WildCamping around Gap Of Dunloe ?

Mac2010

hello everyone

I'm heading to Kerry in a couple of days and got few questions...

first of all I've never been to Gap of Dunloe but been to Carrauntoohil once before (via Cronin's Yard).

right now im looking at [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Harvey 'Superwalker' 1:30,000 "MacGillycuddy's Reeks"[/FONT]

1.Has anybody WILD camped around gap of dunloe before ? are there any restrictions?
i wont leave any rubbish (trace), start fire or use lantern.

2. Whats the current (general) weather condition over there atm ?

(I wouldnt really trust weather forecast )

3. How far is it from Carrauntoohil? is it possible to climb upto the reeks without passing through Cronin's Yard? what im thinking is i might spend a night somewhere in gap of dunloe then head to carrauntoohil the next day. is there any route that leads to Carrauntoohil from Southside (may be a trail from BlackValley? )

Thanks in advance

NathanKingerlee

Technically there's no camping in the Gap of Dunoe - it's all farmers lands. The ground all over the Reeks and Glencar is very wet at the moment, although no reason not to camp...

Try this forecasting site - I find it good: http://www.windguru.com and enter 'Rossbeigh' as your closest location.

You can camp at Cronin's Yard or at Kissane's Shop & Hostel, for a cost. Kissane's is very close to Cronin's Yard.

If you want to avoid Cronin's Yard, head into the Reeks from Lisliebane or onto Caher from Hydro Track.

Hope this helps, Nathan

Chris O Donoghue

We camped in the Gap a few times, but as Nathan says it's all private. Our spot was due east of Strickeen, overlooking the bridge at the Black Lake. There's a wide flattish area off the road there, but its always very wet.

There are a few options to get to Carraun from the Gap or the Black Valley, but most involve a long day out and some scrambling, e.g. via Big Gun or Brassel. These would be considered fairly serious undertakings, particularly at this time of year.

It might be worth looking at starting at the hairpin bend in the Black Valley, heading to Lough Gooch, up Fearbreaga and west to Maolan Bui, Cullen, Cnoc na Toinne, and on to Carraun. Agian this is a long tough hike, and involves a river crossing and a long slog up to Lough Gooch through some very wet ground. You would also have to consider the return route, carrying camping gear etc.
If you're keen on Carraun, it might be best to head to Lislebane and take one of the more standard routes, e.g. Heavenly Gates, Zig Zags, but everything is so wet right now that these too have their dodgy sections.

There is a hostel and some guesthouses in the Black Valley, so would imagine they'd have no problem with someone pitching a tent for a fee, and it's pretty near the eatern end of the Gap...the so called Head of the Gap.

If you have already done Carrauntoohil before one idea could be to give it a skip this time, imho there is loads of fun to be had around the Eastern Reeks, the Big Gun Ridge etc. and far less of the procession you see going up the Devil's Ladder and heading for the summit - though of course there are wonderful areas around Carrauntoohil too particularly on the Beenkeragh side.

You could do the Eastern Reeks from the Gap Cottage/Cnoc na dTarbh or (further north) Strickeen both of which take in the Big Gun, and descend the route suggested by Chris back to the Valley. You could go on over the Eastern Reeks and descend near "the back" of the Devil's Ladder (take care and plot this carefully in advance, the back of the Ladder is a rather loose description just to give you an idea, it really is at the point where Cnoc na Toinne and Cnoc an Chuillinn meet and there is a fence going down to the Valley floor and a walk back along the Kerry Way). Attempting to take in Carrauntoohil would be a long hike and if you want to walk back to your tent again in one go then you might be under serious pressure for time. Would think that would be an all dayer best left to a good summer's day.