Donegal in all its Glory - Autumn 2017
Hill walking can be a fantastic past time!! Irish weather can be a pernickety contemptuous thing!! Donegal is beautiful in all its glory! Put all three together and the Kilbroney Ramblers can revel in what was a fantastic walking experience.
Even the journey to Donegal town and the Abbey Hotel proved pleasant and being blessed with three days of glorious autumn sunshine, forty five members gathered on Sunday 17th September for our annual autumn trip.
Monday, 6 B walkers led by our chairman William Mitchell set off for Slieve League, set on the west coast of County Donegal, the autumn morning sun shining and glistening on the high peaks casting dark shadows on the craigy cliffs which on other days would have had the wild Atlantic smashing huge waves against them. Today was different, the Atlantic was absolutely calm! As the walkers set off along the cliffs, the bird song and the swarms of butterflies released by the last hot spell of autumn weather lifted every ones spirits.
With the craic and the banter, the laughter and the jokes the kilometres passed, the cliffs rising higher with every step and the scenery, enough to take your breath away! Suddenly the group of walkers were at ONE MAN’ S PASS, a very steep and dangerous path as it sweeps to the top of League at 595 metres.
On both sides, the drop seemed life threatening as each walker concentrated one step at a time, one foot at a time, don’t look down, and look straight ahead. Wouldn’t do if you were afraid of heights. Where’s all the banter now when you need it the most! A nerve wrecking experience but oh! the joy and the satisfaction of having achieved it.
Then the long haul back along the pilgrim’s way with its rough track, the comfort of coffee on reaching the cars and the satisfaction.
Monday, The C walk had 27 members journeying to Glencolumbkille, a village which lies at Glen Bay in West Donegal. The Glencolumbkille Loop with a detour to The Signal Tower was today’s objective. It’s a four walk, rising steeply in parts, passing a court tomb on the sharp ascent to “An Clochan”, and the rugged lonely country side of Donegal at it’s finest. The bracken, now autumnal
brown and crunchy under foot was a vibrant green just a short couple of weeks ago. Then the climb to the old signal tower a relic of the Napoleonic Wars was a welcome diversion with its break for lunch.
Here the views of Glen Head and the breathtaking high cliffs were magnificent. The azure blue waters of the Atlantic melting into the lighter blue of the sky away out on the horizon with just the wisps of off-white cloud breaking up the lighter blue of the sky. Then the approach to Biofan to close the loop with only the sheep to witness the passing of the Kilbroney Ramblers as they climbed the last stile above the beautiful Glen Bay and the village of Glencolumbkille nestling in the valley below.
Tired and exhilarated, the trip back to the Abbey hotel, some even giving in to temptation of a wee pint of the black stuff.
Monday’s T Walk - If the truth be told this walk started from the coffee lounge in the Famous Harvey’s Point Hotel at Lough Eske. The walk was a planned point to point walk so two cars were deposited at the finishing trailhead (G938 866) with the drivers returning in car number three. Now in the meantime the five walkers were left at Harvey’s Point with the instructions to find themselves a cup of coffee to while away the half hour it was going to take to get the cars sorted and this is exactly what they did! By finding a very helpful waitress and also the manager/owner of the hotel who brought them coffee, tray bakes and an offer of breakfast, an offer they had to refuse.
It proved difficult to get the group on the road and prized away from such a wonderful cosy setting. Eventually the eight walkers started through the gates of Harvey’s Point immediately turning right surprisingly onto what was part of the “Ulster Way” and the famous “Bluestack Way”. A considerable part of the walk was bitmac road starting along the shore of Lough Eske and after a kilometre turning away from the Lough and starting the long slow climb into the Blue Stack Mountains. A further kilometre and we were at the entrance to the Ard na Mona nature reserve. Here Dee McBride and Eileen McCourt had by arrangement planned to take in the two kilometre walk of the nature reserve and return to the hotel at Harvey’s Point as they did not feel they could complete the full walk up into the Blue Stacks.
With the little Clady River rushing past beside us the group continued and turned left starting up Banagher Hill very soon leaving the bitmac road for the forest tracks as the elevation got higher. A rest stop along the way and we took time to admire the magnificent views over Lough Eske and Banagher Forest from where we had come. It was along here that Pat McBride recied the car parking for tomorrow's B walk. As the group ascended to the highest point of the northern spur of Banagher Hill at 260 meters we left the forest and began the decent for a while along the “Old Bog” which will be the start of tomorrow’s B walk. Then into the Eglish River valley with the fantastic views of the rocky mountains away to our right. This view will be denied the B walkers tomorrow as it will be covered in fog and mist; such is the fickle ways of hill walking.
Then a long sweeping left hand turn into the valley proper and the stray sheep on the wrong side of the wire fence ably rounded up by Ann McKelvey who must be the original sheep whisperer. Then the cars, after the ten k of great walking and back to Harvey’s Point to rendezvous with Dee and Eileen, have a grand lunch and an enjoyable pint.
Tuesday day 2. Into the Blue Stack Mountain range.
Tuesday’s B walk had 6 walkers led by our Chairman William Mitchell and assisted by our President Pat McBride. The cars were parked at Banagher Hill which was the route the T walkers had taken the day before. Then a short trek to the start at The Old Bog. (G951 860). Heavy fog and very poor visibility meant the navigation skills were well and truly tested even after the first peak was reached at 395 metres. A short rest, then on to the second unnamed peak at 499 metres, and another short rest for a water stop. Here the objective of GroaghGorm was still invisible in the fog and mist but getting there proved tough with very wild terrain over rocky boggy ground. Scrambling and hand holds required, being tested, trying to avoid the covered sink holes, the path blocked by the occasional barbed wire fence, with no stile to aid getting over and a detour to get round.
Then after three hours arriving at CroaghGorm at 674 metres with a well earned lunch break, here the clouds lifted to reveal the Bluestacks in all their glory, Photos and the Donegal scenery, magnificent! Onwards to the trailhead at G938 866. Legs weary, feet tired, all together six hours in total’.
Another mountain range ticked off for the Kilbroney Ramblers.
Tuesday’s C and C plus walk, - Twenty six C and C plus walkers made the journey from Donegal town to Glenties and then to the south west corner of the beautiful Lough Finn. This walk was also planned as a point to point walk and so with all the arrangements firmly in place the walk began at Benanuller G891 007 moving along the southern shore of the Lough in some boggy conditions. Then the trail contoured Crocam mountain, undulating in parts but very pleasant walking until the group reached the Megalithic tomb at rockannaragoun, some rough terrain followed and onto Fintown reservoir and down into Fintown.
Here Rosemary Seaman led six C walkers on to Fintown Railway Station completing a three hour walk. From here the walkers could look back across Lough Finn to the Scraigs and Aghla mountains rising steeply where the group had traversed only hours before.
Martin Smith led the remaining 20 C plus walkers for a further ten kilometres on to “The Donegal Way” which parallels the Glenties Road and the old disused railway line before heading north. The C plus walk taking almost four and a half hours before reaching the cars. Thus ending two glorious days of walking in Donegal.
Hats off to Beatrice Mitchell and Pat McBride and Peter O’Rourke for their assistance in preparing this article.
Hill walking can be a fantastic past time!! Irish weather can be a pernickety contemptuous thing!! Donegal is beautiful in all its glory! Put all three together and the Kilbroney Ramblers can revel in what was a fantastic walking experience.
Even the journey to Donegal town and the Abbey Hotel proved pleasant and being blessed with three days of glorious autumn sunshine, forty five members gathered on Sunday 17th September for our annual autumn trip.
Monday, 6 B walkers led by our chairman William Mitchell set off for Slieve League, set on the west coast of County Donegal, the autumn morning sun shining and glistening on the high peaks casting dark shadows on the craigy cliffs which on other days would have had the wild Atlantic smashing huge waves against them. Today was different, the Atlantic was absolutely calm! As the walkers set off along the cliffs, the bird song and the swarms of butterflies released by the last hot spell of autumn weather lifted every ones spirits.
With the craic and the banter, the laughter and the jokes the kilometres passed, the cliffs rising higher with every step and the scenery, enough to take your breath away! Suddenly the group of walkers were at ONE MAN’ S PASS, a very steep and dangerous path as it sweeps to the top of League at 595 metres.
On both sides, the drop seemed life threatening as each walker concentrated one step at a time, one foot at a time, don’t look down, and look straight ahead. Wouldn’t do if you were afraid of heights. Where’s all the banter now when you need it the most! A nerve wrecking experience but oh! the joy and the satisfaction of having achieved it.
Then the long haul back along the pilgrim’s way with its rough track, the comfort of coffee on reaching the cars and the satisfaction.
Monday, The C walk had 27 members journeying to Glencolumbkille, a village which lies at Glen Bay in West Donegal. The Glencolumbkille Loop with a detour to The Signal Tower was today’s objective. It’s a four walk, rising steeply in parts, passing a court tomb on the sharp ascent to “An Clochan”, and the rugged lonely country side of Donegal at it’s finest. The bracken, now autumnal
brown and crunchy under foot was a vibrant green just a short couple of weeks ago. Then the climb to the old signal tower a relic of the Napoleonic Wars was a welcome diversion with its break for lunch.
Here the views of Glen Head and the breathtaking high cliffs were magnificent. The azure blue waters of the Atlantic melting into the lighter blue of the sky away out on the horizon with just the wisps of off-white cloud breaking up the lighter blue of the sky. Then the approach to Biofan to close the loop with only the sheep to witness the passing of the Kilbroney Ramblers as they climbed the last stile above the beautiful Glen Bay and the village of Glencolumbkille nestling in the valley below.
Tired and exhilarated, the trip back to the Abbey hotel, some even giving in to temptation of a wee pint of the black stuff.
Monday’s T Walk - If the truth be told this walk started from the coffee lounge in the Famous Harvey’s Point Hotel at Lough Eske. The walk was a planned point to point walk so two cars were deposited at the finishing trailhead (G938 866) with the drivers returning in car number three. Now in the meantime the five walkers were left at Harvey’s Point with the instructions to find themselves a cup of coffee to while away the half hour it was going to take to get the cars sorted and this is exactly what they did! By finding a very helpful waitress and also the manager/owner of the hotel who brought them coffee, tray bakes and an offer of breakfast, an offer they had to refuse.
It proved difficult to get the group on the road and prized away from such a wonderful cosy setting. Eventually the eight walkers started through the gates of Harvey’s Point immediately turning right surprisingly onto what was part of the “Ulster Way” and the famous “Bluestack Way”. A considerable part of the walk was bitmac road starting along the shore of Lough Eske and after a kilometre turning away from the Lough and starting the long slow climb into the Blue Stack Mountains. A further kilometre and we were at the entrance to the Ard na Mona nature reserve. Here Dee McBride and Eileen McCourt had by arrangement planned to take in the two kilometre walk of the nature reserve and return to the hotel at Harvey’s Point as they did not feel they could complete the full walk up into the Blue Stacks.
With the little Clady River rushing past beside us the group continued and turned left starting up Banagher Hill very soon leaving the bitmac road for the forest tracks as the elevation got higher. A rest stop along the way and we took time to admire the magnificent views over Lough Eske and Banagher Forest from where we had come. It was along here that Pat McBride recied the car parking for tomorrow's B walk. As the group ascended to the highest point of the northern spur of Banagher Hill at 260 meters we left the forest and began the decent for a while along the “Old Bog” which will be the start of tomorrow’s B walk. Then into the Eglish River valley with the fantastic views of the rocky mountains away to our right. This view will be denied the B walkers tomorrow as it will be covered in fog and mist; such is the fickle ways of hill walking.
Then a long sweeping left hand turn into the valley proper and the stray sheep on the wrong side of the wire fence ably rounded up by Ann McKelvey who must be the original sheep whisperer. Then the cars, after the ten k of great walking and back to Harvey’s Point to rendezvous with Dee and Eileen, have a grand lunch and an enjoyable pint.
Tuesday day 2. Into the Blue Stack Mountain range.
Tuesday’s B walk had 6 walkers led by our Chairman William Mitchell and assisted by our President Pat McBride. The cars were parked at Banagher Hill which was the route the T walkers had taken the day before. Then a short trek to the start at The Old Bog. (G951 860). Heavy fog and very poor visibility meant the navigation skills were well and truly tested even after the first peak was reached at 395 metres. A short rest, then on to the second unnamed peak at 499 metres, and another short rest for a water stop. Here the objective of GroaghGorm was still invisible in the fog and mist but getting there proved tough with very wild terrain over rocky boggy ground. Scrambling and hand holds required, being tested, trying to avoid the covered sink holes, the path blocked by the occasional barbed wire fence, with no stile to aid getting over and a detour to get round.
Then after three hours arriving at CroaghGorm at 674 metres with a well earned lunch break, here the clouds lifted to reveal the Bluestacks in all their glory, Photos and the Donegal scenery, magnificent! Onwards to the trailhead at G938 866. Legs weary, feet tired, all together six hours in total’.
Another mountain range ticked off for the Kilbroney Ramblers.
Tuesday’s C and C plus walk, - Twenty six C and C plus walkers made the journey from Donegal town to Glenties and then to the south west corner of the beautiful Lough Finn. This walk was also planned as a point to point walk and so with all the arrangements firmly in place the walk began at Benanuller G891 007 moving along the southern shore of the Lough in some boggy conditions. Then the trail contoured Crocam mountain, undulating in parts but very pleasant walking until the group reached the Megalithic tomb at rockannaragoun, some rough terrain followed and onto Fintown reservoir and down into Fintown.
Here Rosemary Seaman led six C walkers on to Fintown Railway Station completing a three hour walk. From here the walkers could look back across Lough Finn to the Scraigs and Aghla mountains rising steeply where the group had traversed only hours before.
Martin Smith led the remaining 20 C plus walkers for a further ten kilometres on to “The Donegal Way” which parallels the Glenties Road and the old disused railway line before heading north. The C plus walk taking almost four and a half hours before reaching the cars. Thus ending two glorious days of walking in Donegal.
Hats off to Beatrice Mitchell and Pat McBride and Peter O’Rourke for their assistance in preparing this article.
