lug via clohernagh & kelly's lough

foolelle

Just wondering is it possible to summit lug and clohernagh and take in kelly's lough too?

dogmatix

Yes, according to David Hermans book. Unfortunatly this book appears to be out of print and they are like gold dust at the moment. I've been up to Kellys lough - it's easy to get up to the lough (easier then arts lough for sure) but have not penetrated further then that. You could try a couple of recce hikes to check access and suitability before trying the main hike.

Alun

No problem at all. Take the zig zags up to Clohernagh and then on to Lug, then come back along the ridge past Corrigeslegaun to Carrawaystick, drop down to Kelly's Lough (beside the old fence). From there you could either take the forest tracks back down to Drumgoff Crossroads (Glenmalure Lodge) or follow Carrawaystick Brook down and rejoin the track at the top of the zig zags.

foolelle

thank you dog, i doubt i'l get up before the day set, i have a slight issue with transport to and from the general area.

alun, as always a gent.
I may not have explaind very well, I was trying to figure out was it possible to trek from drumgoff up over the trig point just NE of carrawaystick mt to kelly's lough, then up along side the carrawaystick brook to summit clohernagh and lug?

But im not sure if there is a track up over the NEern trig point, the map i have is very good but oldish, glendalough & glenmalure by Pat Healy, and it shows a young coillte plantation right in the way, up along the clohernagh brook. Its this point im asking about......

The route down is through fraughan rock, so im sure of that one.

Alun

OK, I get you.

I can't say I've ever tried to get through that way to be honest. The Google Maps / Google Earth imagery is pretty rubbish around there, but if you look on the OSi website, they have aerial imagery from 2005 and it looks as if you might be able to get through OK. See here http://ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx?id=&utype=&ecom=S1&user=#V1,707598,690390,6 . Mind you trees can grow quite a lot in 5 years, and the very small part of that bit of forest that is shown right at the bottom of the Harvey's map shows it as full blown forest rather than young plantation. If that doesn't work you'll just have to carry on a bit further on the forest track network to get out into the open to the east of Kellys Lough there, and up to the point you want. The only way to really tell is to do a recce .. you might get lucky and there'll be a fire break you can get through or something.

From the Lough up to Clohernagh should be no problem, and from there it's easy to get to Lug.

foolelle

ok guys this is the route i think ive decided on, all comments & suggestions very welcome

Alun

Looks like a pretty standard route apart from the unusual dog-leg to go up Clohernagh.

foolelle

unusual?

Alun

foolelle wrote: »

unusual?

Well, you seem to be doubling back on yourself to get to the top of Clohernagh and then retracing your steps to get back to the track you just left. I'd be tempted myself to just take a bearing from the Carrawaystick Brook valley in the vicinity of Kelly's Lough and just head straight up there. It's completely up to you though

Krusty_Clown

Looks like a good route (pending Alun's advice!). How long do you think this will take you? 5 Hours?

Alun

I should state that I've never actually taken that route up Clohernagh myself, so I don't know what the terrain is like, so if you're unable to do a recce beforehand it might be best to take your original route. The Harvey's map shows a bit of a boulder field on that side of Clohernagh so it might be tough going.

foolelle

krusty im not 100% sure how long it will, or should take,but im allowing 7-8 hours because there is a few people with different levels of fitness and hilwalking experience plus breaks, lunch somewhere up there and an ould kodak moment or two.

alun yes i had thought of that id dont think it would be a huge issue gettin up to clohernagh that way, what boulders i can see on osi mapviewer look to be ok to maneuver. i dono though we'll see on the day because this also depends on fitness levels as it does look a bit steeper.

I do like a roundabout route myself though. Plus we have the whole day, little extra to spend doin extra little bits. And hopefully if the weather is fine it would be nice to have a few in the lodge before we get collected.

Alun

If it's tomorrow you're going up there, I might see you there! Doing Lug from Fraughan Rock Glen and the back via Camenabologue and the Table track.

BTW for anyone heading out that way tomorrow there's a triathlon / adventure race thingy going on and they'll be cycling between Glendalough and just after Roundwood, so it could be a bit of a slow and frustrating journey if you get to that bit of road at the 'wrong' time!

foolelle

no not tomorrow. 26th or 27th if your around. im just hoping the weather holds out. I would be so so sick if it broke before then.

Im presuming table track brings you back to Baravore carpark? That looks like a very nice walk.

Alun

foolelle wrote: »

Im presuming table track brings you back to Baravore carpark? That looks like a very nice walk.

Yep, that's the one. Beautiful day yesterday, very warm and hardly any wind, loads of people up on Lug. There was a lot of haze visible when high up with a distinct brownish tinge to it, which I assume was down to the volcanic ash.

duckysauce

Alun wrote: »

No problem at all. Take the zig zags up to Clohernagh and then on to Lug, then come back along the ridge past Corrigeslegaun to Carrawaystick, drop down to Kelly's Lough (beside the old fence). From there you could either take the forest tracks back down to Drumgoff Crossroads (Glenmalure Lodge) or follow Carrawaystick Brook down and rejoin the track at the top of the zig zags.

Dug this thread up :P, Alun would you have a gpx of the above route .

Cheers if you do.

Alun

duckysauce wrote: »

Dug this thread up :P, Alun would you have a gpx of the above route .

Cheers if you do.

I don't I'm afraid, I've got various bits of it in other tracks, but not that exact walk, I'm afraid. It's not that difficult a route to follow, the only place you have to watch out for possibly is the descent to Kelly's Lough which is marked by the ramshackle remains of a fence.

duckysauce

Alun wrote: »

I don't I'm afraid, I've got various bits of it in other tracks, but not that exact walk, I'm afraid. It's not that difficult a route to follow, the only place you have to watch out for possibly is the descent to Kelly's Lough which is marked by the ramshackle remains of a fence.

cheers

Carawaystick

Might be too late with my advice though....

I've been about Kellys lough a few times, from the lake to the zigzags are lots of clumps - either rootballs of vegetation or some wierd ground surface. They're about 18 inches high and about a foot across making it very heavy going having to place your foot in the low gaps between them as they don't take a persons weight.
Descending (or ascending) Carawaystick mountain from Kellys lough is fine, did it with my da, and two younger children when I was 11 or so....

Kelly's Lough is nice and relaxing, there's a large boulder field where you can find a seat and table sized boulder to have a fairly civilised picnic. If you've been up lug before I'd ascend by Kelly's lough, take a decent break there and head on up Lug and descend either by Fraughen Rock or over Clohernagh and the zigzags. Descending through the lumpy ground when tired is more likely to have a ankle twist.




If you want to get to Arts lough, you can get there handy enough if you go up Glenmalure road to where there is a bridge over the avonmore ( past the small carpark on the right) and follow the switchbacks up and ( the trees may have regrown) but the track stops climbing and starts to head to the opening of the Fraughen rock glen area and you can make your way over heathery ground to the lake. I got to the lake dragging a bike when I was a lad. I can't remember the scenery being great at Art's Lough, probably a view across Glenmalure, like you'ld get anywhere on the south side of the Valley, but the scenery south of the lake( CLohernagh) so-so ( compared to say Kellys Lough or Fraughen rock glen or table mountain area)


What you could do is get up to Art's lough, traverse into the Fraughen rock glen and the either up Lug or up by Clohernagh There's one or two gulleys to navigate, but young scouts with backpacks managed, so should eb alright unless it's raining (when isn't it you might say) This gets you to the top of the Waterfall in the Fraughen rock glen.
It'll also halve the distance you have to walk through Glenmalure road if you ascend at the zigzags and descend into Barravore.