A Holiday In Annecy October 9th-13th

Nothing outdoorsy or adventuresome about this post but I feel Annecy is worth including. It felt a bit weird returning to Geneva so soon after leaving the Alps but I was too preoccupied with ensuring we got  to our travel connections in a timely fashion to notice too much. Using public transport to get to Annecy is a little more bothersome than lets say Chamonix as it requires (normally) a couple of changes. It all worked out well for us as we got the train from the airport into the city and caught the SNCF train to Aix les Bains where another train took us into the centre of the city. An Adagio aparthotel was our choice of hotel and its excellent location near the station meant that we were settled and ready to explore shortly after 2pm.

A selection of pictures from Annecy

We stayed a total of four nights and to be honest we were sorry that we hadn't booked for longer. It is a gorgeous town with an old sector that is utterly charming and a vibrant modern sector that has much to please the visitor as well. While there there was a "return from the Alps" festival that was a delight of pageantry and family fun with lots of authentic Savoie delicacies to be enjoyed as we wandered through the packed narrow streets. Another display of interest was the enormous market that covered several streets that was crammed full of local produce and delights. We also visited the nearby city of Chambery that was once capital of the region before the hoi poli switched to Turin. Its plazas and grand buildings juxtaposed wonderfully with the narrow streets and "secret" squares the were scattered throughout the city.

The old town is wonderful

A 13th century building on an island. You can see why it is called the Venice of the Alps

The modern side was lovely as well

Only in France

Just a fraction of the huge market

They make a lovely sound

The parade

We very briefly visited Aix les Bains and saw enough to promise ourselves that if or when we return we will spend more time in this thermal spa town. A quick visit to Chamonix completed our tour of the area and it is fair to say that if you removed the mountain scenery from the town its charm is sadly exposed when compared to the other places we had been. For exercise I did nothing more than go for a couple of runs along by the lakeshore which (while in an undeniably stunning setting) was an exercise in dodge the people and cyclists that teemed in the area. I don't think I would like to go here in the high season as it must be packed to the rafters and would not be to our liking. A walk from the SNCF train station (currently closed and undergoing major reconstruction) to the central Swiss Rail station of Cornavin allowed us a decent glimpse of the bustling global city of Geneva before we caught our flight back home.

Aix les Bains

Le posh pissoir

A selcetion of pictures from Chambery

Some beautiful modern architecture as well

You can just make out a cross on the summit. Enormous at over 70ft high

Impressive and curious sculpture

An all too short visit but it is definitely a place we feel we would go back to and next time perhaps hire a car so that we could explore the outlying villages etc.

La Tournette in evening light

One of the reasons why I needed more exercise

Central Gully Carrauntoohil

I went with Frank ( who hadn't been out in two months) for a hike on Carrauntoohil. It was nice to return to our comfortable routine of me heading back on the train and hooking up in Killarney before the usual coffees and then heading to the hills. We decided to head to Carrauntoohil as whatever the weather it is worth a visit. About the weather, the forecast was for rain in the afternoon but it was dry this morning but cloudy with a stiff breeze blowing. We departed Lisliebane at about 11am and set off in good spirits. It seemed initially that most people had heeded the poor forecast and stayed away but as we entered the glen lots of people were heading up as well. We decided to go up O'Sheas Gully as one of the ridges wold be too dangerous in the wind. Frank was feeling the effects of his layoff but we made reasonable progress nonetheless. Things were very dry after the good spell of weather we have been enjoying and the waterfalls on the second and third levels were little more than trickles. We had a change of mind due to the conditions and decided to head for Curve Gully. The lower section offers a stiff Grade 2 scramble if you take it direct and we enjoyed it. All too soon we were past the good stuff and going up the loose chossy central section. Just before we entered the upper section of Curve Gully I decided to cross to our right and go up central instead. It had been years since I was here and it was a nice short (if somewhat loose) scramble to its top. Up to the summit and the crowds where we enjoyed a welcome lunch and we descended via the Heavenly Gates. 5 hours in total and the bad weather that was due didn't arrive so we reached the car dry, if a little windblown. It was great to get out with Francis again.

The lower section of Curve

In Central

The final section

Struggling through the bog on the Dingle Peninsula

Less than a week after coming home from the Alps I had a couple of days off work and with a decent weather forecast I decided to take the opportunity of visiting one of my favourite places The Dingle Peninsula.

Thursday Sept 24th;

If only I knew someone who worked in the railway, then I might not have missed the 13.20 train to Tralee and I would have been able to start my walk at 15.30. Instead I had to catch the 15.25 and this meant that I wasn't starting into the wilds until 17.15 after I got a taxi to just beyond Blennerville. I joined the Dingle Way where it left the main Dingle road and walked along the laneway until after almost a mile I was finally able to enter the open boggy slopes of the eastern Slieve Mish mountains. Initially a nice well built path made for easy progress on the gentle hill but soon this turned off and I found myself having to hike through wet boggy trackless ground that made you earn every step, especially with the heavy bag. I had brought my Voyager tent and food for a few days but I was feeling strong and lets face it I wouldn't be able to continue for too long this evening as after 7pm the light would be starting to fade. I continued up the left side of the glen and eventually Barnageehey at 482 mtrs. I had collected a couple of liters of water shortly below the top and I set my mind to searching for a place to pitch my tent. It wasn't easy to find anything resembling dry ground but eventually I settled for a spot half a kilometer or so further west at around the 500 mtr contour. I had my tent up and was getting dinner ready at 19.15 and I was enjoying myself immensely. Despite only waving been on the go for 1 hour 45mins I was well removed from civilization and I was enclosed by wild bleak mountainside. To the north lay Tralee and the views were extensive across the north Kerry plains. I enjoyed a long and peaceful night where the only sound I heard was the gentle breeze rustling the nearby heather.

Nice easy start

Looking back towards Tralee

Friday Sept 25th;

I was up at first light and packed up and ready to go at 8am. It was a lovely morning and the day promised to be a good one. Now that I was on the broad ridge I hoped that the worst of the boggy ground was below me and so it proved to be as I set off on my serpentine way around to Knockauncorrig and then on to Glanbrack. The going was easy and the views lovely in all directions. I didn't have any water left so I hoped to come across a decent source en-route. I was pleased to find a very nice spring not far below the stony summit of Bartregaum 851 mtrs (one for future reference I think).

Beautiful sunrise

Morning light looking south

Towards Baurtregaum

Towards Fenit-north.

The views kept getting better and better the higher I got and I really enjoyed the passage over Baurtregaum and Caherconree. An easy descent followed down past Caherconree fort to the col and then in a westerly direction across increasingly wet ground to reach a little road that cuts across the mountains. I turned then and walkwe a few hundred meters up the road until I could gain the riugh heathery ground that rose to Knockbrack. I walked on beyond the coum and then dropped towards a patch of forestry to the north which where I had to cross some horrible wet rutted ground before finally reaching another lane that led to the main Tralee Dingle road. Thankfully once you reach the road it is just a matter of walking 50 meters until you can once again enter wild ground. Unfortunately you are now down at only 100 mtrs but there follows a gentle pull on decent ground to the next top of Knockbeg 378 mtrs. I had now covered about 20 kilometers and I was feeling the effects of crossing so much energy sapping ground but I hoped to reach the the slopes under Beenoskee 9 kilometers further ahead that evening so I pressed on.  The next 5 kilometers were a nightmare. As well as being boggy the way was constantly crossed by peat hags and ditches. Every few meters I had to drop turn hop or climb out of pools and drains and it was exhausting. Almost insidiously I found myself spent and I resolved to find a place to camp as soon as possible. I found a spot a kilometer further on at a col south of the wonderfully named Doon and once I had my tent up and mat unrolled etc I just climbed in and lay down for almost an hour. I had been on the move for 7.5 hours across unremittingly energy sapping ground and needed the rest. The remainder of the evening was spent relaxing and enjoying my surroundings and a long quiet night followed where my only company was a grumbling grouse.

Towards Caherconree

Towards Derrymore glen..last here with Frank

Heading towards the fort

Down by the little lane with Knockbrack ahead

From Knockbrack back towards Caherconree

Looking over Castlemaine Harbour

Down to the forestry and across the valley

Saturday Sept 26th;

It was disappointingly cloudy this morning but at least it was dry. After decamping I was faced with a 250 mtr pull to the next top. Thankfully I was soon out of the rutted ground and once I reached the long flat top it was a delight to make easier progress. I had intended to go beyond the Conner Pass and descend to the town of Dingle but since I had stopped earlier the previous evening I decided to head for Lispole instead where I could catch the 13.35 bus back to Tralee and thus home. This would still mean that I had almost 20 kilometers to cover so I had no time to waste. All too soon the good ground was left behind and I had to traverse a further 5 kilometers of very wet ground around the coum that lay behind the beautifully situated Anscaul Lake.

A good view of the rough ground of the previous day

Looking ahead towards Mount Brandon

Anscaul Lake

I had decided to forego climbing Beenoskee and head instead for the broad ridge that stretches from Cnoc Mhaoilionain as far as Croachskeathda, most of which I had never set foot on before. The steep 350 mtrs up to the first summit was tough but thereafter I had easy going all the way to the col above Loch Bhearna na Gaoithe and then another long gentle pull to An Cnapan Mor 649 mtrs my highest point of the day. I was a little alarmed to find that so much time had been eaten up on the ridge and I had to hot foot it to the final top and I ran the first couple of kilometers of the descent (not too easy with a big bag) but thankfully the ground was great and I reached the lane to the village in good time. I was tempted earlier to ring work and look for the following day off so that I could have completed the full traverse of the peninsula all the way to Brandon Head but I was still really pleased with my outing. I had often wondered what the low central section of the peninsula would be like to cross and I now had my answer. I'm not sure I would be in a rush back to the ground but the views are divine. I still think I will do the full traverse one day. As it was I had completed about 50 kilometers in the two and a bit days so it was a worthy outing in my book anyway.

Finally out of the bog

An Cnapan Mor

Dingle

Lovely easy descent

The old railway viaduct at Lispole