Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
Outdoor Activities => Northern Ireland Camping and Bushcraft => Topic started by: andymcinroy on April 17, 2012
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Just back from a glorious weekend hike and camp across the Slievetooey coast of Donegal.
In 2 days walking we saw not a single soul until we reached the road at Maghera Strand. I would highly recommend this walk to any serious wild campers out there. My only warning is that the terrain is very tough and the distance on the map does not reflect the pain involved when carrying a huge pack. There are no paths and there are many bogs and peat hags to negotiate. However, the scenery throughout is simply stunning.
I have some photos here
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/22918740/1/Walk?h=dbbca8
Here's a link to the google map of the route taken. Camp was at Glenlough.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=207994024747591333789.0004bdd20447e7295b68c&msa=0
(http://www.andymcinroy.com/images/glenlough.jpg)
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Hi andy, thanks for sharing the pic's and route map are great. ;D
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damn those photos are good
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Wow, looks like a stunning and epic walk. Truly wild.
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It's been years since I've been near glencolmcille,what an amazing coastline,good on you's for walking somewhere different,looked like a epic ti e was had,karma andy
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Do you think it would be possible to walk between Glencolmkille and Ardara but hug the coastline the whole way?
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I done this with my Dad and Mum many years ago. Great photos brings back good memories.
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I think this is pretty much exactly what I was thinking of when I got into this wild camping malarky. Where did you leave cars?
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Redleader,
We did this by leaving a car in Adrara and then driving the 2nd car to Glencolumncille. We parked at the beach car park which should be safe as it is in view of the houses and the road. A car here should be safe however, I left my glove box open and boot covering off to make it absolutely clear that the car was empty.
One concern might be that a local might raise an alarm if the car lies overnight. A small note in the windscreen to say that you are returning next day might be a good idea.
You could shorten the final long road section (5 miles) to Ardara by parking the 1st car at the big carpark near the Maghera caves. This carpark is free off season but you would need to pay during peak season.
After the walk, we had to return to Glencolumncille to pick up the 1st car. However this was well worth it for the satisfaction of completing an A to B walk.
You can see from the route that the 1st day is relatively short. This is allows an 11am start from Glencolumncille and takes into account a more leisurely walk with a full load of food supplies and time to setup camp at the old abandoned cottages.
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I was up near here at the weekend (at Maghera caves) and remembered this thread and the one where you suggested this as the wildest place in Ulster.
Interestingly this paper (http://ria.metapress.com/content/3h080661x9ug4182/fulltext.pdf (http://ria.metapress.com/content/3h080661x9ug4182/fulltext.pdf) page 99) suggests that the whole Slieve Tooey massif is naturally montane heath, a habitat of low vegetation and shrubs, where wind, rain, sea-spray and thin soil prohibits tree growth. In the remoter stretches (out of the reach of agriculture) I'd say this is exactly the habitat that exists there currently, meaning most of the area is in a natural state and indeed perhaps one of the last wild places in Ireland. I know the place is excellent for seabirds and also merlin and peregrine falcon.
Anyway I mean to explore more fully at some stage to find out for myself.
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That looks like an amazing walk, thanks for pictures and map. How many miles was that over 2 days ?
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Day 1 is 8 miles, day 2 is 12miles.
However, conditions underfoot are hard going with a full pack, particularly over Slievetooey itself. The final 5 miles are on the road.
sjh1, thanks for posting that link. The description of the terrain sounds very accurate and I can well believe that the weather conditions would never allow tree growth to generate naturally. So I would agree that this terrain is more or less as nature intended it. It truely is a wild walk.
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sjh1, thanks for posting that link. The description of the terrain sounds very accurate and I can well believe that the weather conditions would never allow tree growth to generate naturally. So I would agree that this terrain is more or less as nature intended it. It truely is a wild walk.
:) You're welcome, I thought it was interesting. I'm encouraged by your impression of the vegetation. Hope to get up here soon and do your walk or something similar.
That paper has the natural habitat of the Narin Peninsula (to the north of Slieve Tooey) as mainly coastal heath which a lot of it still is also, although it is less remote and agricultural pressures are greater.
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On Wednesday past I did the walk described below (top post by 'gerrym')...
http://mountainviews.ie/summit/430/ (http://mountainviews.ie/summit/430/)
It was tough going at times with steep slopes and mist. A GPS was definitely required! The mist cleared when we got lower towards the coast which was good for both views and safety, I wouldn't fancy trying to navigate this coastline in poor visibility.
It is a wild area but I was disappointed to find sheep grazing throughout (although in low numbers and absent from the steeper slopes). There was even a new fence being erected over point 472m and recent quad tracks. However grazing is relatively light and a lot of the vegetation appears to be in almost natural condition. By the small river at the westernmost point of the walk I found some of the oldest and thickest heather shoots I've ever seen - firewood would be no problem here for a camp! Just a pity that there are so few places in Ireland where you can completely escape agriculture.
We crossed the river and headed east before we got to the coast so only got a distant view of Gull Island which looked very impressive, would like a closer look! Cliffs, slopes and sea-stacks the whole way back were epic.
A word of warning - on the return leg it is probably much safer to climb the last hill past L.Accrupan and down the slope where you began. We attempted to follow the coast right back to Maghera Strand which was scary to say the least! A tiny rocky sheep path with cliffs dropping to the sea to the immediate left and more rising up on the right. One slip could have been deadly. Eventually (i.e. when it was possible!) we scrambled up a steep, heathery slope to reach safer ground.
Good walk for wildlife, saw a common lizard, common frog, two red grouse, a mountain hare, lots of wheatears and the highlight, two porpoises.