Mountain with kids

obi604

Can anyone recommend a hill/mountain to climb with a 5 and 7 year old in Waterford.

Have done the hike just to the lake at Counshingaum, dont want to venture any higher just yet as not too safe with small kids.

They are used to climbing, have done hills over 500 metres - Diamond Hill in Galway, Moylussa in Clare etc.

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a hill/mountain to climb with a 5 and 7 year old in Waterford.

Have done the hike just to the lake at Counshingaum, dont want to venture any higher just yet as not too safe with small kids.

They are used to climbing, have done hills over 500 metres - Diamond Hill in Galway, Moylussa in Clare etc.

mohra

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Lough+Mohra/@52.2966855,-7.584624,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48432f5061f093bd:0x2dad3fa673a93e6e!8m2!3d52.2968331!4d-7.5822675?hl=en&authuser=0

probably the easiest walk in the mountains, easier than counshingaum, you can even drive to within a few meters of the lake, but id recommend the walk. i ll have a think about other walks, and get back to you

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

mohra

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Lough+Mohra/@52.2966855,-7.584624,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48432f5061f093bd:0x2dad3fa673a93e6e!8m2!3d52.2968331!4d-7.5822675?hl=en&authuser=0

probably the easiest walk in the mountains, easier than counshingaum, you can even drive to within a few meters of the lake, but id recommend the walk. i ll have a think about other walks, and get back to you

Thanks. Should have added, the kids love the whole achievement thing, I.e. getting to the top of something, if it’s a walk without a summit, they don’t really like it

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Thanks. Should have added, the kids love the whole achievement thing, I.e. getting to the top of something, if it’s a walk without a summit, they don’t really like it

mohra is stunning, you could bring them up the ridge of knockanaffrin, right hand side of lake, but pull over the top of the lake, going to the left, towards the gap. just be extremely careful, the top can be extremely dangerous under certain conditions, stunning this time of year though, views are stunning. i ll try post pics when i get a chance

BBM77

obi604 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a hill/mountain to climb with a 5 and 7 year old in Waterford.

Have done the hike just to the lake at Counshingaum, dont want to venture any higher just yet as not too safe with small kids.

They are used to climbing, have done hills over 500 metres - Diamond Hill in Galway, Moylussa in Clare etc.

Slievenamon is suitable for kids. No big cliffs and a clear path to follow. Handy enough drive from Waterford also.

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

mohra is stunning, you could bring them up the ridge of knockanaffrin, right hand side of lake, but pull over the top of the lake, going to the left, towards the gap. just be extremely careful, the top can be extremely dangerous under certain conditions, stunning this time of year though, views are stunning. i ll try post pics when i get a chance

Does Mohra have a summit/top? Or is it just a walk more so than a climb.

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Does Mohra have a summit/top? Or is it just a walk more so than a climb.

some pics from the tinternets, loads out there

as you can see from the pics, mohra is overlooked by knockanaffrin ridge, you can access the ridge from the lake, best to do so from the right hand side of the lake, and walk towards the gap(to the left), just be very careful on top of the ridge, it can be very dangerous

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

mohra is stunning, you could bring them up the ridge of knockanaffrin, right hand side of lake, but pull over the top of the lake, going to the left, towards the gap. just be extremely careful, the top can be extremely dangerous under certain conditions, stunning this time of year though, views are stunning. i ll try post pics when i get a chance

Would it be safe enough for kids?

Dunmoreroader

obi604 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a hill/mountain to climb with a 5 and 7 year old in Waterford.

Have done the hike just to the lake at Counshingaum, dont want to venture any higher just yet as not too safe with small kids.

They are used to climbing, have done hills over 500 metres - Diamond Hill in Galway, Moylussa in Clare etc.

Tory Hill, Minaun Hill.

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Would it be safe enough for kids?

the walk to the lake would be perfectly safe for kids, as its largely forest fire roads, with the last 100 meters or less relatively rough, the walk up onto the ridge is tough enough, even for us adults, but you can gage that yourself, when there. the walk across the ridge is probably not ideal for kids, you may have to gage that yourself, with or without the kids. ive a couple of other ideas, i ll get back to you

noby

Cruachán.

Or, if that's too easy, head up the opposite direction from the car park (north), straight up will get you to a donut with tv masts, or up and east to farbreaga.

Mulbert

Dunmoreroader wrote: »

Tory Hill, Minaun Hill.

I walked up Tory Hill with a six year old. So can second that.

Wanderer78

the boolas and coumduala are other marked trails, mohra is also marked, maps link below is the trail head, its private land, but theres public right of way, and enough spaces for a few cars to park

https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/109183618861355293989/place/ChIJP_-Z2VonQ0gRvTmr4UibGgg/@52.2899957,-7.5566946,15z/data=!4m6!1m5!8m4!1e2!2s109183618861355293989!3m1!1e1


nire valley car park is also a trail head for a couple of marked trails, sgilloges, across knockanaffrin ridge and towards the gap

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Nire+Valley+Car+Park/@52.266555,-7.6024637,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x48432595fb571bff:0xba4fd915f1a19b50!8m2!3d52.26701!4d-7.59598?hl=en&authuser=0

mohra trail head

https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.3137687,-7.5832309,3a,75y,204.41h,97.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMWz_1Pv1bWPZXCAg5ihfqg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

just park the car there, and follow the sign posts all the way to the lake, just be aware, that area looks very different now, compared to google maps, as its very over grown

obi604

BBM77 wrote: »

Slievenamon is suitable for kids. No big cliffs and a clear path to follow. Handy enough drive from Waterford also.

Hi, for Slievenamon, I checked it out on mountainviews.ie and there seems to be about 4 different climbs - notch east, with east, south etc.

Which one did you do?

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

mohra is stunning, you could bring them up the ridge of knockanaffrin, right hand side of lake, but pull over the top of the lake, going to the left, towards the gap. just be extremely careful, the top can be extremely dangerous under certain conditions, stunning this time of year though, views are stunning. i ll try post pics when i get a chance

Just on this. Is the name of the actual hill you climb equal to knockanaffrin? And Mohra is just the name of the lake beside it?


How long does it take to walk to the lake?

StringerBell

obi604 wrote: »

Just on this. Is the name of the actual hill you climb equal to knockanaffrin? And Mohra is just the name of the lake beside it?


How long does it take to walk to the lake?

I was actually up at Mohra yesterday, takes about 45 minutes from bottom to top (about 460m elevation) if you cut across a couple of loops and go straight to the lake, could take anything from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours if you do the loops/amble along.

The name of the hill I'm not actually certain, the entrance to the trail is called glenpatrick woods though I think.

Wanderer78

StringerBell wrote: »

I was actually up at Mohra yesterday, takes about 45 minutes from bottom to top (about 460m elevation) if you cut across a couple of loops and go straight to the lake, could take anything from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours if you do the loops/amble along.

The name of the hill I'm not actually certain, the entrance to the trail is called glenpatrick woods though I think.

the hill overlooking lake mohra is called knockanaffrin ridge, can be dodgy enough on the ridge to be honest, particularly in inclement weather, the ground is fairly uneven up there, with hidden holes and rocks, easy enough to snap an ankle. think you re right about the name of the woods, the woods alone are stunning to wonder around in, some amazing views of the mountains in sections of them.

many about yesterday on the mountains?

obi604

StringerBell wrote: »

I was actually up at Mohra yesterday, takes about 45 minutes from bottom to top (about 460m elevation) if you cut across a couple of loops and go straight to the lake, could take anything from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours if you do the loops/amble along.

The name of the hill I'm not actually certain, the entrance to the trail is called glenpatrick woods though I think.

Hi. So from where you park the car to the lake area, how long is this walk?

Are you saying from lake area to climb the ridge can take form 90 mins to 2.5 hours?

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Hi. So from where you park the car to the lake area, how long is this walk?

Are you saying from lake area to climb the ridge can take form 90 mins to 2.5 hours?

the internets says 1hr 15 round trip, from trail head to lake only

https://www.sportireland.ie/outdoors/walking/trails/lough-mohra-loop

but id recommend to factor in longer, as it obviously all depends on pace, and take your time to look around, its worth it.

the ridge is not officially a part of the walk, and to be honest, im not sure id recommend it just yet, but you can be the judge of that when there

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Hi. So from where you park the car to the lake area, how long is this walk?

Are you saying from lake area to climb the ridge can take form 90 mins to 2.5 hours?

the last time i done mohra, it took me the bones of an hour to get from the trail head to the lake, but conditions were very bad, snow and ice, and i was stopping regularly to take pics

i took me the bones of an hour and a half to cross the ridge from mohra, under extremely dangerous conditions, coming off the ridge, just shy of coumduala lake, i didnt go to this lake, as conditions were just too dangerous, and i was losing light

Wanderer78

unfortunately, boards isnt allowing me to upload the data from my fitness band from my previous walk of mohra and the ridge, i ll try again later

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

the last time i done mohra, it took me the bones of an hour to get from the trail head to the lake, but conditions were very bad, snow and ice, and i was stopping regularly to take pics

i took me the bones of an hour and a half to cross the ridge from mohra, under extremely dangerous conditions, coming off the ridge, just shy of coumduala lake, i didnt go to this lake, as conditions were just too dangerous, and i was losing light

Thanks.

So essentially to get to the lake/base of the mountain takes about an hour alone.

And the you have to start the climb at this point.

Maybe the trek up to the lake may be enough for now as it sounds dangerous on the ridge.

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Thanks.

So essentially to get to the lake/base of the mountain takes about an hour alone.

And the you have to start the climb at this point.

Maybe the trek up to the lake may be enough for now as it sounds dangerous on the ridge.

yea the climb from the trail head to the lake really shouldnt take you the hour at all, but do take your time doing so, the scenery is worth the time.

you re climbing all the time from the trail head, just that its on well marked, reasonably maintained fire roads, most of the way up to the lake. the climb from the lake up onto and across the ridge is not marked, not a part of the official trail, and yes, can be very dangerous under certain conditions, again, id recommend just stick to the official marked trail to and from the lake for now. the trail head is at sea level, but the lake itself is at almost 500 meter altitude, so you still have to climb that to get to the lake itself, primarily on fire roads.

obi604

Wanderer78 wrote: »

yea the climb from the trail head to the lake really shouldnt take you the hour at all, but do take your time doing so, the scenery is worth the time.

you re climbing all the time from the trail head, just that its on well marked, reasonably maintained fire roads, most of the way up to the lake. the climb from the lake up onto and across the ridge is not marked, not a part of the official trail, and yes, can be very dangerous under certain conditions, again, id recommend just stick to the official marked trail to and from the lake for now. the trail head is at sea level, but the lake itself is at almost 500 meter altitude, so you still have to climb that to get to the lake itself, primarily on fire roads.

Thanks. I may just do the walk up to the lake for now. Especially with the 7 year old. Can have a gander and see how it looks. Might try a small bit of the climb but may not venture too far.

Wanderer78

obi604 wrote: »

Thanks. I may just do the walk up to the lake for now. Especially with the 7 year old. Can have a gander and see how it looks. Might try a small bit of the climb but may not venture too far.

no harm in having a peak of the ridge, and maybe not venture too far, nice view into the nire valley from there, just scale the righthand side of the lake, you ll probably see trails as you climb from other walkers and animals, just follow those up

StringerBell

Wanderer78 wrote: »

the hill overlooking lake mohra is called knockanaffrin ridge, can be dodgy enough on the ridge to be honest, particularly in inclement weather, the ground is fairly uneven up there, with hidden holes and rocks, easy enough to snap an ankle. think you re right about the name of the woods, the woods alone are stunning to wonder around in, some amazing views of the mountains in sections of them.

many about yesterday on the mountains?

Nope, we ran into one older man out for a solo trek and didn't hear or see sight of another person which was bliss

Just the sounds of nature, the views were spectacular too. I had an 11 year old and an 8 year old with me, no bother to them.

StringerBell

obi604 wrote: »

Hi. So from where you park the car to the lake area, how long is this walk?

Are you saying from lake area to climb the ridge can take form 90 mins to 2.5 hours?

No, from where I parked to the lake was about 50 minutes in total, we did stop to take some pics but didn't stick to a loop trail either, cut across the fire roads in a more direct line to make good time - its hard to explain. I'm pretty sure the trail head advises 2.5 hours if you follow the red signs and maybe 1.5 hours on the blue (not sure exactly tbh) Took 35 minutes going back down from the lake, didn't really stop and its all downhill so be out pretty quick. Terrain is fairly good, some rough patches and if you were going up after some poor weather I would take your time and take more care.

I had my kids with me and didn't go up the ridge this time but you'd be up it quick enough if you did fancy it - just loop around from the right of the lake, its nice but as the other poster mentioned it can be a bit dodgy and you would have to make the call yourself really on the day.

Yellow_Fern

Harristown is a great short walk when there is clear weather

obi604

Any other recommendations?

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117111646#Comment_117111646

It’s hard to get a panoramic view from Google of lough mohra and the ridge. see attached. I presume you mean start the climb of the ridge from somewhere right of where my arrow is pointing?

also, to climb the ridge from the lake, roughly how long would it take.

FishOnABike

Track to the turf cutters cottage in the Black stairs - you could head to Mount Leinster East Top or Black Rock Mountain if you want to make it slightly longer. https://my.viewranger.com/route/details/ODI2NDg=

The Vee (Bay Lough carpark) to Sugarloaf Hill in the Knockmealdows, about 1km and 300m ascent to the top.