Hike Programme

HIKE PROGRAMME

December 2007 / January 2008

MEET: Burgh Quay

DEPART: Sundays 10.00 am

COST: Private bus. €12 (unless stated otherwise)

2nd pick-up point: The bus picks up walkers who are already at the designated point. It won’t be waiting and places cannot be guaranteed as the bus may be full at Burgh Quay.

NEW 2nd drop-off point: Where indicated in the programme below, the bus will drop off hikers at the 2nd pick-up point on the return journey, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. We regret that this is not possible on all routes.

9 December 2007:

---HOLLY HIKE 2007

Leader: Don Reilly

2nd pick-up & drop-off point: Bus stop near pond at Seán Moore Park on Tallaght By-Pass.

Route: Drumreagh (GR N937 032) * Church Mountain * Turf Cutters’ Track * Toor * Scalp * St. Kevin’s Way * Hollywood Village.

Distance: 12km Ascent: 600m Map: OS 56

16 December 2007

---Christmas Party (see separate notice)

23 December 2007

30 December 2007 ---NO HIKES---

6 January 2008

Wednesday, 26 December 2007

---St. Stephen’s Day Hike

Leader: Frank Rooney

Route: Meet outside the Marine Hotel, Sutton Cross (note revised meeting place), at 11.00 o’clock, for a walk around the Hill of Howth; public or own transport.

Tuesday, 1 January 2008

---Lug at New Year

Leader: Jim Barry

Route: Meet outside Fenton’s Pub at 11.00 o’clock, for the traditional New Year hike up Lugnaquilla;

own transport.

13 January 2008

---Introductory Hike East Wicklow

Leader: Mark Campion

2nd pick-up & drop-off point: Bus stop before the roundabout at Loughlinstown.

Route: Carrigoona (GR O238 147) * Rocky Valley * Glencap Commons * Great Sugar Loaf * Calary * Downs Hill * Kilpedder.

Distance: 16km Ascent: 650m Map: OS 56

20 January 2008

---Northwest Wicklow, South Dublin

Leader: Philip Roche

2nd pick-up point: Bus stop near pond at Seán Moore Park on Tallaght By-Pass

Route: Cloghleagh Bridge (GR O049 166) * Shankill River * Seefin * Seefingan * Corrig * Seahan * Ballymorefinn * Slievenabawnoge * Stone Cross.

Distance: 16km Ascent: 700m Maps: OS 50 & 56

27 January 2008

---South Dublin, North Wicklow Rambles

Leader: Brian Madden

2nd pick-up point: Bus stop before the roundabout at Loughlinstown.

Route: Start GR O244 214 near Rathmichael C of I Church * Carrickgollogan * Barnaslingan * Scalp * Killegar * Knocksink * Ballybrew * Ravens Rock * Prince William’s Seat * Knocknagun * Oldboley’s * Glencree Centre.

Distance: 17km Ascent: 750m Maps: OS 50 & 56

3 February 2008

---Introductory Hike Glenmacnass Valley

Leader: Pearse Foley

2nd pick-up point: Bus stop before the roundabout at Loughlinstown.

Route: Glendalough * Wicklow Way * Paddock Hill * Gosson Stones * Scarr * Kanturk * Carrigeenduff * Oasis.

Distance: 16km Ascent: 550m Maps: OS 56, Harvey and Healy.

GENERAL HIKE NOTES

PLEASE NOTE: The hike leader has the right to refuse anyone who is not adequately equipped (e.g., without appropriate boots, rainwear, food, hat, gloves, etc). As daylight may be fading towards the end of the hike, please don’t forget your torch, spare batteries & bulb!

Any club member interested in leading a hike, please contact: Garry Byrne

WEEKENDS AWAY

October Bank Holiday Trip

Hillwalkers’ Journey

to Armagh City

This year the An Óige Hillwalking Club organised its annual October bank holiday weekend hiking trip to the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down. A total number of 50 hikers set out from Dublin city centre around 6.00pm on Friday the 26th October on board a brand new luxurious 07 coach as hired in from M & A coaches in Kilkenny. Accommodation was provided in Armagh’s modern youth hostel. The trip north was both relaxing and enjoyable providing no hiccups whatsoever until the assigned destination was reached around 8.30pm that evening. All hikers were allocated their respective rooms and were therefore able to settle in fairly quickly. The rooms provided were all en-suite, hosting around an average of four hikers each.

Once settled in on the first night of the trip it was then decided to taste the local cuisine, music, and beer. Two suitable spots in particular were discovered in one of the main streets in Armagh City. The Charlemount Hotel provided the food on the first night of arrival and the Station Bar was to become the source of both beer provisions and sing-songs alike for most nights thereafter. Making contact with the locals presented no great challenges since they proved themselves unbelievably welcoming and friendly, showing particular interest in both hillwalking and the Irish language.

Day 1: Saturday

On the first day of hiking all walkers arose around 7.30am so as to present themselves in the canteen for a fully cooked breakfast around 7.45am. The food was well presented, tasty and above all plentiful and certainly sufficient to last until midday when one could then avail of the neatly packed lunch which was also provided by the hostel. Once fed, packed and ready for the challenge ahead all hikers boarded the bus again and set off in an easterly direction towards Newry, Warrenpoint and then on to the starting point of both hikes at the foot of the Mourne Mountains at Head Road. The weather on Saturday was quite challenging and visibility was therefore reduced to a very limited yardage making both climbing and navigating more awkward. It really became a matter of concentrating on the task ahead sort of a day.

On that day both the hard and moderate hikes followed similar routes along Slieve Binnian with the former group taking in some higher contours in certain locations and also venturing around Slievelamagan. In any event all hikers arrived safely back at the bus in Carrick Little Car Park around 4.30pm. Both groups then made their way back to the hostel to get showered in preparation for the four course meal that was provided by the hostel. Later on the group headed out towards the city centre where some local musicians provided the night’s entertainment with a traditional musical session aided by some of the hikers, namely Martin on tin whistle and Gerry on vocals.

Day 2: Sunday

Sunday morning arrived one hour later than normal and I am sure that the hikers were quite appreciative of the extra hour in bed. A fully cooked breakfast and packed lunch was provided again by the hostel and then the hikers safely made their way to Newcastle so as to take on Slieve Donard. Fortunately the weather was much more friendly and accommodating on that day of hiking and everyone was able to absorb and further appreciate the beauty from the tough assent towards Slieve Donard taking in the coast line all the way along to Carlingford Lough.

Both groups took on Slieve Donard, with the hard hikers venturing on the more challenging route up by the steep waterfall where all faculties in the form of arms and feet were called upon to aid the ascent, with Newcastle and Castlewellan plus the attractive Co. Down landscape always in range. The weather turned quite blustery at the top of the mountain and that was to last for the remainder of the day but fortunately did not unduly interfere with the breathtaking local scenery. Nevertheless, and, on a clearer day, hikers would be able to sample some sights of Scotland in the distance.

Having conquered the top of Donard, the group was then faced with the challenge of Hare’s Gap along the great wall which fortunately sheltered everyone from the strong and heavy breeze. Hare’s Gap on its own would not normally be that difficult but coming straight off Donard proved teasing enough. The destination at Trassey Road was again safely navigated by all around the 5.00pm mark and again the group headed back to the hostel to once more sample the appetising four course meal that was warmly laid on for everyone.

The local Station Bar was to be the venue for Sunday night’s entertainment. The hikers, in conjunction with some extremely gifted local singers, provided great entertainment in organising and partaking in an impromptu sing-song. Claire, Frank and Gerry were to provide the best entertainment from the visitors where even some songs were recited as gaeilge.

Stephen James was to part early from the party in preparation for the following day’s marathon back in the capital. Stephen partook in the event to raise money for a permanently handicapped relative of a work colleague. We learned later on that he successfully completed the event.

Day 3: Monday

Monday morning, and the hostel was vacated around 9.30am. Some members headed back to the capital via private transport whilst the remainder of the group took on Slieve Gullion around Camlough. The climb was to prove challenging enough particularly on the back of the previous two days’ tough challenges. The summit of Slieve Gullion around the 800m mark provided some excellent scenery of the Mourne Mountains, Newry and the picturesque Co. Down and Armagh landscape. Again and fortunately the weather was to be in the hikers’ favour.

On the way back to the capital that evening the group stopped off at the Carrickdale Hotel for their usual evening return meal thereafter arriving safely back in Dublin around 7.30pm.

The group would again like to extend their sincere gratitude to both Frank Rooney and Brendan Magee for organising such an enjoyable and seamless trip to Armagh City and the Mourne Mountains.

The hikers are also indebted to both the bus driver and the staff of the hostel, all of whom put the hikers’ needs before their own, and therefore generally added to the overall quality of the weekend.

Eamonn Coyle

See Eamonn’s photos from the weekend trip by selecting the New Photos link on the main menu.

Book Reviews

TEN WALKS IN THE DISTRICT OF ENNISKERRY

Raven’s Rock Publications, 2002/2006

Reviewed by Brian Madden

This booklet of walks by Albert Smith and Kevin Warner came to be known as ‘the forbidden book’ in hiking circles. Due to a dispute on rights of way, and threat of High Court action, the first (2002) edition was withdrawn from the market. Meanwhile clandestine photocopies circulated. The landowner concerned, Neil Collen, mounted a legal challenge to the right of way at Lamb’s Lane, which crossed his land. Two of the routes in the first edition were affected. Later, Mr Collen took a case against Neil Leonach (Chairperson of Enniskerry Walking Association); the Circuit Court found in favour of the right of way. After this, Collen appealed it to the High Court, and the judgement was reversed in his favour.

In the second edition (2006), the two disputed routes have been replaced with new walks. Information on the recent legal history of the Lamb’s Lane track is also given.

Interestingly enough, the Kilmolin-Curtlestown-Raven’s Rock loop (Walk 7, 2nd Ed.) has been retained. One of the landowners at Curtlestown is known to have an objection to walkers using the ‘old road’ near Curtlestown WW exit. He was invited to substantiate his objection prior to publication of the 2nd edition, but did not take up the offer. In the opinion of the authors, there is overwhelming evidence to support this access, so they are including it.

The hikes in ‘Ten Walks’ are short, 1-2 hours typically, and usually circular. They are incredibly rich in feature, local history and heritage. The Dargle-Loop walk is a real ‘wow’, with dramatic views of the Dargle Gorge, on a track blasted from the rock for the visual benefit of royal visitors from England early in the nineteenth century. The Mass path from the Texaco station to Killegar churchyard is a highly precise piece of navigation, traversing fields, with precise entry and exit points at quaint stone stiles. Have the guidebook with you for this!

Although the walks are short, they can be built into some of our An Óige hikes to great advantage. Last June, I led a Moderate group from Kilcroney bridge to Jonnie Fox’s pub in Glencullen using three of the Ten Walks: Lovers Leap track, the Dargle-Loop (with a raft ferry to cross the Dargle river), and Knocksink Wood.

The walk descriptions are excellent, with fine maps by Yanny Petters and sketch illustrations by Kate Warner. It’s available at most Dubray Books outlets (e.g. Dun Laoghaire, Stillorgan, Blackrock, Rathmines), ‘Spar’ in Enniskerry and Stepaside, the Scalp Petrol Station, and elsewhere. Cost is €5.00. You can also order the booklet from the authors for the same price (alberts@iol.ie). They will cover the postage and packing.

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THE WICKLOW MILITARY ROAD

History and Topography

by Michael Fewer

Ashfield Press

ISBN: 1-901658-66-8

Reviewed by Garry Byrne

An interesting new book on the history of the Wicklow Military Road was recently published by Ashfield Press for €20. Built around 200 years ago, just after the 1798 uprising, it runs for over 60 kilometres from Rathfarnham to Aghavannagh.

The architect-turned-author, Michael Fewer, will be well known to many walkers through his frequent articles in Walking World Ireland and his books on the Wicklow Way, Long Distance Walks, Marked Trails and many others. This book certainly feels like one written by an enthusiastic walker with a real interest in the hills. Throughout, there are repeated references to well and lesser known hills, brooks and place names we know so well.

Michael helps bring the past to life as he uses the Military Road as a route to access and explore the natural and local history of the south Dublin and Wicklow hills. The historical events that led to the building of the road are considered, together with events along it since. It is however far from being a dry history, with numerous stories and anecdotes of those who worked on the road or lived near it. The book is lavishly illustrated with maps and photos, both old and new. Included are two poems on Lough Bray and on Aghavannagh written in 1892 in memory of Parnell who died the previous year.

The An Óige hostels at Barravore and Aghavannagh both get a mention. While most walkers will be aware of Parnell’s association with Aghavannagh, few will be aware of the literary associations of Barravore. The book informs us that the area inspired the writing of Synge’s play ‘In the Shadow of the Glen’ and that the cottage, which was to become the hostel in 1955, was frequented over the years by many literary and political personages such as Countess Markievicz, Lennox Robinson and W B Yeats.

All in all, whatever your interests, you are sure to find something of interest in this book.

CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCH COMPETITION

Our Christmas competition focuses on two articles in this edition:

Hillwalkers’ Journey to Armagh City (pp. 3-4) and Way of St. James: From Logroño to

Burgos (pp. 10-12).

The 21 names in the word search can be found in either of the two articles. In the grid

below, the names are printed horizontally (left to right or right to left) or vertically (top

to bottom or bottom to top) but not diagonally. The clues below may help you find the answers!

1. Mountains of M… (5)

2. Northern Irish town connected by ferry to Omeath, Co. Louth (11)

3. Slieve B… (7)

4. Northern Irish seaside resort (9)

5. Slieve D… (6)

6. Lough on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (11)

7. One of the tracks through the mountains (7)

8. Slieve G… (7)

9. Village in Co. Armagh, near Bessbrook (8)

10. Northern Irish city on the main
Dublin-Belfast route (5)

11. Spanish for “Way” of St. James (6)

12. Type of pilgrims’ accommodation (8)

13. Spanish province where Frank started (5)

14. Where Frank met Elliot and Justine (6)

15. Elliot’s final destination (7)

16. Name of a river and mountain range (3)

17. Largest region in Spain (8-1-4)

18. Frank’s “home town” (11)

19. At 1200m the highest peak en route (7)

20. Home town of Nirvana impersonator (9)

21. Airline suspected of planning flights to Burgos (7)

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