HIKE PROGRAMME
November 2006
MEET: Burgh
Quay
|
DEPART: Sundays
10.00 am
|
COST: Private
bus. €12
|
Following
the feedback received in the recent members’ survey and the vote taken at the
AGM on 19th October, the bus fare has been raised to € 12.00. Hike
Leaders would be grateful if members could have exact change ready on the
Sunday bus. Thank you very much!
|
12 November Leader: Philip Roche Route: Fern Hill Tunnel * Three Rock * Fairy Castle * Tibradden * Cruagh *
Glendoo * Knocknagun * Prince William’s Seat * Raven’s Rock * Pet Cemetery. Distance: 18km Ascent:
650m |
|
19 November Leader: Pearse Foley Route: Cloghleagh Bridge * Church and River Liffey * Seefin * Seefingan *
Corrig * Seahan * Ballymorefinn * Slievenabawnoge * Stone Cross. Distance: 17km Ascent:
750m |
|
26 November Leader: Tom Kenny Route: Car Park (GR 148 088) * Carrigvore * Gravale * Duff *
Mullaghcleevaun East Top * Mullaghcleevaun * Black Hill * Ballynultagh Gap. Distance: 17km Ascent:
720m |
|
3 December Leader: Joe Gilvarry Route: Little and Large Sugar
Loaf * Carrigoona * Crow Lane. Distance: 18km Ascent:
800m |
|
10 December: HOLLY HIKE Leader: Don Reilly Route: Drumreagh Forest
Entrance Distance: 12km Ascent: 600m |
GENERAL HIKE NOTES
PARTICIPATION Mountaineering is an activity with a
danger of personal injury or death. Participants should be aware of and accept
these risks. People who take part in our club activities do so at their own
risk and are responsible for their own actions and involvement.
INTRODUCTORY HIKES An Introductory Hike is organised once
per month for aspirant members. Any participant on these hikes must be a member
of An Óige.
CO-ORDINATION Tickets are given out on Sundays to ensure that
participants reserve a bus place as they arrive.
LEADER The leader has the right to refuse anyone
who is not adequately equipped (e.g., without appropriate boots, rainwear,
food, torch, hat, gloves, etc). The leader may alter the route from that
described in the program. The leader sets the pace of the hike and walkers are
expected to obey the leader’s instructions at all times.
ENVIRONMENT Try to reduce the erosion and widening of trails,
e.g. do not walk on the edge of worn tracks; walk through the centre of the
original track or go several meters into the scruff where the ground is
untrodden, walking parallel to but not on the track.
LITTER
Litter is
unsightly and dangerous to animals. Even bio-degradable items like orange peels
and banana skins take years to disappear. Bring all your litter home and try to
include at least one extra item from each day out. Do not bury litter – animals
will dig it up.
WALKING STICKS AND RUCKSACKS Remember that walking sticks and rucksacks cannot be
brought onto the bus and must be stowed away in the boot during the journey.
HIKE LEADERS Any club
member interested in leading a hike, please contact:
Garry Byrne
OUT ON THE TRAILS:
Stubai Alps, Austria
A PERFECT HORSE
SHOE
The Stubaital is
an alpine valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. This 40-km long valley is
enclosed by a mountain range with summits over 3000m and is accessible by
public transport from Innsbruck. The main town is Neustift (1000m) with
outlying villages spread out along the valley floor to Mutterbergalm (1721m) at
the foot of the Stubai Glacier. Although most popular during the skiing season,
the Stubaital offers splendid summer hiking at all levels, the highlight being
the Stubai High Route, a classic hut-to-hut round trip of 7 to 8 stages.
Day
1: Flight to Munich, Train to Innsbruck
On 24th August,
we flew from Dublin to Munich, from where we took a 2.5 hour train journey to
Innsbruck. A 40-minute bus trip brought us to Neder on the outskirts of
Neustift where we had pre-booked accommodation in the Klima Hotel. An early
evening thunderstorm brought lots of rain which we hoped would be gone by
morning.
Day
2: Neder to Innsbrucker Hütte
And so it was:
the next morning was bright and sunny and the walk from our hotel along the
Pinnistal was easy, gently rising 1400m over 10km to Innsbrucker Hütte. The
scenery changed from broad forest tracks leading past alpine huts offering
refreshments to a wilder landscape which opened up views of a steep and narrow
track zigzagging up to the Pinnisjoch which seemed to move further away with
every step. But what a reward! On gaining the pass, the view into the next
valley and the mountains behind was absolutely breathtaking – and Innsbrucker
Hütte (2369m) was only a few more steps to the right! A well-deserved shower,
hearty food and drink in a convivial atmosphere brought the day to a close.
Day
3: Innsbrucker to Bremer Hütte
Some of the
stages on the Stubai High Route are quite short, but stage 2 certainly wasn’t
one of them! Unlike other stages, this section crosses many ridge spurs and
turns the day into a series of ups and downs, some quite steep with a certain
amount of exposed sections that are secured with fixed ropes.
As the day wore
on, it was at times difficult to see the route ahead. Many unexpected turns and
winding paths later, we could actually see Bremer Hütte ahead of us in the
distance (see cover photo), perched on top of big slabs of rock with no obvious
way to get there. Getting closer, we realised that our track which had been
pointing in the direction of the hut was now going to bring us away to the left
and down to a river bed from where we would have to scramble over large
boulders in order to finally gain the plateau on which the hut was situated. Feeling
tired at the end of a long hike, the fixed ropes on some of the more arduous
sections provided a certain amount of comfort. And yes, we eventually got
there, and very much enjoyed the hospitality provided by Bremer Hütte (2413m).
Day
4: Bremer to Nürnberger Hütte
The next morning
started wet, very wet. So instead of leaving the hut at 7.30am, we first waited
for weather improvement before abandoning the idea and putting on our rain gear
to tackle what was described in the guide book as “an unrelenting scramble up
steepish crags safeguarded in places by fixed cable”. Not surprisingly, it took
us a while to ascend the ridge (2764m) but just when we got there, the clouds
dispersed for long enough to reveal spectacular views all around.
Unfortunately,
this was not to last: we had rain and mist, on and off, for most of the day.
A great pity, for
when we could actually see further than a few metres, the landscape ranged from
soft turf along meandering streams to glacial slabs and rocky cliffs. Again,
quite a few sections across the rock slabs and along the cliff face were
secured by fixed cables, which was very good given the wet conditions but made
for very slow progress. Luckily, we met very few hikers along the route so
there were no “traffic jams” on the roped sections.
After a slow
descent into a river valley, crossing an interesting footbridge and further
scrambling up the west flank of the valley, we finally reached Nürnberger Hütte
(2297), our resting place for the evening.
Day
5: Change of direction
Next morning, the
hut was enclosed by clouds of mist and rain. The weather forecast wasn’t
promising any changes soon; temperatures were to drop unseasonably low with an
approaching cold front. The route ahead was ascending to a pass of 2627m; snow
was a high probability. What to do?
There are many
escape routes on the Stubai High Route. From most huts, there is a 3 to 4 hour
descent into the valley, sometimes assisted by cable cars for some of the way.
An easy way out can be very tempting if the weather turns bad – and so, after
much deliberation, we decided to descend and discuss our options.
Because of its
horse shoe shape and the availability of public transport, it is quite possible
to skip stages and rejoin the Stubai High Route at a different point. We
decided to go to our intended “finishing point” and walk the route in the
opposite direction towards Dresdner Hütte. Once in the valley, we took the bus
to Neustift from where a cable car brought us to a point below Starkenburger
Hütte. A two-hour hike along a narrow scree ledge saw us reach the hut just
before the rain turned really heavy. Two hikers who arrived shortly after us
came in dripping wet!
Day
6: Snow in late August
During the night,
a storm blew up outside the hut and by morning, everything above 2000m was
white! At breakfast, the warden advised hikers to wait until 10am when the sun
would have melted some of the snow, leaving the tracks less treacherous. Care
would still be needed while crossing the pass ahead (2518m). With these uncertainties
in mind, and the fact that moving forward would mean moving away from escape
routes, dropping down to lower altitudes seemed to be the best option. And a
day spent in Innsbruck suddenly seemed an attractive alternative… We will have
to return to complete the Stubai High Route another year!
Barbara
Sudrow
Further
information:
Austrian Alpine
Club www.alpenverein.at
Stubaital Tourism
www.stubai.org
ART O'NEILL WALK 2007
The Art O'Neill
Walk will take place at midnight on Friday, 5 January, 2007, outside Dublin
Castle, beside City Hall. The year 2007 will mark (exactly) the four hundred
and fifteenth anniversary of the escape of Red Hugh O'Donnell and Henry and Art
O'Neill from that fortress. This walk, which usually happens in the first week
of January each year, does not have an organiser as yet, but some individuals
will be heading out at midnight from Dublin Castle to commemorate the event.
This year the walk will be extended by 11k from the former finishing place at
Baravore in Glenmalure to Greenane, just below Ballinacor, where the Irish
chieftain Fiach Mac Hugh O'Byrne, who provided refuge for Red Hugh, had his
fortress.
Distance: 64k (note extended distance)
Ascent: 1200m.
If you're a
mature, prepared and fit walker you'd be welcome to join us.
Contact: Tom Milligan, email:
tomilligan@eircom.net
HISTORY OF AN ÓIGE
A book has just
been published on the history of An Óige.
It gives an account of all hostels in Ireland, past and present and is
lavishly illustrated.
It can be
purchased from An Óige HQ, price €20 + €5 P+P.
A review will appear in the next edition of “The Hillwalker”.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Club Membership 2006-2007
Our membership year
runs from October 1st 2006 to September 30th 2007. The membership
fee includes MCI insurance (further details below), subscription to the
quarterly Mountain Log magazine and receipt of ten editions of THE HILLWALKER
newsletter (by post, email or both).
Currently, 44
members have renewed. Please note, the December/January edition of “The
Hillwalker” will be the last newsletter sent to members who haven’t renewed for
2006/2007.
Mountaineering Council of Ireland
Insurance Cover
On becoming a
member of An Óige Hillwalkers Club you are insured by MCI Insurance policy. The
Mountaineering Council of Ireland provides mainly Civil Liability insurance -
this protects you in the event that a third party makes a claim against you for
negligence. Personal Accident cover is also included.
· Civil Liability cover up to £5
million sterling for any one incident.
· Personal Accident cover of £50,000
sterling for permanent disability.
Civil
Liability explained
Basically,
liability insurance covers you for claims made against you for third party
injury or damage caused. It protects you (and your assets) if somebody takes
you to court – for example if you dislodge a rock causing injury to somebody
else and that person sues you.
Personal
Accident explained
Personal Accident
cover provides you with a fixed benefit if you are unfortunate enough to suffer
a permanent injury while engaged in one of the activities covered by our
policy. The MCI Personal Accident policy also covers injuries sustained while
travelling to or from an insured activity in the UK or Ireland.
The benefit for
permanent disability or total loss of limbs, eyes, speech or hearing is
£50,000. The Personal Accident policy also includes £500 dental benefit for
dental expenses if you damage your teeth. There is no death benefit under the
MCI’s PA policy and no cover for recoverable injuries such as broken limbs.
What
activities are covered?
Hillwalking,
rockclimbing, rambling (including road walking), backpacking, bouldering,
fellrunning, scrambling, Alpinism and all other recognised aspects of
mountaineering. Additionally, activities such as downhill skiing, ski
mountaineering, mountain biking, canyoning and caving are covered, provided the
activities are non-competitive and not the main activities of the club.
This cover is on
a worldwide basis, but it should be pointed out that your MCI insurance is not
travel insurance – it doesn’t cover you for baggage loss, medical expenses,
cancellation etc.
For further
details on the
insurance policy, on reporting an incident, FAQs, etc. please select item 4
(“insurance info”) from the menu on the MCI website http://www.mountaineering.ie
REPORT ON THE CLUB AGM 2006
The AGM of An
Óige Hillwalkers Club was held in the Westmoreland Hotel on 19 October, 2006.
There were 20 in attendance and as usual, it proved to be a lively forum for
debate. The main areas of concern
continue to be the declining membership and numbers attending the Sunday walks.
The weekends and social events however still continue to attract good support
and the Club finances remain healthy.
A number of
suggestions were made on how to improve attendance and these will be examined
by the incoming Committee. Eoin Moroney presented the findings of the survey of
members conducted in September 2006 and this is covered in detail elsewhere in
this edition of “The Hillwalker”.
A number of
changes were made to the membership of the Committee: Anne Russell (Membership
Secretary) and Jimmy McCullagh (Training Officer) have both resigned, though
Jimmy will continue to assist in the Map and Compass Course. Garry Byrne will
coordinate all Sunday hikes, while Mark Campion will act as Weekend
Coordinator. Eoin Moroney is now an
‘officer at large’ and we welcome Donal Finn who will deal with membership.
Committee
2006/2007
Chairman Frank Rooney
Secretary Garry
Byrne
Treasurer Jim Barry
Membership Donal Finn
Sunday Hikes Garry Byrne
Social Events Steve Buckney
Weekends Mark Campion
Officer-at-large Eoin Moroney
Newsletter Barbara Sudrow
Special
thanks to:
Webmaster Matt Geraghty
Distribution Pearse Foley & Cyril
McFeeney
CLUB NEWS
Members Survey 2006:
Firstly, I would
like to thank all members who participated in the survey which was conducted
through September 2006. The response to the survey was really good with
approximately fifty questionnaires returned.
So what do our
members think and what did we learn?
Well, respondents are generally happy with the club, and happy with the
variety and length of walks (83% of respondents rated the length of walks “just
right”). There is also good
participation in the club with most respondents walking fairly frequently (i.e.
2-3 times monthly). Members really like
the availability of the bus, and there is an acceptance of a price increase of
2-4€ for bus. On the negative side,
respondents had no single strong concern about the club. A cause for concern is our high age profile,
and the fact that most respondents are members of long-standing. Some
statistics:
When did you
join An Óige? This year
(11%); 2 years ago (5%); 3-5 years ago (39%);
More than 5 years
ago (45%)
How often do you hike with An
Óige?
Every Sunday
(0%); Once a month (22%);
2-3 times a month
(50%); 7-10 times a year (9%); 2-5 times a year (17%)
Why did you
join An Óige? 1. The bus;
2. Link with An Óige; 3. Choice of walks
What do you like about the
club?
1. The bus; 2.
The friendliness of the club;
3. The choice of
walks
How would you
rate the hikes? Too long
(5%); Just right (83%); Too short (9%);
Too fast (3%)
Would you come
if no bus were provided?
Yes (25%); No (43%); Depends on the route/leader (32%)
What price
would you pay? 12€ (38%);
13€ (28%); 14€
(2%); 15€ (26%)
Participation
in club weekends? Never
(22%); Once a year (24%); Twice or more a year (53%)
Age profile?
19-29 (2%); 30-45 (43%);
46-65 (46%); 65+
(7%)
Where do we go
from here? To increase club membership,
I believe that we should build on what current members see as the club strengths. These are the availability of the bus, the
club's link with An Óige, and the friendliness of the Club. So equipped with this information, we will
continue to develop strategies to take us forward.
Eoin
Moroney
Congratulations
to Brian Flynn who won the €50 voucher for his participation in the
survey! Many thanks!
SOCIAL CORNER
GOING
TO THE DOGS – AGAIN!!!
This will be our
third outing to Greyhound Racing. GOOD LUCK to everyone!!!
Date: 24th
November 2006
Venue: Shelbourne
Park (see map above)
Cost: €
10 (payable on the night)
Further information:
Steve Buckney
Other suggestions
welcome!
Please contact
our Social Organiser
Steve Buckney
BEHIND THE SCENES
Webmaster
Having never set
foot on a hill or mountain before, I joined An Óige in April 1999 having been
persuaded by my friend Warren Lawless that there were better things to be doing
on a Sunday than having a lie-on, shopping, or going out to the pub. After a
few walks with the Moderates I joined the Hillwalker’s Club a few weeks later
and found that I enjoyed the slightly more challenging walks that the group
organised.
During the next
few years I made numerous friends (including fellow County Louth-men Shane
Branigan and Brian Murphy), went on several bank-holiday weekends away (including
Kilkenny and the Burren), attended many house & Halloween parties, and of
course I met Lillian who married me earlier this year. So overall I haven’t
done too badly!
In 2001 I
suggested to the then Editor of The Hillwalker, Warren Lawless (yes, him again)
that I could set up a website and put the magazine online. Since then I have
continued to maintain the website and each month I upload the latest edition of
the magazine. Although the content of the website doesn’t differ much from the
posted programme, it does allow photos to be viewed in all their glory, and
allows users to read previous editions from the past 5 years. Updating the
website each month takes about 2 hours to format the programme, update the
various webpages and links, and add new photos.
I moved to Cork
over 2 years ago so I don’t get to walk with the club anymore. But I still
enjoy having a connection with the club by working on the website each month,
and reading about their latest activities. I hope that the club continues long
into the future and offers many other people the opportunity to enjoy our
wonderful scenery and to make new friends.
Matt
Geraghty
Christmas Party 2006
ONLY
A FEW PLACES LEFT
Cost: €65 (making your own way) or €75 (using private bus from
Burgh Quay)
Saturday, 16 December
9.30 am Depart
from Burgh Quay, Dublin (club bus)
11.00 am Arrive
at Glendalough Youth Hostel
11.30 am Depart Hostel for Hikes in Glendalough Area
Hard Hike: Tom Kenny
Moderate Hike: Jim
Barry
4.30 pm Welcome
Back Hikers’ Soup at Glendalough Hostel
Opportunity to renew club
membership and/or book optional breakfast for Sunday morning (approx. € 7.50)
6.45 pm Depart
Hostel for Lynam’s Pub in Laragh (club bus)
8.30 pm Christmas
Dinner
Wicklow Heather Restaurant, Laragh
11.30 pm Depart
Wicklow Heather (club bus), return to Glendalough Hostel
12.00 am Christmas
Raffle
Music & Party till late
Sunday, 17 December
10.30 am Depart
Hostel for Hike in Glendalough Area
Hike Leader: Garry Byrne
3.30 pm Depart
Hostel, return to Dublin (club bus)
Any changes to advertised leaders
or times will be
announced on the day.
All queries and payments to An Óige Head Office (01-8304555)