Sunday July 13th;
After a week of stellar weather where a fresh breeze was coupled with temperatures in the high twenties I decided to head on Sunday morning to the Galtee Mountains. I was confident that these normally wet and boggy mountains would offer a much drier experience today. Yesterday temperatures had hit the low thirties (a rarity in Ireland), but it promised to be about five degrees cooler today before low pressure and the usual mix of cool Atlantic air and showers too over and we could once again complain about the rain rather than the heat.
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| Towards the Knockmealdowns from Monabrack |
I arrived at Kings Yard before 8am and I was on the move by eight. It certainly was cooler than yesterday and, with a nice breeze on offer, it felt very pleasant as I set off up the sunken track that eventually reached the open mountains. It felt great to be back. I followed the trail into the deep valley towards the spot where a footbridge used to span the river (it was removed by the landowner who was driven to distraction by people bringing their dogs onto the mountains) and once I was across I set off up the steep slope towards Monabrack (630 metres). I should point out that while the river was quite easy to cross today after the very dry weather, it would normally offer a more challenging prospect and a climb to a point much higher up the glen would be needed to find an easier crossing. Anyway, all I had in front of me now was the 300 metre climb to my first summit of the day. Straight away the going is steep and it only gets steeper until after climbing 200 metres things ease back as you near the broad slopes that rise gently to the top. What a wonderful morning to be out. Despite it being cooler than yesterday it was still warm and I made sure to regularly drink some water. The views were a delight. I was immersed in the heart of the mountains now. Galtymor loomed large to my right and Knockaterriff rose across the deep cut to my left and behind me, beyond the Suir Valley, the Knockmealdowns looked wonderful. I was in heaven.
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| From Temple Hill towards Galtymor |
After a brief stop I set off down and headed for the next top of the day, Knockaterriff (691 metres). On the way down I passed through a cloud of flying ants, quite a few of whom managed to get inside the neck of my t-shirt. They weren't happy about it and let me know in the best way they knew how, ouchy. Anyway once down in the remote glen under Knockaterriff I took a direct line up through the rocky outcrops towards the top. This was steep but it enabled height to be gained quickly and before too long I was up over 650 metres and walking along the broad crest to the top. What a morning it was. Cruising along in shorts and T-shirt, a nice breeze keeping it pleasantly cool and conditions underfoot wonderfully dry. I also had the whole area to myself and I didn't see another soul until I neared the summit of Galtymor later on.
I had been debating with myself whether I would include Temple Hill (783mtrs) in my day as it is a bit of an outlier and requires an out and back trek to include it. Of course, when up on Knockaterriff it looked too good to leave out and I headed for it. Easily down to the wide boggy saddle that was simple to cross today in the super dry conditions, before climbing the 180 metres to the summit. I always get a bit nostalgic when here, as this was my first mountain hike more than quarter of a century ago. Back then I was in the wind and rain and totally bereft of views, but I had still loved it. Today the world lay at my feet and I lingered to soak it in. I returned to the saddle again before a gentle rising traverse saw me reach the climb to Lyracappul (825mtrs). I was starting to feel a bit tired by now but I consoled myself that once up on top, I would have nearly all the climbing done for the day. To be fair it isn't too bad and soon enough I was on one of my favourite spots in the range. The views to the north are spectacular as the ground drops steeply for 2000 feet to the green plains below. There were lots of wasps buzzing about the summit so I didn't stop and continued for several hundred metres and stopped for a bite to eat.
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| The only place where I saw any other people all day..Galtymor |
It it easy walking along the gently undulating ridge until I reached the col above Lough Curra. Now the final climb of the day looms and I set off towards Galtymor. Once again it isn't too bad and before long I was on the top of Dawsons Table enjoying the wonderful views. There were a few others milling about and as I preferred the solitude I didn't stop and began my descent straight away. I headed directly south towards the place where three streams meet. It is a fairly steep drop and 500 metres height is lost but eventually I reached the stream. I found a nice little pool and wasted no time in shedding everything before immersing myself and enjoying the cool water. Reinvigorated, I enjoyed the remaining few kilometres back to the car. It had been a lovely outing and I had really enjoyed it. It had taken just less than six hours to cover the 19 kilometres with nearly 1500 metres of ascent. I wonder when I will enjoy such dry underfoot conditions again on the Galtees given the amount of rain that has fallen in the intervening few days.
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| Sorry, no pics of me in it. |
