Blackstairs Mountain or Mt. Leinster

Will be in Wexford this weekend.

Will have a 2 hour window of opportunity to slip away and bag a summit. Sadly this won't leave me with enough time to do both. Presume Mt. Leinster is the more obvious one, county high, highest in range etc. On the other hand, there are some with those honours, like Knockboy in Cork, where I would tell someone to avoid cos its just a slog in a bog and pick a more attractive one nearby.

BarryD

Mount Leinster, whilst it is an important regional mountain for various reasons, is rather spoilt by the fenestration of masts on the summit and the access road to same. You can walk up a tarmac road to the top but the better approaches I think, are from Ballycrystal or Crannagh.

The handiest way up Blackstairs or Sturra is from the Scollagh Gap (Sculloge Gap) area - there's an access lane from Coonogue and a fairly relentless ascent on a well used path. Nicer approaches from Knockmullgurry, The Meeting Gap or Kilteally etc.

Two hours is not a lot of time though.. either way, make sure you get a copy of my 1:25,000 map of the area, 'Blackstairs, Mount Leinster & The Barrow Valley' All you need to know and a lot more besides Available in local shops in Bunclody, Kiltealy, Enniscorthy, New Ross etc.

BarryD

BarryD wrote: »

Mount Leinster, whilst it is an important regional mountain for various reasons, is rather spoilt by the fenestration of masts on the summit and the access road to same. You can walk up a tarmac road to the top but the better approaches I think, are from Ballycrystal or Crannagh.

The handiest way up Blackstairs or Sturra is from the Scollagh Gap (Sculloge Gap) area - there's an access lane from Coonogue and a fairly relentless ascent on a well used path. Nicer approaches from Knockmullgurry, The Meeting Gap or Kilteally etc.

Two hours is not a lot of time though.. either way, make sure you get a copy of my 1:25,000 map of the area, 'Blackstairs, Mount Leinster & The Barrow Valley' All you need to know and a lot more besides Available in local shops in Bunclody, Kiltealy, Enniscorthy, New Ross etc.

Great, thanks for all that. You seem to be suggesting that Blackstairs is more attractive so might go for that, not that into bagging county tops or anything, I just like a bit of exercise on the roads less travelled and would certainly be avoiding tracks up to masts. Do a bit of mountain running so will be travelling very light and won't be stopping to smell the flowers on the way!

BarryD

Yes, Blackstairs Mtn. is the more attractive summit of the two - if you have a few minutes at the top you can drop down the east side a bit and visit the craters where the bombs were detonated following the German air crash in 1941.

BarryD

BarryD wrote: »

Yes, Blackstairs Mtn. is the more attractive summit of the two - if you have a few minutes at the top you can drop down the east side a bit and visit the craters where the bombs were detonated following the German air crash in 1941.

Excellent! Thanks, love those kinda local history bits, more so than any scenery tbh. Was on mountainviews and got the route from Scullogue Gap, seems pretty straightforward. Have to do a 10km road run in a place called Foulkesmills at 12 and be back in Rosslare for 5 so hence figure my time is just 2 hours.

Sorry to hit you with all these questions, but on the off chance I have a spare half hour or so left over, is it possible to drive to the top of Mount Leinster or is the road to the masts blocked?

BarryD

You must be feeling fit so I'd have thought it was a good 45 min drive from Foulkesmills to Scollagh Gap, so take that into account too! Might be better approaching from Ballybawn Lane near Rathnure, nice route up on forest road towards The Meeting and then up by Cathier's Den - that'd be 5K up and 5K down, 530 metres ascent.. nice route and a little less driving.

Mount Leinster, the TV road is gated and generally locked - hope your 5pm in Rosslare is flexible

BarryD

BarryD wrote: »

You must be feeling fit so I'd have thought it was a good 45 min drive from Foulkesmills to Scollagh Gap, so take that into account too! Might be better approaching from Ballybawn Lane near Rathnure, nice route up on forest road towards The Meeting and then up by Cathier's Den - that'd be 5K up and 5K down, 530 metres ascent.. nice route and a little less driving.

Mount Leinster, the TV road is gated and generally locked - hope your 5pm in Rosslare is flexible

Reasonably fit, did a good few IMRA runs this summer, Carrauntoohil and Lug and the big one across Cush, Galtymore and Galtybeg weekend before last. So if the day is anyway decent will just be changing from the road runners into mountain runners and taking a bottle of water and a map/compass.

Slogger Jogger

Check out the imra events before this year and Mt Leinster features each year. Fire-road start then nice grassy then boggy trail up and back. The roundtrip was done in 1 hour by one imra race winner if memory serves

Got the best of all worlds. Did the run, drove to Scollogue Gap and walked up Blackstairs. The day was so good and the turf so wonderfully springy that couldn't resist jogging down to do it in an hour, so had time to do Mt Leinster too. Not nearly as nice as its neighbour, route an ugly tarmac scar, summit an ugly mast. Def right to recommend Blackstairs first. Both have wonderful views though. And made it back for 5!

Slogger Jogger

The approach to Mt Leinster from the other direction doesn't see the tarmac scar so is a lot nicer as a result.

obi604

Old thread I know

I have a couple of hours tomorrow and would like to do Blackstairs. Is there a Blackstairs ‘north’ and ‘south’

see attached

83B0C073-5A3C-4405-A56D-D6BAFE27DB3C.png

what is the most straightforward route up and down and best place to park?

fits

No the range is called the blackstairs. South peak on that pic is Blackstairs mountain. ( north one is knockroe)

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118941741#Comment_118941741

Thank you !!

In regard to the South Peak

1. Where is the starting point?

2. How long is the climb?

some people say the start is sculloge gap, others say it’s the Blackstairs trail start, but looking on street view at Blackstairs trail start looks fairly bleak with no obvious path up.

see attached.

fits

I have actually never gone up it from that side so no help to you there unfortunately. I’ve climbed it a few times from knockmulgurry and Rathnure.

fits

This might help

1EB2E9E3-ACD6-4213-8360-E95CBD5C5967.jpeg

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118941883#Comment_118941883

Ah ok. Huw long does your route take? Is your one a loop or out and in on same track?

Time to complete?

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118941883#Comment_118941883

which of these is the most straightforward?

fits

You can bring car up quite far from rathnure. It’s probably more straightforward.

get that blackstairs map - it’s in most shops on the area.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118945029#Comment_118945029

Thanks. Looking to do this today and not a lot of spare times for shops etc.

could you tell me where you parked for the rathnure side climb?

and where you start the actual climb.

fits

It’s years ago. I’m really not best person to ask but we drove our 4x4 right up to the saddle. Forest road gates could be closed now.

fits

It might be easier to follow the track on map from sculpture gap side. But I’ve never actauslly done it.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118945874#Comment_118945874

Fair enough fits. Thanks for the input 👍

obi604

Did the climb today from the sculloge side. 1 hour and 30 minutes. Some day for it. Nice climb. Few false top scenarios as you go up. Was expecting to be wading through Heather and ferns near the start, but they all dead.

good day out.

obi604

What’s the vegetation in the foreground of this picture. Kinda like a woody plant.

fits

Heather.