A Quick (sort of) Round on The Knockmealdowns

 

A frosty night and the promise of a blue sky day saw me head towards the Knockmealdowns for one of my infrequent visits. I took my boots and trail shoes with me and decided that I would decide exactly what to do when I arrived at the car park at The Vee. 

There was a gentle but chill breeze at the car park and several groups were already getting ready to head for the hills. It was such a beautiful morning and I was really looking forward to getting out. I decided to try for a trail run so I put on my runners and left the boots in the car. I decided to run towards the Liam Lynch monument on the northern side of the range and I would decide en route how long an outing I would try for. It was such a beautiful and easy start. A gently downhill jog on the quiet road allowed me to enjoy the lovely views to the Galtees and Comeragh mountains. When I reached the point of the hairpin bend I joined the rough trail that heads down to the river in the glen below. This is at times steep and rocky so, being mindful of my fall on my last trail run on Bray Head, I took my time and was careful. When I crossed the river a nice trail headed up into the woods on the other side and on a whim I decided to take this. It rises gently until eventually you reach an exit gateway to the open hillside. Unfortunately this gate was decorated with a large sign that said no dogs and no walkers. Hmmm, what to do?. Of course I ignored it and crossed into the open ground beyond. 

Now things got tougher. A steep climb up the heather strews slopes of the ridge ahead. I was heading to Knockmoylan, an outlier of Knockmealdown itself. It was a tough 300 metres ascent as I tried to keep up a reasonable pace but it was worth it whe I topped out on the broad crest and the wonderful views opened up.The strength of the breeze also open up and it was cold and biting, so I wasted no time as I headed for the main top. I was once again able to run on the easier ground and once over this top I trundled along all the way to the summit of Knockmealdown. Progress was made a little easier as the ground was frozen solid. An easy run followed to the saddle under Sugarloaf. The 100 metre pull soon passed and I briefly stopped to enjoy the view. My mind was drawn back to the last time I was up here almost three years earlier when we were in the middle of a heatwave. Then temperatures were nearly 30 degrees and the landscape was burnt to dusty brown. The descent from here to the car is short but steep and it would be an exaggeration to say I sped down here. I hopped and shuffled but made my way safely down. It had taken just 2 hours 20 mins to cover 13 kilometres with 850 metres of ascent. Nice.

Baurtregaum and Caherconree. The first day of Spring.

 

The forecast for today was stellar. A frosty morning was to be followed by a sunny day so I decided to make the most of it and head west once again. I left home on a beautiful frosty morning and head d for the Slieve Mish mountains. The plan for today was to enjoy a hillwalk in the morning before doing a spot of fishing in the afternoon. The less said about the fishing the better so I'll concentrate on the hike.

Up one side and down the other. A blue sky day

Easier climbing on the final section.

I parked at the end of the little lane near Derrymore and after considerately parking in in the limited space available I set off up the trail. The plan was to do the wonderful Baurtregaum Caherconree horseshoe. This gives a worthy outing with wonderful views as it crosses over the 13th and 20th highest mountains in the country. A few minutes on the trail and I reached the Dingle Way. I turned left and crossed the river and then headed directly towards the steep heather strewn slopes that rise unremittingly for several hundred metres that lead eventually to the summit of the east top of Baurtregaum. It is a tough grind but eventually at after 400 metres of slog the angle eases for a short while before another pull sees you arrive at easy ground at over 650 metres. The ground gets better here as well and so do the views. Not that they have been too bad so far. Early doors the views west to the end of the peninsula are great and as you get higher you get the fell of entering wild high mountain ground. The final slopes to the main ridge pass easily enough and suddenly up here the glories and wonders of Dingle Bay and the mountainous terrain of the Iveragh Peninsula stretch from east to west. 

The Reeks and more

Caherconree

It would have been easy to stop for a while and soak in the majesty but the stiff breeze that took all the already scant heat from the sun made it a chilly place indeed. That said, I have been up here in horizontal hailstones and  storm force winter winds so today was a real pleasure. The walking from the broad stony top of Baurtregaum to the col under Caherconree is easy. Once down it is a short easy climb, along an initially narrow(ish) ridge before the second summit of the day is reached. Caherconree is one of my favourite viewpoints in the country. As well as the wonders of the Iveragh Peninsula, the full glory of the Dingle Peninsula is laid out before you as it stretches away to the west. The ground sweeps sharply down towards Camp village and the juxtaposition of blue sea and mountains is a heady mix. I walked as far as the sheltering rocks atop of the nearby Gearhane, and here I enjoyed a bite to eat and revelled in the day. After lunch/brunch it is an easy descent along the broad ridge before a final drop down some steep heather covered ground see you return to the trail you started on. I arrived back at the car just 3 hours 20 minutes after starting. 11 kilomertres covered and almost 1000 metres ascent. What a beautiful start to the day.

Away to the wast

What a view.

Can't say that the fishing was all bad :)

Cnoc na Péiste North Ridge and Carrauntoohil. Another touch of Winter

 

Last Thursday it was cold and wild, and snow fell right down to sea level. I thought that there would have been a serious dump of snow on The Reeks so I headed back first thing on Friday morning with real hope of a wintry outing.

When I say I headed back first thing I mean it. I got a last minute call to work in Cork overnight and I was on the road west at 06.30. A nice leisurely drive saw me arrive in Cronins Yard not long after 8am and once I was ready I set off into the Hags Glen once again. I must confess to having been disappointed once again at the amount of snow on show. I had expected the mountains to have been coated down to 500 metres at least but it was clear that this wasn't the case. Still it was enticing and beautiful and I was in good spirits as I started in. It was also clear that what snow that was there was probably soft so I left the crampons behind and took just one axe, just in case. Even from here it was clear that Curve Gully would have been, at best a slushy wallow, so I decided to head up towards the north ridge of Cnoc na Péiste and once on the main ridge I could then decide how far I wanted to go. I had brought my heavy winter boots and I must confess to being aware of the extra weight but I decided to just set a steady pace and take my time. Once I left the main track and headed up across the boggy slopes it was clear that the ground was very sodden. I eventually reached the steep ground that rises to the moody lake that nestles under the wonderful ridge that connects Cruach Mhór and Cnoc na Péiste and I went up this at an oblique angle until I reached the rocky start of the scrambly section of the ridge.

Lovely fun scrambling on the ridge

The rocks were mostly snow free and entirely ice free so it was actually a really enjoyable scramble. The "fun stuff" lasts for about 150 metres and I enjoyed every bit of it. It offers enjoyable, never too difficult, but occasionally exposed scrambling until the angle eases about 40 metres below the summit. Some cloud clung to the top but this only added to the atmosphere of the climb. I topped out and enjoyed lovely views down to the Black Valley and the lakes of Killarney. Now comes a long section of heavenly walking. Over the next four kilometres there is not too much in the way of climbing so it is easy to amble along at mostly over 3000ft and  enjoy that wonderful feeling of being in the heart of a wild and wonderful place. The early start and scant breakfast meant that lunch became brunch and I relaxed and had a bite to eat before I reached the Devils Ladder. I was feeling good and enjoying myself so I decided to climb Carrauntoohil and return and descend via the Heavenly Gates. 

The Brida Valley

The Heavenly Gates

Just beat the rain..for a change

The climb from the ladder to the summit of Carrauntoohil really doesn't have a lot to recommend it but I kept putting one foot in front of the other and after 30 minutes I reached the roof of the country. As is usual I didn't have it to myself but I was surprised to see a young guy putting away his crampons. I asked him what route he had come up and he said The Lick for a while before breaking out to The Step. I saw that he was also sporting a fine pair of climbing axes. I can only imagine he left more scratches on rock than anything else as absolutely no ice was to be found anywhere. Ah well, god loves a trier. I about faced and descended the lovely route that is The Heavenly Gates. It offers a spectacular route through the most impressive side of the mountain and always inspires. I finally reached the car a little over 5 hours after setting off. It had been a delightful outing of almost 17 kilometres and nearly 1500 metres of ascent. Well worth missing some sleep for. The less said about the fishing that evening the better.