Glencullen Circuit

23/1/2021: I’d been meaning to walk the hilltops around Glencullen for years. I took the mountain bike around the valley one afternoon last spring. That was a bit of a rushed trip as I left late. It was challenging enough, but satisfying. The more relaxed pace of the walk was enjoyable all the while I was out there, however, and a better way to clear the head from the madness of a madder island in a mad world.

Aughavannagh – Lugnaquilla Adventure

2/1/2016: With the folk I usually walk with missing in inaction, I thought I’d try out a route I couldn’t convince anyone to do – Lugnaquilla (925m) from the south (Aughavannagh), taking in the ridges surrounding the Ow river valley. My planned route was about 18km with around 1,000m of ascent, so I started walking along the forest road in light drizzle not long after sunrise. There would only be about 7.5 hours until sunset (Ireland is 53 degrees north). It was quite mild with no wind so I didn’t bother with anything over or under my shorts. I would follow the river up the valley before crossing it and cutting up onto Aughavannagh mountain. Since there’d been so much rain over the last weeks the Ow was very full and it was apparent from the beginning that I’d have to cross quite a bit higher than planned.