Good walking route for a novice

L31mr0d

I'm thinking about renting a car and driving somewhere to go for a day of walking with the wife somewhere scenic and away from any towns that would not require a guide to walk the route.

Having a car, where would be the best place to drive to and where would I get information about the walk? I don't mind driving for an hour or two to get there.

I've been around the walks at Glendalough more than a few times so I don't really fancy going back there.

dogmatix

Areas worth considering for walks would be the three rock-tibradden-cruagh area, blessington area and for those jaded with glendalough then I recommend Glenmalure just to the south. A walk along the top of bray head to greystones and back via the cliff path is also recommended (takes about 4 hours this).

Books to consider for walk ideas are anything from David Hermann (for long walks of 5-8 hours) and Joss Lynam (for shorter walks of about 1-3 hours).

L31mr0d

dogmatix wrote: »

Areas worth considering for walks would be the three rock-tibradden-cruagh area, blessington area and for those jaded with glendalough then I recommend Glenmalure just to the south. A walk along the top of bray head to greystones and back via the cliff path is also recommended (takes about 4 hours this).

Books to consider for walk ideas are anything from David Hermann (for long walks of 5-8 hours) and Joss Lynam (for shorter walks of about 1-3 hours).

Thanks for the recommendations, I'd considered Bray head actually. Are they any good walks further inland or within 2 hours driving distance?

Those books, I assume I'd be able to pick them up in Easons right?

NathanKingerlee

Failte Ireland have a good loop walk self-guided website - http://www.discoverireland.ie/walking.aspx

L31mr0d

NathanKingerlee wrote: »

Failte Ireland have a good loop walk self-guided website - http://www.discoverireland.ie/walking.aspx

Cheers. That is exactly what I'm looking for. Very much appreciated. This link has everything I'm looking for

http://www.discoverireland.ie/walking/loop-walks.aspx

Alun

http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/ is worth a look too for shorter, mainly forest (well it would be!) walks. Decent PDF maps you can download and print off too.

dogmatix

L31mr0d wrote: »

Thanks for the recommendations, I'd considered Bray head actually. Are they any good walks further inland or within 2 hours driving distance?

Those books, I assume I'd be able to pick them up in Easons right?

Aye - all of the areas mentioned in my post should be well within a 2 hour drive of Swords, espically the three rock area and Bray. The lynam books should be easy to get from Easons or any big bookstore. Hermann is a little rarer.

Lynam does mention some easy walks in and around slane, the boyne and the royal canal which should be within easy striking distance of Swords.

Alun

Ah, just noticed you're in Swords .. the Cooleys (Slieve Foye etc.) near Carlingford would be in easy reach, and you're not too far from the Mournes either.

L31mr0d

thanks for the advice. The weather stayed nice over the weekend so we ended up doing this walk in Laois

http://www.discoverireland.ie/DI/resultsengine/IndividualResultTCS.aspx?touristItemID=71426

It's nice, the 3-tiered waterfall is a must see. Although if you are doing it, I'd recommend doing the shorter blue loop. It's been heavily deforested and logged from point D to H which makes the area just look ugly.

Will probably go on another walk next weekend.

Alun, do you have a link to the walk you where thinking of at Slieve Foye or the Mournes?

dogmatix

Well if you don't like deforestation you might want to be avoiding the whole three rock-kilmashogue area for the next few years. The place looks like a battlefield in some places. Collite might make a few bob hiring the area out to war movie producers. I was using the right-of-way that connects the wicklow way to Kilmashogue lane last Saturday and I had to walk through a felled area and it was terrible - treestumps, dangerous and unstable branches (that also acted like barbed wire), potentially ankle snapping hidden holes, deep boggy puddles etc.

L31mr0d

dogmatix wrote: »

treestumps, dangerous and unstable branches (that also acted like barbed wire), potentially ankle snapping hidden holes, deep boggy puddles etc.

Yeah I mean it looked fairly bad, but it was more of a pain to walk on as the trail had been completely obscured by piles of branches, trenches cut into the soil and tree stumps.

Alun

L31mr0d wrote: »

Alun, do you have a link to the walk you where thinking of at Slieve Foye or the Mournes?

I didn't have any particular walks in mind, really.

You can get up onto Slieve Foye from Carlingford itself, look for the signs for the Tain Way at the "back" of the town itself. When you get up onto the ridge you can then head off right along the ridge to the summit. There isn't really a very easy way back down unfortunately despite what it says here http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/ireland-things-to-see-and-do/listings/product/?fid=FI_62330. See this thread for details http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055490057. As I said in that thread there is another circular route I've done, but it's quite long, about 16k, but I can send you a track / GPS track if you like.

As far as the Mournes goes, there's a simple route up Slieve Donard starting at the Donard Bridge car park, and walking along the Glen River Path until you see the wall leading to the summit to your left. Alternatively lots of nice forest walks in the Tollymore Forest Park.

Alun

dogmatix wrote: »

The place looks like a battlefield in some places. Collite might make a few bob hiring the area out to war movie producers.

Tell me about it. It's scandalous the trail of devastation (and rubbish!) they (or rather their subcontractors) leave behind. I know it's their property and all, but they'd do well to realise that for 99.99% of the time they're in existence the forests are effectively recreational areas first and foremost. What makes it worse is when existing "de facto" access routes used by walkers for decades are effectively rendered unusable by their actions.

TarfHead

dogmatix wrote: »

A walk along the top of bray head to greystones and back via the cliff path is also recommended (takes about 4 hours this).

Is there a shorter version of this walk, i.e. start and finish in Bray without going all the way to Greystones ?

I was thinking of doing this with the kids (9 + 7) next week. I've done Bray Head before, but always straight back down again. If we continue south towards Greystones, does this link up with the Cliff Path, i.e. double back to Bray ?

Alun

To get to Greystones from the path along the top of Bray Head you have to drop down on to the Cliff Path anyway at some stage, so yes, you could then head back towards Bray along the Cliff Path which would shorten it quite a bit. Alternatively, you could go all the way to Greystones, and get the DART back to Bray.

annie.t

Alun wrote: »

http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/ is worth a look too for shorter, mainly forest (well it would be!) walks. Decent PDF maps you can download and print off too.

OMG Why oh why didnt i know this site earlier.
It is fantastic
Thanks Alun