Irish Munros

knucklehead6

Lads and lassies,

I was just wondering if any of you would be interested in taking part in a wee challenge I'm looking at organising for June/July 2018.

Right now I'm just trying to gauge interest for it.

https://www.meetup.com/The-Challenge-Hikers-Dublin/events/238798976/

Sometime in June or July next year I want to try getting the Irish Munros in as short a time as possible.
There are 13 of them. 10 are in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, then Mount Brandon, Galtymore and Lugnaquilla.


My thinking is Day 1, start off early in the morning with Lug, probably from Drumgoff Forest Car Park, that's a 17km hike. get back to the cars and drive to Clydagh Bridge (About 2 1/2 hours) and tackle Galtymore in a 13km loop. Head to Limerick and overnight there.


Day 2 we'll drive to Kerry and tackle Mount Brandon. As this would be the only hike that day we can have a bit of fun with the route so I'm open to suggestions. We'll drive on to Killarney afterwards and overnight there.


Day 3 will be an early start, and a big day out where we hit the Reeks.

unkel

All 10 in the Reeks in one day? How far is that and how much height gain? Estimated time needed for the hike? Anyone a gpx for the route?

Mickeroo

unkel wrote: »

All 10 in the Reeks in one day? How far is that and how much height gain? Estimated time needed for the hike? Anyone a gpx for the route?

I presume that's a circuit of the horseshoe? It would be a very long day but doable.Not sure about height gain but I think it's roughly 20km in length.

Good few years since I was down that way so my memory is a bit rusty.

knucklehead6

unkel wrote: »

All 10 in the Reeks in one day? How far is that and how much height gain? Estimated time needed for the hike? Anyone a gpx for the route?

It's ambitious, and no doubt!!

I tried it last year with a group, but i should've been a LOT more strict on who was out with us, as we only managed to get from Cruach Mhor around to Carrauntoohil.



In terms of distance i reckon about 18 km and about 1600 height gain

EndaHonesty

knucklehead6 wrote: »

Lads and lassies,

I was just wondering if any of you would be interested in taking part in a wee challenge I'm looking at organising for June/July 2018.

Right now I'm just trying to gauge interest for it.

https://www.meetup.com/The-Challenge-Hikers-Dublin/events/238798976/

Sometime in June or July next year I want to try getting the Irish Munros in as short a time as possible.
There are 13 of them. 10 are in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, then Mount Brandon, Galtymore and Lugnaquilla.


My thinking is Day 1, start off early in the morning with Lug, probably from Drumgoff Forest Car Park, that's a 17km hike. get back to the cars and drive to Clydagh Bridge (About 2 1/2 hours) and tackle Galtymore in a 13km loop. Head to Limerick and overnight there.


Day 2 we'll drive to Kerry and tackle Mount Brandon. As this would be the only hike that day we can have a bit of fun with the route so I'm open to suggestions. We'll drive on to Killarney afterwards and overnight there.


Day 3 will be an early start, and a big day out where we hit the Reeks.

If you're trying to go in the shortest time possible you should choose the quickest routes.

1. Lug from Fentons
2. Galtymore via the black road
3. Brandon via stations of the cross
4. Reeks from Cronins upto the big gun and across to Caher, Carrauntouhill, Beenkeragh and back down to Cronins.

Bloody difficult to even fit it in to a single weekend.
Leaving the hardest day till last, the Reeks, would be wrong too IMO.

Enduro

(1) Are there not 7 Irish Munros. A Munro is not any peak over 3000 feet (That's a Munro Top). 4 in the reeks, plus the other 3.
(2) There is a record for completing all 7(!!) Munros by human power (running the peaks, cycling between, clock starts at top of peak 1, ends at top of peak 7). It is just under 24 hours, held by Robbie Bryson.

EndaHonesty

Enduro wrote: »

(1) Are there not 7 Irish Munros. A Munro is not any peak over 3000 feet (That's a Munro Top). 4 in the reeks, plus the other 3.
(2) There is a record for completing all 7(!!) Munros by human power (running the peaks, cycling between, clock starts at top of peak 1, ends at top of peak 7). It is just under 24 hours, held by Robbie Bryson.

10 according to this;

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/set.php?id=231

13 according to this;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Furths#Republic_of_Ireland

unkel

3000ft = 914m

There are 13 summits over 914m in Ireland alright, the ones in both those links (and the ones the OP means)

EndaHonesty wrote: »

If you're trying to go in the shortest time possible you should choose the quickest routes.

1. Lug from Fentons

The tourist route, but not the quickest at all! Via Ballineddan is a lot quicker and easier (shorter and less height gain). Also you're not in the firing zone, so no checking needed.

Enduro

Yeah, it all comes down to the prominance definition. The horseshoe takes in everything no matter the definition though, handily enough. I note that the list of 13 Furths doesn't meet the traditional definition on the same page (30M prominance defined, with Caher West being just 24.. and that's just a quick look).

Enduro

unkel wrote: »

3000ft = 914m

There are 13 summits over 914m in Ireland alright, the ones in both those links (and the ones the OP means)

Those are Munro Tops, not Munros. So, going to the mother lode where the name originates in the first place for example, Scotland has only 282 Munros, but has an additional 227 Munro tops with a height >= 3000ft. Detailed a little here

unkel

Fair enough but it wouldn't generally take a lot of extra effort to do the Munro top when you're doing it's slightly bigger twin brother the Munro

knucklehead6

Well right now it's an exercise in checking interest rather than splitting hairs between the Munros and Munro tops, even though the pedant in me DOES appreciate the difference!! :pac:

If time was a factor, would have thought doing the Reeks first, and then Brandon, would be quickest, when energy levels are highest, and then getting rest in the car in the way to Galtymore and Lug. Know a few runners who have raised the whole run and cycle between them idea.

The Reeks is surprisingly quick, I've headed up O'Shea's Gully and bagged Beenkeragh as quick out and back- avoid Knockbrinnea anyway - and then Caher and Caher West out and back, then Carrauntoohil itself, then across the top of the Devil's Ladder and bag Cnoc and Chuilinn, Maolan Bui and Knocknapeasta within minutes of each other. It would be important to ascertain if Cruach Mhor is in or out as crossing from the Big Gun to there is slow going. I'd expect running it would take c 5 hours from car back to car, so could bag Brandon later that day easily enough. Hiking would be a different proposition and might rule out anything else that day.

Orion

unkel wrote: »

3000ft = 914m

There are 13 summits over 914m in Ireland alright, the ones in both those links (and the ones the OP means)



The tourist route, but not the quickest at all! Via Ballineddan is a lot quicker and easier (shorter and less height gain). Also you're not in the firing zone, so no checking needed.

From Glenmalure side it's even quicker - up the zigzags or Fraughan Rock route.

EndaHonesty

Orion wrote: »

From Glenmalure side it's even quicker - up the zigzags or Fraughan Rock route.

Going by Mountainviews, Fentons would appear to be 12kms, Ballinedden 11kms, Fraughan Rock Glen 14kms & Zig Zags looks around 14kms too.

So I would think Unkel is right, it's shorter via Ballinedden so has to be quicker, unless the ground is particularly bad.

unkel

Orion wrote: »

From Glenmalure side it's even quicker - up the zigzags or Fraughan Rock route.

Believe me, far quicker from Ballineddan! Also you start way higher up and there is a decent path pretty much all the way up. A bit boring and none of the beauty like with the routes from Glenmalure, but super quick and easy it is

knucklehead6

unkel wrote: »

Believe me, far quicker from Ballineddan! Also you start way higher up and there is a decent path pretty much all the way up. A bit boring and none of the beauty like with the routes from Glenmalure, but super quick and easy it is

Quick n easy will be the plan... then again with the few that have signed up already they might want the slightly longer one!! :pac:

Alun

I agree with Unkel, of the 4 routes mentioned the one from Ballineddan is the shortest, least climb and the easiest by far. Fentons is probably the next best, and the Zig-Zags and Fraughan Rock come last. The Zig-Zags is the longest route up of them all, plus the bit from the top of the Zig-Zags itself up to just below Clohernagh is a nasty eroded mess at the moment.

Orion

Alun wrote: »

I agree with Unkel, of the 4 routes mentioned the one from Ballineddan is the shortest, least climb and the easiest by far. Fentons is probably the next best, and the Zig-Zags and Fraughan Rock come last. The Zig-Zags is the longest route up of them all, plus the bit from the top of the Zig-Zags itself up to just below Clohernagh is a nasty eroded mess at the moment.

True it is an eroded mess but that aside I've always found it a quick way up. Fraughan Rock is path for a good chunk of - quick and easy. Then the scramble up at the waterfall and across the ridge and you're there. That said it's years since I went up via Balineddan so memory is hazy.

unkel

You must be a lot stronger and fitter these days, Orion

Orion

unkel wrote: »

You must be a lot stronger and fitter these days, Orion

Don't know about that. I've more reserves in my physique maybe