At the start of July mountaineer Stephen McAulliffe from Banteer trekked from Millstreet train station over Clara, Caherbarnagh, the Paps and onto Rathmore. Blessed with lovely weather, he’s written down his trek in his blog, along with some stunning photographs.
“… By the “Grotto” you turn left and enter a magical little shady lane that rises steadily through woodland. After a while a right turn takes you through some fir trees and then an open trail traverses the slope and offers great views eastward to Mushera and beyond to my home patch of Mt Hillary. There is more than a grain of truth in the saying that Ireland, when the sun shines is one of the most beautiful places on earth and today it was living up to its billing. The problem is getting the sun to shine. Soon you enter the open mountain and it doesn’t take long to reach the summit at 452 meters. There are some masts on the top but it is easy to ignore these as the whole of north Cork and Kerry is laid out below you. It is a great spot to rest a while and soak up the views and sunshine…” Read the full article with photos on the HowlingMist blog
