Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => General Chat => Topic started by: t18con on August 09, 2012
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Havnt done any walking in about 6 weeks, so have decided weather permitting to take the last weekend of my hols on lugnaquilla. Does anyone know of any SAFE parking close by, ive heard theres a LOT of boy racer/joy rider issues in the area. I dont mind a mile or two of a walk, can always drop the kit/wife off and dander back. Also for someone of less than perfect fitness levels am i even wise to be tackling lug with full kit on?? (have heard its less steep than donard). Was imagining a day up and a day back down, three days worth of food just in case. If i see somewhere scenic or picturesque on the way up, could even make a base camp (have three days to complete after all) and work from the base camp.
any thoughts appreciated.
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Wish I could help you directly... and maybe I'm too late.
I was up Lugnaquilla several years back and my memories of it were -- no problem parking (but can't remember where), and an easy enough hike up to the top. We had goats for company.
The Lugnaquilla Indicator was interesting:
(http://www.thelight-tightbox.info/post/lugplate.jpg)
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Here is a route that I did. http://www.walkingroutes.ie/926-Lugnaquilla-from-Glen-Of-Imail.html (http://www.walkingroutes.ie/926-Lugnaquilla-from-Glen-Of-Imail.html)
There are signs around the place advising you of The Irish Army firing range so obay them.
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Arrived on friday afternoon, the wife was put off with the idea of camping in the artillery range even though there were no red flags flying , so headed to the camp site in donard (i thought it was a touch expensive). Made an early start on Saturday morning for the summit fully loaded for a summit camp. ended up getting beaten back by lack of fitness and the heavy winds. every local we met on the way up warned us not to be camping overnight as the weather was to be terrible overnight (we HAD checked the forecast before we left)
anyhow we ended up going looking for somewhere scenic to wild camp overnight, so we headed towards glendalough. theres a river that runs down glenalough and literally in every spot that wasnt obviously cultivated (used by local farmers) there was a tent up wild camping, beer bottles literally EVERYWHERE. in one spot where there was a small waterfall there must have been a dozen one man tents pitched on every wee bit of earth big enough to pitch a tent!!! bit of a strange experience...