Sunday
Hikes October 2005
HIKE PROGRAMME |
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MEET: Burgh Quay
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DEPART: Sundays 10.00 am
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COST: Private bus. €10
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Date |
Route
Description |
Distance |
Leader
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Oct 2nd |
Circuit of
Glendalough |
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Eoin
Moroney
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Oct 9th |
Route: Dwyer McAllister Cottage
c.p., - Rorty Duff, Keadeen, - Ballinabarney, - Ballinfoyle, - Ballineddan, -
Sliabh Meain, - Camara Hill, - Banana Road, - Fentons |
16km/ 950m |
Paul
Carroll
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Oct 16th |
Route: Ballynockan, - Silseán,- Moanbane, - Billy Byrne’s Gap, - Mullaghcleevaun, - East Top, -
Carrigshouk |
18km/ 750m |
Ita
O’Hanlon
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Oct 23rd |
Route: Ballinagee Bridge – Kings River – Gleenreemore
Brook – Lough Firrib – Art’s Cross – Conavalla – Table Track – Carrig –
Knocknadrooce – Aslaun Brook – Ballinagee Bridge. |
18km / 700m |
Jim
Barry
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Oct 28th – 31st |
Club Trip to Derry and Donegal |
Various |
Frank
Rooney / Eoin Moroney
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Nov 5th |
Route: Oldbridge - WW Track - Ballinafunshoge Mtn -
Ballinrush - Lough Dan Track - Knocknacloghoge Mtn - Cloghoge Brook - Luggala
- Military Road Carpark (GR 137 087) |
15km / 900m |
Philip
Roche
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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.
Participants 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.
TORCH During
winter months it is essential to bring a (head) torch on all Sunday hikes.
Check your batteries / bulb.
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.
Club
Travel
Travels in Bavaria
As I’d never been
to Germany or Austria before, the lure of the white-peaked Bavarian Alps and
the tasty local beer decided the matter of where to go on holiday in summer
2005.
Our trip began
with a few days in Munich. When you emerge from your plane to be greeted by
sunshine and temperatures in the early 20’s you know straight away that you’ve
picked the right week for your holiday. Munich is a nice city, famous for its
beer and its good cuisine (both of which we sampled plenty). Notable sites
include the Olympic station (impressive), Pinakothek Modern museum (weird) and
the shopping district of Marienplatz (expensive).
Two days later we
travelled on to Salzburg in Austria, which is a mere 2 hours by train (there
are faster trains but these are more expensive – there’s also the option of
going by bus which is also faster). Salzburg impresses, with its castles,
museums, beautiful architecture, and friendly people. People of all ages tend
to cycle a lot here, and the city is suited to the bicycle with its pedestrian
streets and numerous cycle lanes. Again, the beer was excellent and the food
was not unlike that of Munich – plenty of pork and sauerkraut. We even managed
to find an excellent Organic Vegetarian restaurant which provided a tasty
alternative to the meaty dishes from the previous few days.
Although we came
across a few Irish Pubs in both Munich and Salzburg we resisted the urge to go
in, but opted instead to sample the local bars. Due to the good weather we were
lucky enough to be able to sit outside to enjoy our drinks most evenings. One
exception was in Munich on our first night when an almighty thunderstorm forced
us to seek shelter in a bar, and of course being Irish we were the last to
leave (11pm – people here have no problem leaving the pub early it seems).
With the weather
so good we were hoping that our luck wouldn’t change before heading for the
mountains. And it didn’t! We arrived in Berchtesgaden, which is just a few
kilometres on the German side of the border with Austria, on an overcast
evening. But next morning the sun was shining and the mountains loomed
overhead, looking glorious under crowns of snow. From Berchtesgaden you can get
buses to various walks and trails, so we headed off to a place called
Kugelmühle. There is a nice walk here along a gorge on a well-maintained path,
which includes 29 bridges and a tunnel.
Along the way we
saw many alpine flowers which I hadn’t seen before. After walking for about an
hour we reached a dam where logs were once cut and tossed down the river. We
then ventured off on another track, which led to a Gasthaus, where food and
beer were served (a pleasant treat after a stroll).
The next day we
embarked on a more serious walk (well, serious for us infrequent hill-walkers
anyway!) up to the Schellenberg ice cave which is the largest ice cave in
Germany, and is quite a popular tourist attraction. The weather that day was
fantastic, and I was getting plenty of use out of my factor 30 sunscreen. A
pleasant walk along a wooded path led up to a more open mountain trail, and
after 2 hours of walking we reached a scenic spot height where the Tony-Lenz
hut (which served delicious apple juice) is perched at a height of 1450m. The
view from here was quite amazing. We were able to refresh our water bottles
along the way in a mountain stream where the water was crystal clear, and
really cool (after an hour’s walking our bottled water was tepid). Another
short walk of about 20 minutes brought us to the ice cave. The outdoor
temperature that day was about 25 degrees, but inside the cave this dropped to
0 degrees (so our rain jackets came in handy – the only time we used them
actually). Afterwards we explored another trail up to a shoulder leading to
Salzburger Hochthron and here we had wonderful views of Salzburg, but with time
catching up on us before the last bus back to Berchtesgaden (6:40 – a bit early
for a summer evening!) we made our descent back along the same path to the main
road. Overall we had walked for 9 hours, which gave us a hearty appetite for
that night’s dinner.
For our final day
in the mountains we decided to take a trip up to the Eagle’s Nest (at a height
of 1800m), Hitler’s mountain fortress which overlooks Berchtesgaden. The trip
from the base of the mountain is via a special bus which takes 20 minutes along
a zig-zagging road. You then walk through a long tunnel to a lift which takes
you the final 120 metres to the summit. From the top the views are
breathtaking, and the Austria-German border is visible just a few kilometres
away. Although a little eerie being up there, it’s a worthwhile experience.
After a final
evening in Munich we departed Bavaria with the satisfaction that we’d got the
best out of our trip.
Matt Geraghty
October
Bank Holiday Weekend
Friday
October 28th to Monday October 31st
Club Trip
to Derry and Donegal
Visit the
Beautiful Glenveagh National Park, The Highlands of Donegal,
the Sperrin Mountains and walk the walls of
Derry City
Three grades of walks on
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Leaders: Frank Rooney and Eoin Moroney
Coach Trip.
Weekend Walking Itinerary to include:
Earrigal, Mackoght, Lough Altan Aghla More and Aghla Beg.
Ordnance Survey Maps 1:50000 Discovery Sheet No. 1,2 and 6
Glenveagh National Park,Crochscolabagh, Farscallop, Kinnaveagh, Glaghell
Mountain, Dooish and the Derryveagh Mountains.
Ordnance Survey Maps 1:50000 Discovery Sheet No. 6
Mullaghacloga Horseshoe
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland. The Sperrins Sheet No. 13
Accommodation is 25 twin rooms and 1
triple room
All bedrooms are
ensuite with multichannel T.V, ISDN lines, direct dial telephone, tea/ coffee
tray, hairdryer and trouser press. Hotel also provides a Fitness suite and
sauna.
Cost
includes Bed and Breakfast on the 29nd,30rd and 31h
, two evening dinners on the 29rd and 30th, and three
packed lunches.
Transport cost included, Dublin to Derry
and to and from all walks
Cost: EUR
250.Booking: EUR 180 NON REFUNDABLE deposit to An Óige Head Office by credit card
or cash deposit (01-8304555).
Balance EUR 70 to be paid before Monday 14th October.
Food: as above
- stopping at local shops for extras etc.
Bring: Sterling
Currency, Suitable Walking Boots, Rain
Wear/Change of Warm Clothing/Towels/Bathroom Gear/ Flask/Torch/ First Aid Kit/Camera/Binoculars etc.
Meeting
Place/Date/Time:Friday 28th of October, Georges Quay (opp the Custom
House) at 1530 .
This trip is now booked
out!! a waiting list has been opened in An Óige H.Q.
The
Hillwalker Website Survey
In October 2005 The Hillwalker website is 4 years old.
Although we have a counter on the main page to determine how many people visit
it, I’m curious to hear from some members of the club who use it, and to get
their opinion. If you’ve recently
visited the website I’d appreciate any comments you may have, particularly your
feedback on the following questions:
1.
How often do you visit the website?
2.
If you have visited the website before,
which is of the following would you tend to look at?
3.
Do you ever look through the archived Hillwalker programmes?
4.
Is the layout of the website easy to use
& to navigate around?
5.
What kind of connection do you have when
using the internet?
6.
What browser do you use?
Any feedback can
be emailed to: hillwalkerclub@eircom.net
Thanks for your
help!
Matt Geraghty.
Map and
Compass Course 2005/2006
The Club will
be running its annual Map and Compass course commencing in November 2005. The
course will include three Tuesday evening introductory sessions, each of
duration of 2 hours, to be held in the An Óige Headquarters, Mountjoy Street.
In addition, there will be two weekend training sessions as well as one night
navigation session, all based in Wicklow. Accommodation for the two Wicklow weekends
will be provided in the Glendalough Hostel. A separate consolidation session
will be organised in the Comeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford, for the weekend of
the 28th & 29th January 2006.
Evening
Sessions (3): Room 102, 7.15 pm for 7.30pm start, November 1st and
November 8th & 15th (Tuesdays)
Evening
Venue: An Óige Headquarters,
61 Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7
Requirements: (1) Ordnance
Survey Map, Sheet 56 - Wicklow (Scale 1:50,000) Laminated version is recommended (approx. €15)
(2) Compass, Silva Expedition 4 graduated into 360
degrees (approx. €40)
NB: A 10% discount is available
on all outdoor equipment in either The
Great Outdoors, Chatham Street, off Grafton Street, or The Outdoor Adventure Centre, Liffey St. (opposite Arnotts) on
production of a valid An Óige or MCI membership card.
First
Weekend: November 5th
& 6st , Wicklow Mountains, meet outside Lynam's Pub, Laragh at
9.45am
Accommodation
in the Glendalough International Hostel
(Saturday overnight) is included
in the course cost.
Second
Weekend: November 19th
& 20th, Wicklow Mountains, meet outside Lynam's Pub, Laragh at
9.45am
Accommodation
in the Glendalough International Hostel
(Saturday overnight) is included
in the course cost.
Night
Hike: December
11th, meet outside Coach House Pub, Roundwood at 4.00pm
Course
Cost: €100
Cost
includes:
Course
2
overnights in the Glendalough Hostel
Cost excludes:
Transport
costs to/from Wicklow for both weekends
Comeragh
weekend January 2005
Booking: It is essential that interested persons book in
advance through the An Óige Head Office, Tel (01) 830 4555.
Consolidation
Weekend: January 28th
& 29th January 2006, Rathgormack Mountaineering Hostel, Comeragh
Mtns., Co. Waterford.
(Costs associated with this
weekend are not included in course cost)
Course Organiser: Jimmy McCullagh
AGM
An Óige Hillwalkers Club
AGM
8.00pm, Thursday Oct 6th, 2005
Westmoreland Bar
Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2
Please note change of venue
Double
Congratulations
Double congratulations are offered to Jimmy McCullagh
On being awarded his Mountain Leadership
And
More importantly
To Jimmy and Ruth (O’Connell) on their marriage this
month
Best wishes for your future happiness
From all the Hillwalkers
Go to
the Dogs Again!
When? Thursday November 10th
Where? Shelbourne Park
Cost:
E10 to include one drink
voucher
If you’re on for
a night at the dogs contact Steve Buckney sbuckney@ireland.com
Club
Membership 2005/6
Due to increasing
costs generally and an increase in Mountaineering Council of Ireland
membership, we have raised our membership fee from €29 to €30 for the coming
year.
Christmas
Party 2005
Saturday
December 3rd
Venue: Glendalough Y.H.
Cost: E65 for
those travelling by Club Bus
E55 for those travelling independently
Price includes bus transport to and from Dublin,
light refreshments after Saturday hike, Gala evening dinner in the Wicklow
Heather and overnight accommodation in Glendalough Y.H.
Booking now open through An Óige Headquarters
Don’t wait for the waiting list!!!
Club
News
Annual Don Reilly
Holly Guinness and Refreshments Hike
This cheery, annual hike will take place on Sunday,
December 18th, finishing at the Hollywood Inn, Hollywood, Co.
Wicklow
We hope to hold another folk music night in late
January. Watch this space and get in tune!!