Ireland Training

Saturday 14th April 2018

Training Walk in Ireland

One of my favourite holiday destinations is Denise's sister & brother-in-law's place in Donegal, County Donegal. I find it very relaxing and the views from their sun-room are stunning. This year I invested in an All Ireland Map Card to use with my Satmap Active 10 GPS "gizmo" and planned a training walk taking me up into the hills to the north of Donegal town. All I needed was a bit of decent weather!! Looking at the local weather forecast Saturday seemed the best bet.

Breakfast eaten, lunch packed (there are no pubs in them-thar hills!) and kit checked Denise & I set off by car to a point just north of Harvey's Point on Lough Eske where the Bluestack Way leaves the road and heads for the hills. The sky was a bit ominous and the cloud seemed lower than I would have liked but at least it was dry when I set off.

The higher I climbed the lower the cloud got and the damper it became until eventually I decided to swap my softshell jacket for my light-weight waterproof!! I'm sure the views would have been amazing if only the clouds hadn't obliterated most of the views! I should have been able to see Barnesmore and Croaghconnellagh to the east and north of the Lough as I climbed up and around the northern edge of Banagher Hill. As I crested the col and started to make my way down into the Eglish River valley in the rain I should have been stunned by the view of the Bluestack Mountains. Sadly the clouds hid a lot of the mountain but the view as I sat under the shelter of a solitary tree to eat my morning snack was still breath-taking. I heard the call of a bird of prey as I sat but I couldn't see a thing. I know eagles have been seen in the area but sadly my recognition of birdsong isn't the best.

Once I'd had my break the rain had stopped. I continued down towards the valley floor passing what I assumed was the last person to venture this way, a scarecrow in a high-viz jacket!! The going was firm underfoot being mostly a wide, stony track. I don't think my doggy friends Tam, Tate & Dara would have appreciated it though as there was little respite for their tender paws. At least there was no mud!! 

The only problem with walking up and then down a mountain on a circular walk is that, invariably, one has to walk up and down it again to get back!! At the Bluestack Way signpost which pointed me back the way I'd come down from Donegal town or onward to Ardara I chose to ignore both! I headed upward and south along a forest track towards Banagher Lough and Burns Mountain. Again I heard plenty of birdsong and identified a bullfinch by sight, pheasants by sound and some LBJ's by sight (Little Brown Jobs!) as I walked. There was evidence of shooting with cartridge cases of varying colours lying around but little sign of any other wildlife.

As is always the way the closer I got to climbing down off the mountain and heading home the clearer the weather became and the clouds lifted. I got a slightly better view of the edge of Bluestack  and beyond as I climbed upwards again.

Banagher Lough with Barnesmore in the distance

This clearing of the weather did mean that I was rewarded with some stupendous views of Donegal Bay and the inland cliffs beyond as I sat and ate my lunch. Duly fortified I headed home down the track to the roadway and then through Donegal town and back home for a nice pint of ale, a hot bath and an excellent steak dinner!! I'd comfortably walked 11miles. I'd successfully tested out the kit that I was going to use on my walk. Happy Days!! 

April Training Walk 2018

April Fools Up Sugar Loaf

I know it wasn't actually April Fools Day BUT!! . . . Monday 2nd April 2018 was not the nicest Easter Monday that we've seen. The weather forecast was not good for Abergavenny but there was the possibility that it might stop raining long enough to actually get some walking in to try and walk off some of the Easter Eggs!!

We all met up at the Llanwenarth Car Park in the mist and set off at a comfortable pace!! Its easier from there as the car has done a lot of the climbing!!

The mist was fairly thick but we skirted Cwm Trosnant and took the path to the south of Sugar Loaf. At the south-eastern edge, by Twyn Gwyn, we climbed the path to skirt the northern side of Sugar Loaf. The 'younger' members of the party forged ahead whilst this 'oldie' stopped occasionally to admire the view, wall-to-wall mist!!

We crested the western-most edge of Sugar Loaf where the path is much less distinct. Up until then we had been walking on a grassy (sometimes muddy and snowy) wide and clearly defined path. The way down towards the car park was now steeper, boulder-strewn with deep pockets of snow. The idea was that we took our time and placed our feet carefully. Sometimes ideas fail to become a reality!! We had all had a few slips and slides during the walk and one of us had earlier taken a sit-down unexpectedly! The steepness of the slope took one of the party by surprise and she descended quicker than she'd wished, twisting her booted ankle as she tried to halt. It was a scary time as she combatted the pain and we tried to find the least problematic descent route for her. Being a true tough ex-soldier she gritted her teeth (and saved us all the embarrassment of having to call out the  Mountain Rescue Team!) and limped her way painfully back to the car. Miraculously the mist lifted as we got nearer to the car park!! 

The following day she took herself off to be X-rayed but fortunately she hadn't broken anything. Its going to be a long road to recovery. Thank the lucky stars that she was wearing boots as I think anything less could have meant a break.

And the things I've learnt from this little episode?
1) Take your time & look where you're going.
2) Wear the right kit.
3) Be lucky!!

Do I think we were foolish walking that day? No because we had all the right equipment and it could have just as easily happened on a fine, clear day. Accidents happen - but maybe I'll stick to walking on the flat till my Walking Challenge is over!!! My thanks to my lovely friends for providing me with exciting training walks.