Mangerton x3 |25th February | 11th March | 1st April

It happened lately that we visited Mangerton 3 times in the last few weeks.
First was our scheduled trip on 25th February which was this time a bit shorter than expected... They say that the last word always belongs to the mountain. And it's not only true for the big ones, smaller mountains and hills have their right to say that last word too.

Waves in the Punch Bowl

When we started walking the weather looked quite promising. It didn't take us long to get to the Devil's Punch Bowl. There was only three of us, so we could set a good strong pace and enjoy some nice workout to get the heart pumping :)

At the Punch Bowl the weather started changing dramatically. It still seemed to be good enough to continue, but we soon found out that we were wrong. As soon as we started climbing up to the summit, we started struggling keeping ourselves upright. The wind gusts were unreal... I saved myself from falling a few times using my poles. Even Denis couldn't stay on his feet and soon when we were about half way up from the Punch Bowl to the top, he said turn back. There was no point in going any further. Mangerton is one of the places that we visit quite often and this time the thick cloud didn't want to leave the summit so there was no chance for any views anyway.

We carefully walked back down to the shelter near the Punch Bowl and we had our lunch before going back to the car park. We could feel some drizzle coming from time to time, but it wasn't rain... The Devil was shaking his bowl with anger and spilling his punch on top of us...
When we were nearly down at the car park we met a group with maps in their hands going up. We later found out that they were doing Mountain Skills 2 course there that  day and stayed there till late evening. They definitely got a good training in that tough conditions... Well done:)

On Sunday, 11th March, we had a scheduled Carrauntoohil climb but after meeting in the morning and checking the forecast Denis decided to do Mangerton instead. Two were going do do Clara but as well but in the end all five decided to do Mangerton together. They had better luck this time with the weather and even a chance to see some views from the top.

On Easter Sunday, 1st April, we were planning to climb Carrauntoohil, but after checking the forecast in the morning, we changed our mind and did Mangerton again instead. This climb is much shorter than Carraunttohil, so we had a better chance to escape before the worst weather started.

We had to face strong winds at the Punch Bowl again, but this time we didn't give up and decided to go to the top from the other side, which means turning left and going around the lake first. That side feels a bit more sheltered from strong gusts and the climb itself it's more gradual apart of the last steeper section.
The top wasn't as windy as the lake level which was a surprise.
Coming back down to the lake the windy side was very challenging but we manages to save ourselves from falling. After lunch in the shelter we headed down to the car park and off for a pint at the Oaks Hotel:)


Some nice photos taken by our new member Joanna:

Carrauntoohil | First time of the year

It wasn't our scheduled climb, but some of us were mad to see some real winter which is a very rare thing in this country on low grounds. If you like snow you have to climb for it!

So we did. Just the three of us... Denis, Chris and myself (Anna)

photo: Christine O'Callaghan

Chris, photographer of the day

We had no plan and just decided on the way to climb up the Devil's Ladder for change as the last time (Stephen's Day) we did O'Shea's Gully. About half way up the Ladder we met our friend climber, Denis O'Brien from Freemount on his way down. It was great to see him back in the mountains fully recovered from last year's knees operation. I saw a few posts and pictures on Denis's Facebook earlier about "the training" and I knew that he was going for something big again... But when I asked him the  question: "Are you training for something big again Denis?" I honestly didn't expect to hear that answer.... And The answer was: "I'm going to try Everest, would you believe it? I'm going there in April" I was speechless... Denis O'Mahony just asked to clarify: "You're going to the Base Camp, yes?" And Denis O'Brien replied: "No, I'm going to the top..., well, I'll try anyway... I was honored and given a chance..."

Now, that's some news! We wish Denis all the best! We'll be waiting for some news while hiking in Poland in May.

At the top of the ladder we finally found what we were looking for... The white stuff :) It started to clear and we got a little bit of sunshine. The climb to the summit was very enjoyable in fresh snow and soon we were enjoying our lunch. We met a group of Polish climbers who joined us for the group photo by the cross. We met another Polish girl from near my hometown earlier by the stepping stones so it felt a bit like a Polish day on Carrauntoohil :)

At the summit

The Balcony

We used the Heavenly Gates as our descent route, but this time, instead of continuing straight down, we turned right at the mountain rescue hut and went down the less known route called the balcony which goes back to the bottom of the Devil's Ladder. The path is very narrow and quite exposed in places, maybe not advisable for very big groups and people with fear of heights shouldn't go near it.
It was our first time doing it and we really enjoyed some different angle views :) Next time we might try it up.
The route isn't difficult to follow on a clear day, in the fog although, it would be a different story...


We can't not to mention that we saw some very poorly prepared walkers heading up as we were walking back the Hag's Glen. This couple had no jackets or backpacks, runners and wrong clothing. He asked us, how long to get to the top. She looked really tired. When Denis said that it would be about an hour and a half, she looked shocked... I looked at their clothes again and I asked: "Do you realize that it's winter up there?" It was after 2 p.m. They continued...

It was a very enjoyable day out and  we finished with a pint at Torc Hotel.

Denis O'Brien's Everest Challenge 2018 GoFund Me