ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
Another file from the archives from around 10 to 15 years ago. Donegal. A trip arranged by Graeme and the hillwalking club I was in at that time. One of Alex and Graeme on the Slieve League ridge, At just under 2000 feet some of the highest sea cliffs in the UK and Western Europe.
Another one of the Slieve League sea cliffs. spectacular place but on any multi day trip, planned ahead, it's hard to predict what the weather will be when you arrive. The day we did this it was wild and cold with a howling gale blowing but luckily we still managed the full walk along the summit cliff edge.
Graeme, Alex, Alan and myself.
Alan and Alex starting out on the Slieve League walk.
Alan on a knife edged arete.
Tricky in places given the strength of the wind and slick damp rock.
A waterfall on the sea cliffs.
Near the highest point on the ridge.
A different outing to do Errigal, at 752 metres, 2464 feet, the highest peak in Donegal. A sharp sided quartzite mountain but no scrambling involved just a narrow but easy ridge.
The neighbouring mountains of Donegal.
Muckish in Donegal. Another fine mountain. 670 metres or 2198 feet. Cairngorm like in appearance. In the far distant geological past the Irish mountains, Scottish mountains, and the Appalachian mountain chain of the USA were all part of the same vast mountain range which is why they are eroded down to a similar height today- between 2000 and 5000 feet. Also why many departing Irish and Highland Scots felt a strange kinship when they viewed the Appalachians for the first time, without knowing the real reason why. Even though the trees and plants looked different- there was a similar familiar mountain height and visual appearance to come to grips with, instinctively within their comfort zone, that made folk settle there. Unlike the twelve to fourteen thousand soaring snow covered peaks of the Alps or Rockies.
The Poison Glen in Ireland. Derryveagh range. As a Scottish visitor seeing them for the first time I had that same instinctive connection and familiarity with them. Same type of rocks, general layout, height, and vegetation as in Glencoe. So in that respect familiar and comforting. This place also a treasured mecca for local rock climbers and hill walkers. If I rock climbed or walked here I would know roughly what to expect from the surrounding terrain and the routes up to the summits.
Whereas this... The Bossons Glacier on Mont Blanc, was an altogether different level of mountain. I enjoyed it....but I would never truly, (unconsciously) feel at ease/ home here...I don't think, even in a mountain cabin in the valley below. I would probably still enjoy it though... for the difference. But in a strange huge country, especially if homesick, you start to look for the familiar.
Glenveagh National Park.
Another view of Errigal. Very impressive from this angle.
On the Errigal ridge with the mist drifting in and out. Touch of snow flurries and a biting wind again.
Alex on the summit ridge.
With the strong wind impressive sea conditions existed around the coast. I'm reminded of an 80 year old man I met many years ago while working in his house. Being young then I just viewed him as some old gezzer in a chair who was going to die soon and all his stuff would be tossed in a skip. Life over. Big deal. When I started talking to him though he came alive in front of me as a person. In his youth he'd been a prize-fighter in South America, been married 4 times, lived all over the planet, built his own construction company, erected tall buildings....earned but then lost a small fortune.... but now he was just some sick old guy stuck in a chair near Glasgow. ( he had the photographs and awards to prove his life story in his house.... and it was definitely him.)
The reason I'm telling this story and putting these photos up is that I myself often forget the places I've been or adventures I've had in the past. Going out every week and posting new walks I don't often dwell on back issues as highlights...until I see them again.... but they were. Fairly soon I'll be that old guy sitting in a chair... and all my stuff I've accumulated over the decades will be tossed into several skips... ( better make it large skips. :o) 99% of it worthless junk to anyone else but precious to me) Such is life. Making way for the young... as it should be. And to them I'll be just some other old guy in a chair.
Although I've been a fan of his for many years, as I sometimes watch open world games as films, if they have a good story ( Like.... The Last of Us. ( Ist one) , Bioshock Trilogy, What Remains of Edith Finch, Firewatch etc I didn't realise quite how successful this singer/songwriter/ musician had become. One of the most prolific and successful Indie singer /songwriters in Ireland over a wide range of different musical styles. And well deserved. Here's a taste of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6hF3EaICxk&list=RDN6hF3EaICxk&start_radio=1
Also this....
4 comments:
I still haven’t written up our Donegal trip from a couple of years ago. We did go to Slieve League but only walked a bit of it.
So why is it called 'the Poison Glen'? do you know?
I always found Glencoe a pretty uncomfortable place - not as much as Torridon but definitely not really my thing. I'm more a Cairngorms person myself - although I love the Affric area glens...
I read my blog all the time (I often use Wordpress's 'random search' feature which is fun as you don't know what you're going to read until it comes up. So I don't really forget anything I got up to.
Hi Anabel, It can be handy to have a backlog of extra posts/walks just in case you need them to fill in a quiet period due to illness, or busy with something else etc. If I leave it too long mind you it either disappears into the nest of stored files and gets forgotten about or details get hazy remembering trips. I've still got October 2025 Edinburgh trips to sort out. The walks after the seven city hills.
Look it up Carol... as I just did. Either an Irish legend about a one eyed slain giant poisoning the glen with his toxic single eye or a map-makers translation mistake. It did remind me of Glencoe in many ways. An impressive place.
Post a Comment