PHOTOS FROM THE DAY
This A-Walk led by Michael Joe Murphy is one that certainly rewards the effort of the climb. Starting between Lough Currane and Loch na nGrág, the route initially follows the inland route of the Kerry Way between Waterville and Caherdaniel before branching off to begin the ascent to the heights above.
Regular A level walking experience is a must for walking the mountains in this remote area. You’ll need to bring/wear your full gear, including waterproofs, hat, gloves etc.
When looking at the Ordnance Survey Map for this area, the boundary of the Gaeltacht area runs through it. This means that the location and peak names are written in Irish such as An Ghuala Gorm (Coomcallee) 650m, An Bheann Mór (The Big Mountain) 675m, Beann na Stiocairí 673m, An Gleann Mór (The Big Valley) and An Gleann Beag (The Small Valley).
As the walk starts close to sea level, there is nearly 700m of ascent in this walk but following a good track will ease the challenge. The good news is once you reach the top of the climb you can make good time traversing the expansive plateau.
On a good day the panoramic views from the broad summits are wonderful, across the bay, out to the Atlantic, back towards Sneem and over the scenic valleys below. It’s a favourite haunt of the white-tailed sea eagles too, so keep your eyes peeled for an appearance.
It’s worth bringing a good map on this walk to pick out more interesting place names, such as Loch na mBreac Dearg (lake of the red trout) and Eisc na Machtire (steep path of the wolf).
Happy walking!
