The Mourne Ramblers trip to the Commeragh Mountains

28th to 30th May 2011

A/B Group

All the participants on this trip arrived on Friday 27th at Raheen House Hotel in Clonmel where we had our base for the weekend. This accommodation was an excellent choice, as the rooms and food were first class. Packed lunches, provided by the hotel were very good.

On the Saturday, we started early at 9 o’clock, and walked the Comeragh Horseshoe. In the centre is a very deep tarn, LakeCoumshingaun, which is a corrie lake like several others in this range, all gouged out by ice in the last Ice Age. It has a sheer cliff above it, 393 metres high at one point. Above the lake is Fanscoum, the highest peak in the Comeraghs at 792 metres. This circuit is a ‘glacial cirque’, and is regarded as one of the finest of its kind in the British Isles. These Old Red Sandstone mountains are well indicated by the purple and brown rocks of the moraine below. The weather was excellent, and the scenery spectacular with rhododendrons in bloom.

The B group covered 16.5 k, with a total ascent of 820 metres.

Sunday was another fine day, and after a short drive, we reached the Knockmealdown range.

These Old Red Sandstone mountains may have been less scenic in themselves, but made for an interesting and enjoyable walk nevertheless with fine views. At one point, three ladies, who were obviously, like Wordsworth when contemplating his daffodils, allowing their minds to wander, got separated from the rest of the party, but were rescued by the gallant Ian Stuart, before anything untoward occurred. The walk was completed by crossing Sugarloaf mountain.

The length of this walk was 12 k, with 590 metres of ascent.

It was decided that Monday’s walk would finish around lunchtime, so that everyone could drive home that day without too much pressure. A conical hill, Slievenamon, 7 miles NE of Clonmel was convenient, and a straight up and down to its top (722 metres) allowed us to finish by one o’clock. Slievenamon (the mountain of the women) is named after the fable that Finn McCool sat on the summit waiting for a number of women to race to the top to claim him as a husband. Grainne, daughter of Cormac, King of Ireland, was the winner.

Our thanks must go to David Oldfield who helped plan the trip and led the B walks. We would like to compliment him on his patience, and his knowledge and exposition of the mountain scenery added a lot to the enjoyment of the walks.

Joan Hulme

The Mourne Ramblers trip to the ComeraghMountains

28th to 30th May 2011

C Group

The expedition to the Galtees last October had sparked interest in the mountains of South East Ireland so we converged on Clonmel on the Friday eager to explore the Comeraghs. Joan, Wilf , Aileen and Doreen took the five-star route, Harry and Trevor availed of Rodney’s in-depth knowledge of Irish motorway service stations while Tony and Jan followed in the wake of the O’Bamas through Moneyglass (not highly recommended).

The hotel proved to be a real gem and our thanks to Egon Oldfield and Irene Ronay for their advance field-work. We were surprised at the advert for a FawltyTowers weekend in June but the moose antlers hung opposite reception should have given it away. Excellent food, rambler friendly rooms and the atmosphere of “big house” Irish ascendancy.

Friday evening - Harry, Rodney and Trevor took a quick reccie up the nearby and rather unprepossessing Laghtnafranke (“mountain of the rat”)(520m) which afforded a panorama of the range in the setting sun and loosened the limbs.

DAY 1 - THE COUMFEA PLATEAU

From the NireValley car-park we crossed the river and headed for the Coumfeas – wooded valley below, dense spread of bluebells, larks ascending and spirits high. The ascent to Coumfea West Top was steep in places but soon we were looking down on the corrie loughs which are so much a feature of this range. The rim of the plateau is knife-edge for the most part and not recommended in poor visibility but although conditions were now murky we continued to move over and take views of the assorted little loughs as we skirted the edge. The surface of the plateau itself is boggy with streaks of white sand and runs of peat hags.

Passing Coumfea summit (744m) we stopped for lunch at Coumfea North Top (730m). Out of the murk appeared a lone figure in bright red gear and a substantial back pack. On closer examination he turned out to be a member of the South East Mountain Rescue Team who was out for a training walk and keen to share his local knowledge. On his recommendation we altered the planned route slightly to descend by “sean bhean ag caitheabh tobac” or “the old woman who smokes”. This is a much-photographed feature at the top of a waterfall which spills into the Spilloge Loughs where the updraught blows the water back to resemble a plume of smoke. A memorable descent looking back to the waterfall and the tracery of streams which link the chain of little loughs.

Returning to the car-park we looked up the valley to “ The Gap” which separates the Coumfeas from Knockanaffrin Ridge. Interesting standing stones for anyone who can read Ogham.

Pre-prandial drinks were taken in the sun-lounge extension of Tony and Jan’s room which overlooked a blackbird’s nest working at full stretch.

DAY 2 KNOCKANAFFRIN RIDGE

Described in Mountainviews as “one of the finest ridge walks in Ireland” our biggest challenge was in finding the right track for access but Harry’s micro map reading skill stood up to the test and having dodged the local church-bound traffic on a road walk from the Nire Valley car park (again) we soon emerged onto the open slopes.

Our first goal was Knocksheegowna (678m) approached by a series of gullies and then open ground towards the summit. We could now get the full impact of the ridge. To the North were views of the Suir valley with the farmland of Tipperary and the Galtees, to the West the Knockmealdowns (where the other group was walking) and to the South the amphitheatre of the Coumfeas. The ridge summit has not been glaciated and there is a track across spectacular little tors and crags reminiscent of Bernagh and Bignian.

The rock surface of Knockanaffrin (755m) has been described as boiler-plated because of the conglomerate (Christmas pudding) rock outcrops. Traversing the ridge we looked down on forestry coming high up the slopes and more corrie loughs of which Coumduala was the most scenic. Descent to the car park was by a well marked fence and track.

DAY 3 SEEFIN

This starting point took us South towards Dungarvan and well off the beaten track and we were very glad to have Jan keeping an eye on the cars. Our numbers had thinned and now it was Harry, Rodney, Trevor, Tony, Joan and Aileen. Doreen and Wilf took the more civilised option of morning coffee in Dungarvan.

No-one was too disappointed that it was a fairly gradual ascent up a forest track for most of the way. The summit (726m) is despoiled by the ugliest edifice in Ireland – a square blockhouse with graffiti referring to microwave radiation from telecom masts and threats to all and sundry that they will be the first to fry. Paradoxically there is an ancient wide stone cairn nearby and a standing stone on its side to mark the summit. The views down to the coast are spectacular and one last chance to take in the Knockanaffrin ridge to the North.

All in all a most successful expedition to the Comeraghs which will be remembered for the distinctive corrie lough features, the wooded valleys in full summer foliage and the panoramic views across the South East of Ireland. Not forgetting the usual banter, incessant discussion of food and vigilant leadership of Harry.

So where next?

Trevor Russell