GALTY MOUNTAINS 30/11/09

Rumor had it that there had been a dump of snow down the Galty mountains direction. Winter boots takes out and dusted down , crampons and ice axes rudely awoken from hibernation and thrown into the car boot in great anticipation. Arriving at Rossadrehid we were a little disappointed that the expected winter conditions hadn't materialised. Nonetheless the sun was out and the sky was clear so off we headed for a great days walking with clear skies and views second to none from the tops. I was joined by Mick Kelly on this walk and Jimmy Barry from the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Team (SEMRA) and all 3 of us agreed that this was one of those rare days that clear air conditions, snow and sun combine to give perfect views from the hills. Brilliant.

GALTY MOUNTAINS 20/11/09

CROWS out hillwalking ? Surely not. Why would our feathered friends walk up big hills when with a few gentle beats of their wings they could soar over them ?. Further investigation was required. The Birdwatch Ireland website had posted a notice that a rare and very unusual variety of CROW might be observed around the Galty mountains over the weekend of 19th to 21st November. I had been lucky enough on previous occasions to observe a couple of this variety on other mountain ranges ( one has lovely Rab plumage but is more like an ostrich than a crow due to abnormal elongated legs , the other one, Maurice, not so nice orangy/red Berghaus plumage but is proportioned more normally ) so I decided to venture down to see what was going on.

Saturday morning and the crows were flapping around their roosting spot. The weather wasn't being too kind and it was touch and go if they were going to leave their nests. Most of Ireland was under water from torrential rain but then the news broke that the forecast was for an improvement as the day passed. They abandoned the comfort of their nests and flew off in the Glencush direction. Once assembled at Glencush they donned their boots and away with them up the forestry road. Over the Lough Curra stile and up to the Galty ridge past Slievecushnabinna with ease. Now these crows showed their mettle, battling against ferocious wind they fought their way up to Galtymore in the windiest conditions I've ever been out in. Then a hasty return to their cosy nests in the valley to tidy up their tossed feathers and relax their strained wings.
A good day out walking with Eugene and his happy crows. For more on the CROWS look up www.coco-hillwalkers.blogspot.com

ARRAN - SCOTLAND 6TH-9TH NOV

2 brillaint days on the beautiful island of Arran in Scotland. An amazing range of spectacular rugged mountains for such a small island. The weather was mixed on Saturday- Damp starting off, then cleared somewhat and a downpour for the final descent. SATURDAY- started from Glen Sannox and climbed to Cioch na h-Oighe with some nice easy scrambling. Followed the ridge to where it widens out at Mullach Buidhe. Followed zig-zag path to col below north Goatfell. Up over this (818m) and then scrambled along Slacach ridge to summit of Goatfell , Arran's highest point at 874m. Descended a great track down glen to Brodick in torrential rain.

SUNDAY- Cloudless skies and not a breeze !

Things were looking much better from the outset on day 2. Once again we found ourselves in Glen Sannox. It seemed a completly different place than only 24 hours previously. Basked in sunlight the wonderful autumn colours of the glen made a truly beautiful sight. We were on the oposite side of the valley today climbing up to the ridge at Suidhe Fhearghas we continued along a fantastic ridge towards Caisteal Abhail. The ridge was pretty straightforward until around the witches step area where a few tricky rock steps had to be negotiated. A quick lunch on the Caisteal and we descended towards Cir Mhor. The lads then headed off to try the A'Chir ridge and I descended from the head of Glen Rosa on a long walk out (9km) back to Brodick.

GALTY MOUNTAINS 19/10/09

DAY WALK IN GALTY MOUNTAINS. STARTED IN GLEN CUSH AND HEADED UP TO LOUGH CURRA. CLIMBED GULLY TO RIDGE AND THEN OVER GALTYMORE AND GALTYBEG AND DESCENDED TO ROAD END IN GLEN CUSH. VERY WET AND WINDY ABOVE 700M BUT STILL AN ENJOYABLE DAY OUT

Kerry. Sept 07/09/09

Our planned trip to do the Reeks ridge got hit square on the head due to a terrible weather forecast. Determined to get some climbing done Andy and I headed down to Dingle. We parked at the Connor pass and headed NE into the next coum. At the SW end of this coum there is a series of slabs leading up onto the ridge. We roped up at the foot of an easy looking slab and moving together quickly passed the first 10m pitch. The holds became much smaller from here on , we were relying on friction a lot ( not helped by the wet rock ! ) and the interest level increased dramatically. Using a wide variety of climbing techniques, many not mentioned in climbing manuals , we gradually made our way to the ridge above. About 100m below the ridge the heavens opened on us and the wind speed increased greatly. We carried on to the top along the ridge and continued around the corrie rim to descend to the road at the western end of the Connor pass. Off then to Cloghane for grub and rest. Tuesday turned out to be even wetter so we beat a hasty retreat home. All things considered not a bad trip, even though short and wet it was good to get out on the hills after so long and the views from our route were superb. I'll certainly be visiting this area again.

Heading to Kery on monday next to do the Reeks ridge. Hope the weather plays ball. It's a fantastic trip but one that really needs decent weather. Fingers crossed !