Crogh Patrick in December

gucci

Hi there,
I am very keen to finally climb Crough Patrick,but would like to do it in late December,possibly last Saturday or Sunday before Christmas.
I have some experience hill walking,and obviously will be paying very close attention to local weather forecast, and will have appropriate clothing and boots.

Has anyone any advice they could give me as to how early i should set out giving the time of year etc?
Is there any common meeting points for people starting out in the morning or anything like that?

Mickeroo

There's a car park, pub and café at the base of the mountain. Just follow the path up from there.

Your main worry that time of year is giving yourself enough daylight to get back down again. As long as your on the mountain by noon it won't be a problem, if you walk regular enough anyway you'll easily be up and down within 3 hours if you want to.

I find walking in winter nicer than summer to be honest, if you get a nice clear calm frosty day its perfect for walking (as long as your mindful of icey patches of course).

gucci

That's kinda our plan,hopefully start out at 9 or 10 am and be good for daylight. Obviously again,weather depending! I dont want to sound either too green or too cocky, just wanted to gauge whether it was something that would be possible or just a complete non starter!

Mickeroo

gucci wrote: »

That's kinda our plan,hopefully start out at 9 or 10 am and be good for daylight. Obviously again,weather depending! I dont want to sound either too green or too cocky, just wanted to gauge whether it was something that would be possible or just a complete non starter!

Tis grand, mountain will be quieter too this time of year. Best time to do it IMO!

Welruc

I've done it a couple of times on St. Stephens day and one thing that stud out is how cold it was at the top.

Make sure to have plenty of layers!!!!

nuac

Agree with above - remember the higher the colder. Be careful of windchill

Enjoy. Good luck

happyoutscan

A walking stick/pole is a must I find, especially when coming down. There's usually a man who hires out walking sticks at the bottom, not sure if he does be there this time of year though.

Another thing I say to people is not too bother climbing if you're not going to get the view (ie bad weather/visibility), but that's a personal choice.

Just Like Heaven

Climbing it in the snow is lovely, my favourite time of year to climb it for sure.

gucci

Thanks for the advise, at least the long term weather forecast looks like it's going to be a mild Christmas so have no excuse only laziness now!