. Here the views once again opened up but I cold see that a snow squall was coming my way. In the stiff chill wind it soon arrived and passed and the view to the east of the cloud and mountains was a delight .After the stiff climb to Cnoc an Cuillian it is an easy stroll to reach the elegant top of Maolain Bui. The descent from here is long but straightforward and before too long I was striding back towards Cronins Yard.
15 kilometres covered..1200 metres climbed in 4 hours 20mins.

Still in winters grip

A bit of weather on the way

Sunday January 19th;

I was in the middle of a week of night work and to be honest pretty fatigued but a great forecast for today was too good to pass up so I headed directly from work to the Galtees. The Reeks had had a dusting of snow and I was tempted to head west but time constraints made the Galtees more attractive. It was -4 as I parked the car in Glengarra Wood. Still dark when I arrived the first thing I saw was a couple of deer heading for cover out of the glare of the headlights. The cold air invigorated me as I readied and set off in the still gloom. These woods are a delight in the spring when the many fine specimen trees are complimented by lots of mature rhododendron trees. It was still pleasant to walk easily up through the forest until after a few kilometres more open ground is reached and the gentle mountain slopes were revealed, bathed in the rosy dawn glow.
What a joy it was to be out on the hills on such a beautiful morning. Despite the lack of sleep there was nowhere else I would rather have been. One surprise was the complete lack of snow. I guess nothing in the way of precipitation had happened over the previous few days. It was still beautiful though and with the normally boggy ground frozen solid progress was a little easier. I headed first for Green and which is easily reached via the long spur that drops to the south. It was a delight to stop occasionally and admire the view across the frosted valley to where the Knockmealdowns rose. Further east the Comeraghs could be admired and once on the crest of the spur Slievenamon and even the Blackstairs Mountains were sharp and clear. Once on the broad 800 metre plus summit the views were even more expansive and across the frozen valley the Silvermine Mts and the central plain of the country could be seen.

The going after this was super easy as I passed O'Loughlans Castle and eventually dropped down to the col under Galtybeg. Normally mucky and boggy ground was frozen solid and the biggest issue was avoiding icy patches. The pull to the top of Galtybeg went well and before long I was dropping to the col above Lough Diheen and setting off up for the frozen summit of Galtymór. A wispy cloud clung to the summit and obscured any views so I didn't delay in turning and retracing my steps back from the top. The super hard frozen turf made for tricky going in places and sure enough I had a little spill which was quite painful on the unforgiving ground. Once down a little further I reachd slightly longer grass that made for swift easy progress. I skirted under the south flank of Galtybeg before briefly joining the "Black Road" and then dropping easily southeast and entering the wood again. An easy few kilometres through the trees saw me reach the car 5 hours after setting off. It was a beautiful crisp refreshing day out...just the ticket.

I hadn't been completely idle on other days. I have tried to to get out on the bike when the weather allows and there is a nice 52 kilometre circuit I have managed to fit in a couple of times this month that gives around 600 metres of ascent. Running is a bit of a struggle as my hamstrings are painful after trying to do some speed training. Maybe I'm getting too old for this sh#t.

Thursday and Friday January 23rd&24th;

After a week of nights I took advantage of my few days off to head back to Killarney and stay overnight so that I could get two good outings in.
First up came a cycle. Arriving in the town at midday I booked into my accommodation and once I was suited up I set off on the bike. It was quite foggy at home and remained so until I was about 5 miles from the town. It was a relief to see that, in Killarney, while the cloud was quite low down things at ground level were quite clear so it would be safe to go for a ride. I had plenty of time to fit a decent outing in and it was all down to how I was feeling en route that would decide how far I would go. The route I had in mind was to do a circuit of The Reeks which wouls give a round over 80 kilometres long and would pass over the Ballaghbeama Gap. If I was struggling I could opt for the easier circuit of Caragh Lake which would be shorter and doesn't have any big climbs.
I went back into the town and the traffic for a while but but soon I was heading out for Fossa and once I turned off the main road it was a blissfully quiet ride. Easy and fast going was the order of the day and I must say I was enjoying the outing despite the lack of any views. On past the turnoff for Cronins Yard and Lisliebane and before long I was passing the Hydro Road car park and after a short pull I was speeding past Lough Acoose and heading for Glencar. This was a delightful section which is downhill and through a woodland. It was an easy decision to dismiss the turnoff for Caragh Lake and continue on the longer route. Once past Glencar the gloom lifted a little and some of the wildness of the landscape became more apparent. It was beautiful even in these conditions. I turned for Ballaghbeama and enjoyed several miles of easy going before the finally the climbing started. I was somewhat trepidatious about the climb as it is really quite steep and I wasn't at all sure I would be able to stay in the saddle. It is gradual enough for a fair old while before finally I turned into the spectacular gap itself and set off up. It was a case of bottom gear and head down but I managed it and I think that it is actually a tougher prospect coming from the other side. A brief rest and a bite to eat at the crest and a rapid if careful descent followed. Once I reached the Sneem road I turned left and a long gradual climb saw me eventually reach Molls Gap. Now I was feeling the effects of the two big climbs and my relative lack of prowess on the bike and lets just say Killarney couldn't come soon enough. Up here I was in the fog but soon I reemerged under it and enjoyed the descent all the way to the lake. The remaining road all the way back intotown seemed to take forever and I was really tired when I eventually arrived at the B&B. Straight up the stairs and two cups of warming tea and some biscuits followed by a long hot shower were restorative and I enjoyed a long relaxing evening.

Towards Glencar

Towards Kenmare

82 kilometres 3 hours 38 minutes and 850 metres of climbing.

After a fine old breakfast I headed for Cronins Yard to have another outing on The Reeks. On Twitter I had seen some pictures of the day before and it seemed that the most perfect of temperature inversions had been enjoyed on the mountains and I was hopeful of similar today. It was something of a surprise to see a lot of clear sky this morning so it seemed that the inversion would have to wait for another day. I parked up in Cronins Yard and set off into the glen. As the day was so good...warm with no wind I decided I would try and make the most of it and do the full Hags Glen Horseshoe. There is no easy way to climb Cruach Mhór...not in a dangerous way but it is a long long slog to reach the lake and a stiffer slog to reach the grotto at the summit. I was feeling the effects of yesterday but I stuck at it and reached the summit 90 minutes after setting off. I was sweating loads but boy oh boy was the effort worth it. While the glen was free of cloud the mountains had acted as a barrier and a beautiful sea of sunlit cloud stretched away to the east. WOW. It looked stunning. The cloud kissed the Cnoc na Péiste ridge and the view to the Big Gun was magical. I rested a while in the surprisingly warm sun and just enjoyed being there.

I set off across the ridge but I didn't stick to the crest and I stuck to the paths, first on the right and after the big gun on the left. This made for easy going but it was still wonderfully atmospheric and enjoyable. Easy going was the order of the day all the way to the top of Cnoc an Cuillian and it was a pure pleasure to walk. The drop towards Cnoc na Toinne saw me drop into the mist and boy oh boy did it make a difference to the temperature. As I headed to the Ladder I had to stop and put on gloves and hat as the real seasonal temperatures reasserted themselves. It was only temporary though as I once again emerged above the clouds as I climbed to Carrauntoohil. I sat and enjoyed lunch on the warm and windless summit and it felt more like spring than January. After this came the crossing of the Beenkeragh ridge and the climb to the second highest in the country. Once there all the climbing was over and I descended via Knockbrinnea. I had been fairly slow today but what was the rush on such a spectacular day. Temperature inversions are indeed special.

16 kilometres..1650 metres ascent in 6 hours 35 minutes of bliss.