Mid-Ulster Walkers Get High in Kerry

 
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For this year’s Spring Trip nineteen members of the Mid-Ulster Walking Club travelled to Kerry. The very comfortable Rivermere Guesthouse in Killarney provided their base during an energetic weekend’s walking.

Coomloughra Horseshoe
On Friday evening five foolhardy walkers had limbered up by climbing Torc Mountain, an easy and rewarding ascent being followed by a distinctly torturous, tiring and not entirely sensible descent. But on Saturday morning all nineteen walkers turned out and headed for the western end of the Magillycuddy’s Reeks.
Their walk was the Coomloughra Horseshoe, Ireland’s finest ridge walk. Enclosing the Coomloughra and Eagher loughs the horseshoe, along with Skregmore, embraces Ireland’s three highest summits, Caher, Carrauntoohil and Beenkeragh, as well as the famed high arete of the Beenkeragh Ridge.
Setting off the group endured some punishing early inclines on the road up to Lough Eighter before settling into the long unrelenting climb up Caher. They gained height steadily and the Dingle Peninsula took form behind them on a day graced by marvellous views from the outset. Wary of the cliffs plunging down to the quiet loughs below they toiled on to reach the summit at 1001 metres. Pressing on over some awkward terrain they completed the climb up Carrauntoohill, at 1039 metres (3,414 ft) the highest point in Ireland.
After some initial indecision the weather had set fair and the summit’s spectacular encircling panorama stretched far and wide. Swathes of high mountains, including the tantalising arc of the Eastern Reeks, rose above lake-studded lowland and a blue ocean edged the rugged coastline.
After a time the walkers descended sharply to arrive at the Beenkeragh Ridge. Here they could enjoy the challenge of some scrambling, following either an airy route along the rocks forming the ridge’s serrated edge or searching out a less vertigo-inducing but not necessarily straightforward route a little lower down.By whatever means all were eventually safely across and making the short but steep climb to the top of Beenkeeragh, which stands just ten metres lower than Carrauntoohil.
Skregmore (851 m) and its associated rock-festooned tops, with their wonderful outlook across the flat North Kerry lowlands, now provided the way down. In a warm flood of late afternoon sunshine a long undulating descent slowly brought a hard but exhilarating day to a close.

Mangerton
Sunday’s walk featured Stoopa and Mangerton mountains, just south of Killarney. From their starting point by the Finoulagh River the walkers made their way across the site of the Tooreencormick battlefield, where in 1262 the McCarthys defeated the Normans. Against another beguiling backdrop of mountain and forest, lakeland and coast they climbed slowly up around the eastern side of Loch Garagarry towards Stoopa. A contented mountain stream, its waters glittering in the morning sunshine, flowed smoothly by them.
A few elected to contour around the top of Stoopa but most hauled themselves up through the heather and over the boulders to the summit before heading west along the ridge above the Horse’s Glen. Shortly the others rejoined them, looking slightly flustered. The weekend was proving that the low road is not always the easy road.
Lunch was taken above the very striking Lough Erhog, which nestles deep within high rock walls. Continuing on the walkers reached their goal, the slightly reclusive summit of Mangerton (839 m). To the west, dominating the horizon, lay the Reeks and Saturday’s walk.
From the summit some went along the western heights of the flooded corrie known as ‘The Devil’s Punchbowl’ and others along the ridge separating it from Lough Erhogh. The latter were unable to resist the opportunity of a quick climb to Mangerton North Top, another superb vantage-point. It was the weekend’s final climb and soon they were following the others down the stony track that marked the end of an excellent walk.

Thanks
That evening the walkers celebrated with a fine meal out in Killarney. Well-merited thanks, including a remarkable literary effort by Club Treasurer and poet-in-residence Butch Elliot, were expressed to Eamonn Flanagan, whose organisation of the weekend and leadership of the walks had ensured a highly successful trip.