Dungarvan
Hillwalking Club May Newsletter
A Slightly Debauched Weekend in
Leenane.
A
horde of Dungarvan hillwalkers descended on the hills of Connemara, or should
that be ascended, on the weekend of April 25th. They stayed as
always in the extremely comfortable and homely Leenane Hotel. The weather
wobbled somewhat, but luckily the weekend wasn’t a complete washout.
Early
arrivals on Friday 25th were able to avail of a scenic fjord walk
led by Sean and Bernie Rush. Five people went on this relaxing walk. The next
day was the big walking day. The C walkers headed for Diamond Hill, where the
weather held out until the last leg of the journey. The group dried off with
cups of tea at the local tea rooms, but were then soaked again on the way to
the cars.
The
eight B Walkers headed for the Maumturks, under the expert guidance of Angela, an
experienced local walk leader from the local Beanna Beola walking club. A tough
six hour walk but with excellent vistas, well worth the effort. Thanks go to Noel
for arranging the contact.
Sunday
was a free day, and some of the group took to their bikes for a 28km cycle on
the Westport Greenway, while others braved Croagh Patrick. We would like to
thank Richard Dykes and Peter Mangan for their help in organising the weekend
and the local walk leader Angela for her expertise on Saturday.
Walk Report, Glenpatrick, April 6th,
Leader, Carmel Ryan
The
forecast was very bad for this walk, but luck smiled on leader Carmel Ryan and
she led a group of approximately 12 walkers around the woods near Glenpatrick
in glorious sunshine. Carmel took the walkers on a loop that encompassed a few
challenging hills, and the walkers enjoyed lunch at a bridge, listening to the
swooshing sound of the water. Most of the walk was on a woodland track, with
some road at the end. The carpark had large stones that were at a convenient
height for disrobing and rerobing after the walk.
Comeragh Crossing Quiz
The
annual fundraising quiz in aid of the Comeragh Crossing will take place on
Friday May 16th at 8pm in the soccer club. The price is €20 for a table of four. We will
have a new quiz master on the night, Ronagh Baumann. Best of luck to Ronagh and
thanks to her for putting herself forward.
One
side effect of the massive storms in January and February is that many walk
routes have become impossible to navigate, as trees have fallen along the path.
This was the case for Paul Vart’s walk in Colligan Upper. Thankfully, Paul
found a way around the problem and took the group along the side of the forest,
where branches made a satisfying crackling sound as the walkers stepped on
them. The walkers then crossed a field and then made their way home by road, in
a walk that took just under three hours. Unfortunately, the heavy cloud cover
failed to lift, but this didn’t dampen the walkers’ spirits.
And finally ... Ted Dipple is still
looking for stewards for the Darkness into Light walk at 4am on Saturday May 10th.
If you’re interested, contact him on 058 20790.
derbhile.graham@gmail.com.
