MacGillycuddy's Reeks

Monday 12th September 2005 

This was a much longer walk than the previous days and it was over challenging terrain in changing weather conditions. I was starting from Kate Kearney's Cottage, which is a tourist-haven cum pub/restaurant at the foot of the Gap of Dunloe. I started by walking up the road towards the Gap before veering off to the right up a very good path that zigzags up the hillside with more of the spectacular scenery revealed with every turn. When I reached the top of the ridge the view across MacGillycuddy's Reeks could plainly be seen ahead of me with Carrauntoohil standing proud at the end of the high ridge, unfortunately it didn't take long for the clouds to obliterate Carrauntoohil with the rest of the ridge quickly following suit; it was going to be one of those days! 

With all trace of a path gone I made my way across the boggy plain to the foot of Cnoc an Bhráca, jumping across the wide bogs in my way. Just as I began the ascent I realised that I had lost my sunglasses, which had been in my pocket (the sun had already disappeared behind the clouds!). Despondently I made my way back to the bogs and remembered my first day in the Lake District three years before when I lost my glasses on Loughrigg. When my search failed to locate them I dejectedly made my way back to Cnoc an Bhráca until suddenly I came across them lying in the grass. It was unbelievable that I hadn't seen them when going back to the bog! With great relief I made my way back towards Cnoc an Bhráca just as the clouds began to lift in front of me. Everyone was happy! 

Instead of going straight up to the top of Cnoc an Bhráca I followed the route recommended by Paddy Dillon in his book “The Mountains of Ireland” by contouring the eastern slopes to make for the top behind, Cnoc na dTarbh. With hindsight I wish I'd missed this out as it's not a very big hill but I had to put a considerable amount of effort into getting to it before returning to Cnoc an Bháca. Paddy Dillon’s routes are designed in order to visit every mountain above two thousand feet in Ireland, even insignificant tops like Cnoc na dTarbh. Once I reached the top of Cnoc an Bhráca I was really weary from my exertion, probably due to not eating enough beforehand for such a strenuous walk. I felt much better after eating a small snickers bar so I headed off along the main ridge past a dip and up the steep rocky ridge to my first three thousand footer on Ireland, Cruach Mhór. The views from this vantage point were awesome in the bright sunshine so I had my lunch as I prepared myself for the most difficult part of the ridge. I traversed the rocky ridge making my way across to the Big Gun, scrambling around and over large rocky obstacles on the way. Keeping as near to the top of the ridge as I dared, I reached the summit and prepared for the next section before descending to a col. The ascent took me along a narrow rocky ridge all the way up to Cnoc na Péiste and included plunging into the clouds that had been coming up from the south. I tried to stay on top or at least visit the top of the ridge frequently, but eventually the scrambling became too difficult and I had to abandon it in favour of an easier path that crosses the left side of the ridge. This was still an exciting ridge, almost an edge, and I was disappointed when the summit of Cnoc na Péiste finally emerged through the clouds. 

The most difficult section of the ridge was now over and I was at the highest point on the walk with a relatively easy grassy ridge ahead of me, but since that would have been too easy, even with the clouds obstructing any views, the wind picked up and necessitated the donning of my cagoule for the remainder of the walk. I continued to walk along the ridge passing over Maolán Buí­ and Cnoc an Chuillinn before descending steeply to a col with a rather non-descript grassy mound ahead of me (Cnoc na Toinne). I followed a path that crossed the southern flanks to reached what I assumed was the summit, but since there was nothing to be seen, being in the clouds, I have no way of knowing whether I was right! With the last hill of the day behind me I descended the narrow grassy ridge down to the foot of Carrauntoohil and the top of the Devil's Ladder. 

I was leaving Carrauntoohil for another day so I began the arduous descent down the Devil's Ladder to Hag's Glen through the badly eroded dirt at the top and down the scree slope lower down all the way to the valley floor. After all I'd heard about this descent I was expecting worse, but except for the initial bit at the top, which was very bad, the scree was pretty much standard fare and once off the movable stuff I was skipping and jumping down with carefree abandon. At the bottom a clear track beside the Gaddagh River led me to the road-end where now ahead of me was a couple of hours of road walking as I made my way back to Kate Kearney's Cottage. A lift by a fellow walker after I had already walked ½ of the way alleviated some of the tedium and hastened the end of what was becoming a very long walk. Despite the lengthy end and the later clouds this was a fabulous walk over some truly great mountains.