Going Up Keeper hill Quickly

elexes

Im looking for some local knowledge a few years back i went up Keeper hill with some friends and now a friend wants to redo it. im just wondering where is the best place to park to get up the hill the fastest ?

im told https://www.google.ie/maps/place/52%C2%B045'02.9%22N+8%C2%B019'15.4%22W/@52.7508056,-8.3231331,703m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x0:0x0!2zNTLCsDQ1JzAyLjkiTiA4wrAxOScxNS40Ilc!3b1!8m2!3d52.7508!4d-8.3209333!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d52.7508!4d-8.3209333?hl=en

this is the quickest route up ? this would be the small car park near the red trail up the hill. or is there another way up that would be quicker ?

Thanks in advance ( i did use the search tool but the last post is 7 years old and im guessing the area has changed since that )

Seems ive read the map wrong and saw the hill on the wrong side of the limerick boarder.

carbonceiling

I haven't gone in a while, but I used to run up Keeper with the mountain running guys and we used to start from that exact spot.

it's roughly 7KM to the top of keeper from that car park with a 500m altitude gain.

There is another car park somewhere, but as far as I know it's further away from the top (although I am open to correction on that as I was only ever there once).

Berty

I go up frequently and yes that small car park is the closest but the long incline to the halfway point(where the blue route meets the turn for the summit) can be difficult for some.

It levels out a little for another bit till it turns steep again for a bit.

Brian Lighthouse

Yep, that's a good spot to head up from.
Up there just before Christmas and huge tree cutting operation was going on, resulting in lots of muck.

Bring the auld wellington boots with you and most importantly don't get the car stuck in the mud.

See the image - that I hope has attached.

zulutango

carbonceiling wrote: »

I haven't gone in a while, but I used to run up Keeper with the mountain running guys and we used to start from that exact spot.

There's a good chance I've ran it with you. It's probably the best 'straight up - straight down' route in Munster. You must have known Curly? I used marvel at the speed of him coming down off the top of Keeper.

carbonceiling

I knew him to see him, he was a very nice guy. I could never come anywhere close to the times he used to do, he would be on the way back down when I still had plenty of climbing left to do.

I used to love those night time runs up Keeper. During the descent, I would often find myself running on my own in the pitch dark, with no sound to be heard except for my own footsteps and breath. Some nights, the moon shone so brightly that i toyed with the idea of turning off the torch and running by moonlight, although i never did risk it.

Insect Overlord

I'm going to have to go out there sometime in the next few weeks for a hike/jog, if any other Boardsies are interested in attacking the Hill with me.

I did the Keeper Challenge a few years ago and finished it second last. Serves me right for cycling on a heavy bike with a flat rear tyre. :pac:

panda100

I think the response to this thread title is just to run really,really quickly! Has anyone here been up knockfierna? That's where I usually run though its only 5 km in total, up and down, so fairly short. What is keeper Hill like in comparison with Knockfierna?

jonski

If ye decide to go as a group......... I'd like ye to carry me ........

panda100

jonski wrote: »

If ye decide to go as a group......... I'd like ye to carry me ........

I think the Boardsie keeper hill run/carry/crawl MUST happen!

Insect Overlord

panda100 wrote: »

I think the response to this thread title is just to run really,really quickly! Has anyone here been up knockfierna? That's where I usually run though its only 5 km in total, up and down, so fairly short. What is keeper Hill like in comparison with Knockfierna?

Depends on where you park. In the Keeper Challenge there was a muddy "carpark" just off the road where everyone left their bikes. From there to the top and back was about 18km. You can knock about 2km off of that by driving in closer and using the carparks closer to the trail.

I got directions from an old post on here before that were very handy: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=64844623&postcount=5

Brian Lighthouse

panda100 wrote: »

I think the response to this thread title is just to run really,really quickly! Has anyone here been up knockfierna? That's where I usually run though its only 5 km in total, up and down, so fairly short. What is keeper Hill like in comparison with Knockfierna?

I was telling someone about Keeper and they suggested Knockfierna. Haven't looked it up yet. Any recommendations for where to park etc etc.

I think Keeper is grand for an auld stroll. The road winds around the mountain. Other poster said 500m over 7k that makes it 1:14 hill on average.
I can't think of a hill in town - off the top of my head - that's like that but for comparison; from Jack Monday's in Thomondgate to Fine Wines is roughly 1:8. A lot steeper than using the road to get up Keeper.

You can push if you want, it certainly has all the elements to be as challenging as you would like to make it. Like walking faster or even running. I think it's fine for a strong bike too. If you don't mind getting wet you can climb straight up the heather.

I must head out that way again soon and do a recce for you boardsies for the Inaugural Keeper of the Boards Soiree Up A Hill.
If the forestry work is still going on it might be very mucky for cars. I'll even post up to date images.

Brian Lighthouse

I went up today.
The muck has been washed away a bit and it looks like the tree felling has stopped for now. For cyclists the earthen road is cut up a bit where felled trees were stacked but apart from that the surface is good.

Yeah, Berty, in his post was correct. The incline from the little car park is one long steep climb, more like 1:7 than 1:14. It took me 30 minutes walk. Not strenuous walking, just a normal walk to reach the T-Junction before you move onto Keeper Hill proper. Then give it another hour or so to reach the summit.

After that the incline is more gradual.
I didn't go to the summit as I was improperly dressed and a big dirty cloud was sitting on the hill all day, When I reached the windward side of the hill I turned back as the windchill was quite severe.

Hope that helps.

Mc Love

Brian Lighthouse wrote: »

I can't think of a hill in town - off the top of my head - that's like that but for comparison; from Jack Monday's in Thomondgate to Fine Wines is roughly 1:8. A lot steeper than using the road to get up Keeper.

The Hill in Mount Kenneth is steep

Brian Lighthouse

Mc Love wrote: »

The Hill in Mount Kenneth is steep

Yeah, never thought of that one. Thanks.

zulutango

I tracked it on Strava one day last year. The max gradient is just over 15% (about 6:1) and this is nearer the summit. Pretty steep but most people will manage it if they're not too tired.

Berty

Near the summit the route splits in your JPEG, you sneaky chancer. I'd say you came down the route that used to be there before they did a wider loop for the vehicles. I hate that little shortcut because the rocks are everywhere and kind of loose under the foot.

I do not like the lower ballyhourigan loop section to get to the "T Junction" before heading to the top because it's mostly flat and the inclines then are quite steep so you get quite worn out when it climbs sharply to make up for the flat ground. The other route, in the JPEG above, is a long gradient but at least it's consistent.

Apparently this little fella was spotted up there recently
https://www.facebook.com/ecofact/photos/a.284325951643240.65431.111215155620988/1573517089390780/?type=3&theater

zulutango

Actually, I did!! I remember now, it had been snowing, though not particularly heavily, and I fancied a bit of proper cross country running. It was still very rocky unfortunately. I've been up there on other occasions and there's been easily a few feet of snow. It's not particularly runnable in those conditions but would actually be fine for a bit of skiing, if you stick to the track.