Women With Altitude

The Author at the Intro to Climbing course

   Women With Altitude Glendalough Wicklow 2013


Having first heard about the women with altitude weekend after it's first year in the Mournes mountains two years ago in the quarterly mountain log I had decided that I would go the second year.  Unfortunately in it's second year it was held in Donegal which was too far to travel to but after reading a glowing report in the mountain log afterwards decided that I would hopefully be able to attend it in it's third year.

Maureen O'Brien, Pat Brodrick, Melanie Murphy and I all decided that we would go the third year when they announced that it would be held in Glendalough, Wicklow to represent the female members of Bishopstown hillwalking club.



Firstly let me make it quite clear that Women with Altitude is not for die hard A walkers who want to run a walk at breakneck speed.  This is a celebration of women of ALL levels of ability including C and D walkers.


There was plenty of choice from the extensive weekend programme with the option of paying to do a specialized course on the Saturday as either a full day or 2 half day courses.  There was also hill walks to suit all level of abilities which were free.  I opted for a half days intro to rock climbing followed by an afternoon of technical climbing, Maureen was instructing on the basic navigation course, Melanie did a days scrambling in Glendalough and Pat did ropework for hillwalkers which she was supposed to follow in the afternoon with intro to rock climbing.  Unfortunately this was cancelled due to the weather and she opted instead for a river ascent.

Other courses available included lower traverse to St kevins bed, multi-pitch climbing, introduction to mountain biking, basic and intermediate navigation skills, walk and talk on the environment (flora & fauna) digital photography....the list just goes on and on.

Friday night and our guest speaker was climber Jane Gallwey who solo climbed "Lurking Fear" on El Cap. her talk was inspiring to others to say the least.  All participants attended a three course meal in the Glendalough hotel on Saturday night and a slideshow with guest speaker Orla Pendergast. 

Sunday then saw workshops which you could attend or just head out for the hills doing your own thing, both Maureen and I decided as members of mountain rescue to go to the Glen of Imaals new base and hear a talk about women in rescue, Melanie looked at how to become a leader and Pat looked at nutrition for the mountains, this is just a taste of the workshops that day as you could do two workshops each before lunch.

Before lunch we had a slideshow by mountaineering irelands access and conservation officer Helen lawless on walking in the Pyrenees and a talk on the up coming mountaineering Ireland alpine meet.

The participants came from all clubs and walks of life across the country, the instructors gave there time freely to reduce the costs of the courses and the organisers were exceptional.  I am pleased to say that  it was great to catch up with some old friends but also to discover some new ones after the weekend.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Maureen O'Brien, Pat Brodrick and Melanie Murphy for there company and the laughs...........

Check out the Women with Altitude website at http://www.womenwithaltitude.ie/

I am hoping to put a group of women from Bishopstown hillwalkers together for next years meet so if anyone is interested please do not hesitate to get onto me.





No. 2 Gully Comeraghs Report

Whilst the wind was a cold south easterly the skies were blue and visibility was excellent as we made our way to Kilclooney Wood at the eastern edge on the Comeraghs. This walk was different in that we had a gully climb and plenty of scrambling to look forward to. Starting from the wood we ascended up the eastern ridge of Coumshingoun Lake to the plateau above the Lake and from there we crossed to Fas Coum, at 792m, the highest point in the Comeraghs, The black bog as it was totally frozen for a change.

We then made our way to the top of Mahon Falls and the base of what is known locally as Number 2 Gully. Given that much of the Mahon River was frozen we were concerned about the state of the gully but all was well and for the most part it was free of ice and it made for a wonderful scramble. There are a couple of tricky bits and it is not for beginners. Lunch was had at the top of the Gully in a nice windless area. From here we climbed to Knock an Piobaire, at 726m, and then to the eastern ridge above the Mahon river for another hour of scrambling.

The conglomerate nature of the rock makes for wonderful scrambling with lots for hand and foot holds. Having reached the southern end on the ridge we descended down and contoured north easterly to arrive back where we started in Kilclooney Wood. The walk took 6 hours with 980m ascending. Many thanks to Julie Reeves whose idea this was.

Thanks to John Cotter, Kevin Finn and Dan Mccarthy a selection of photos are available Here

Brecon Beacons Trip - March 2013

For St. Patricks weekend a group of walkers ably led by Colin Sweetman headed off to South Wales for three days of walking in the Brecon Beacons. Below is a a slideshow of some wonderful photos taken over the weekend. The contrast of snow, short sleeves and sunshine in some photos will only serve to make us wish we all had gone. Many thanks to Colin for undertaking this first time trip for the club to this area of Wales.
A link to a slideshow is available Here

38th Annual Maamturks Challenge 2013

NOTICE: PRE-REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED DUE TO HIGH NUMBER OF ENTRIES.

NUI Galway Mountaineering Club is pleased to announce that the 38th annual Maamturks Challenge will take place Saturday 13th April 2013. The walk, covering 24.3 kilometers over tough, mountainous terrain and with a total ascent over the course of the walk of 2336 meters, will begin between Maam and Maam Cross and end in Leenane.

Check-in will be open from 5am-7am or until the walk limit of 200 is reached. Walkers will be required to check in at all of the checkpoints along the route and have their Walk Cards punched. The cut-off points at Loch Mhám Ochóige and the Col of Despondency will be implemented at 2pm and 5pm respectively. Unfortunately participants who fail to make these cut-offs will be requested to make their way to the nearest designated exit point.

In the interest of safety we do require that all walkers should be properly equipped for a tough days hiking with strong boots, waterproof jacket/pants, warm clothing, and sufficient food/drink for the day. All participants, irrespective of whether they are a part of a group are required to have their own map(s) and compass and be proficient in navigation. GPS is not to be considered a substitute. A list of rules and a printable information sheet are available-see additional info below.

Registration will be taking place at the base of Corcog (L 966 498) between 5am-7am. The cost of registering on the day of the walk will be 25 Euro. This year the club is offering the opportunity for participants to register in advance for the reduced fee of 20 Euro. The main benefit of registering in advance is that you can avoid the registration queue on the morning of the walk. The registration form, which contains all the necessary information, can be downloaded here.

Additional info: Here

Pictures from 2012 available Here courtesy of Michael Henchion. Enjoy

Challenge Walks 2013

A list of the various Challenge Walks held throughout the country are available Here

Thanks to Tom Milligan of the Walkers Association.

Report Leenaun Weekend 26th to 29th October

A selection of photos taken by John Cotter and Victor Hurley are available Here

Friday 26th October,
10 a.m. Advance party of 3 set off for Leenaun. The long awaited attack on the Bens, Mweelrea and the Turks was underway. A good start, 2 hours into the weekend an emergency stop in Claren Bridge for one hungry member of the party. The first of two dinners that day. On with the reccy, all parking at start and finish points were sussed out and it was a weary trio who got the Leenane Hotel after 6 pm the meet up with the remainder of the party.
Saturday 27/10, dawned crisp and clear. A+ Walk
6.30am rise with a 7.30 breakfast and by 8.30 we were away. The climbing commenced at 10 a.m. The Glencogan Horseshoe, the best in Ireland beckoned. With just a few exceptions this was new ground to the group. Leaders with fingers crossed that what was studied on maps corresponded with the ground. No need to worry, with sun and great visibility it was a doddle. The views were fantastic (no need to go abroad for the scenery). And with scree slopes like the Alps, it was a happy crew who returned 15.5 km, 1450m & 7.5 hours later for our gourmet meal and a few pints of water! A pleasant evening followed. An attempt to reduce numbers by selling of some of the party failed.
Sunday 28th October, heavy rain and gales. A Walk
Woke to some very nasty weather so Plan B kicked in. Up what is known as The Ramp near to Doo Lough and on to Ben (the) Bury a 795m.. A good 5 hours later, back by the famine monument. A few enthusiastic (fanatical) decided they were not wet enough, so on to the Diamond, Hill near letterfrack. Too much for the rest who retired to Gaynors pub (of The Field fame). While here, our matchmakers struck lucky with a big local sheep farmer, our thrilled maiden was over the moon. However it proved to be a short lived affair as the sheep farmer failed to show later in the evening. We were delighted though, to learn the following day, that there was a good reason the bride-to-be was stood up. The excitement was too much for Farmer Joe, he expired that evening.
Monday 29th Oct, started clear. A+ Walk
Day 3, packed up and ready to go at 9; climbing by 10. The first section of the Mammturks, it was strange to climb Corcoge in daylight (easier in the dark when the top cannot be seen) the occasion was too much though for a few who thought they were on the challenge. Not a bad day, great views. Sun, rain and wind rounded off the weekend 4.5 hours later. Back in Cork at 10.30pm all safe, sound & sober!

In summary thanks to entire group who contributed to a wondetful weekend, relishing the early starts and the sessions after even more.

Well done to all,
Victor Hurley and Pat Broderick.

Walking in Nerja Aug 2012

Towards the end of August two members, Victor Hurley and Michael Carey were by a happy coincidence holidaying in Nerja and decided to take advantage of the situation by climbing two of the highest peaks around, Maroma at 2066m and the highest peak in mainland Spain, Mulhacen 3485m. Climbed may be an exaggeration as in truth they are two very fine hikes which assuming you can handle the altitude are both attainable by regular A or B level walkers.

MAROMA - From Nerja we drove an hour to the start at the Sendero el Robledal which I

believe is the easiest and most scenic route. Starting at approx 1050m (height of Carrauntoohil,it is approx 1000 meter ascent to the top (2066m) from here.
To begin with you climb steadily through forest and along a track to some beautiful viewing points. Continuing to climb we reach a plateau where we get our first glimpse of the sea. Need to be careful here as there are some steep cliffs. Stay away from the edge if you have any issues with vertigo. Another 300 meters and a few more kilometers until we reach the top and a most impressive Trig point standing 4 meters tall. Seeing this as a challenge up we went!!! Up on top with a wind blowing you are glad to hang on to the post. The terrain on top is not dissimilar to the Burren in County Clare.

MULHACEN - it is a much longer drive of approx 2 hours to the start at Hoya del Portillo located above the village Capileira at approc 2100m. From here it is a long hike of 25km with an ascent of 1385m. We allowed for a 7 hour round trip. There is a bus from Capileira to 2700m but that would be cheating!

Climbing away from the start through the forest we get to a dirt road which we followed until we reached Alta del Chorillo (2700m) where the climbing started proper. Along the way we pass the Mirador de Trevélez, a lovely viewing point on a good day but we were unlucky as the clouds had rolled in for most of our journey. We struck off up along a meandering track but soon started to take various shortcuts (steeper and rougher but ok when you have visabilty). Eventually we arrive at the summit-it has taken 3.5 hours. We are happy hikers. Having taken the obligatory photos, eaten lunch and explored a bit it was time to set off back down. Despite the long day we made good time on the return journey arriving back at the start 10 minutes under the 7 hours. Allowing for the break on top it took approx 2 hours 40 to return back down.

Equipment - Walking boots and a plentiful supply of water especially in the summer as there are no water sources available on either walk. No matter what season I would recommend you carry some warm clothing and a map & compass as clouds can roll in and effect visability. Indeed the Bishopstown Club were here in late April and had to forge our way through three foot of snow on our way to the top of Maroma whilst Mulhacen was inaccessable.

A link to photos is available Here

Michael Carey & Victor hurley

Report on Trip to Dolomites in May

Click on the link below to view an article which was published recently in the Bishopstown News. Victor as many of you will know is one of the Clubs walk leaders.

(click here for article)

Ring of Kerry Cycle 7th July

Ever up for a new challenge a number of members of the Hillwalking Club together with some family & friends participated in this very popular event at least 20+. This cycle covers 180km (112 miles) and the organisers say there were 8,200 participants. Quite an achievement for many of those who had not cycled beyond 100km previously.  Contratulations to all who finished.  Below are some of us at the finish still standing!!!   Michael C

Comeragh Challange Walk 7th July

Well done to all 12 members of B.H.C who completed the Comeragh Challange.  This walk extends for approx 42 kilometers and climbs 2000 meters.  Of the 46 who started the challenge, 10 changed to a different walk at the Nire Valley, so 34 finished challenge, which gives B.H.C one third of the people that finished.