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Our trip to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
Nov 4-14, 2010

Glanteenassig Forest Park


Loch Caum



Page 1: Prep and Travel to London.
Page 2: Fri – Drive from Shannon to Dingle and Cottage.
Page 3: Sat – Dingle, Michael, and John Benny's.
Page 4: Sun -Storm.
Page 5: Mon - Storm.
Page 6: Tue – Inch Strand.
Page 7: Wed – Climbing and Set Dancing.
Page 8: Thu – Glanteenassig.
Page 9: Fri – Shopping.
Page 10: Sat:Mon – Return Home via London.
Original, all-on-one-page version.
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Glanteenassig Forest Park

Thursday, November 11

We woke up at 9:30 today. I had a slight migraine and my whole body aching. Too much indulgence last night? The weather was sunny when we woke up but quickly turned to rain and the seas were rough so there was lots of discussion on what we should do today.

Another dark and windy day:



Our updated list-of-things-to-do:

Gap of Dunloe in Killarney National Park
Tomies Oakwood in Killarney National Park
Ring of Kerry ( Valencia Island, Fogher Cliffs and Geokaun Mountain)
Glanteenassig Forest Park and Lakes.


The forecast was for 128kph winds today but only 68kph winds tomorrow and intermittent rain on Saturday. We tried to call An Droichead Beag to find out who would be playing that night but they didn't pick up the phone. We finally decided to do Glanteenassig Forest Park and Lakes today and leave the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney National Park tomorrow. We would save the Ring of Kerry ( Valencia Island, Fogher Cliffs and Geokaun Mountain) for next year when, we hoped, our friends Em and Forrest would join us.

We were on the road at 12:07! We stopped at Moran's Garage for half a tank of gas and then drove off through the Conor Pass to Castlegregory.

The route from Ballyferriter through the Conor Pass to Glanteenassig:




Close-up of Glanteenassig Forest Park
(This map was stitched together from surveyor's map #70 and #71):




According to Glanteenassig Forest Park and Lakes.:

Glanteenassig is a 450 ha. area of woodland, mountain, lake and peatland nestling in a sheltered valley among the Slieve Mish mountains. To reach it the visitor must step off the beaten track, travel up the valley and feel the remoteness of the mountains. Behind the trees the area abounds with streams, lakes, waterfalls and dramatic cliffs which characterise this untamed landscape.

At Aughacasla we turned onto the road leading to Glangeenassig. The road was very narrow and, of course, there were slow moving vehicles blocking our way. The first weren't a problem but when we pulled up behind a HUGE tow truck we wondered if we'd ever get around him (and how he'd ever get back down this narrow road). He soon pulled into a truck farm (or whatever they're called) and we were unencumbered the rest of the way.

Traffic on the way there:



Scenic road (these roads are probably stunningly beautiful in the summer):




Is this the forest, up ahead on the right?



When we got to the first car park we ditched the car and walked along the stream to the Loch. The wind was whistling in the treetops and blowing across the water but we were protected from it by the tall everygreens in the forest! According to Glanteenassig Forest Park and Lakes.:

The wood is approached through a small grove of beech between the entrance and a bridge that spans the Owencashla river. Just over the bridge is a car park. The forest, typical of those which were established in the 1950's and 60's consists mainly of Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine. However, there are some pockets of silver fir, larch and beech in the more sheltered areas and some native species such as birch, alder, and holly. As areas mature and are clearfelled much of the spruces are being replaced with larch, alder and Mountain ash in keeping with the primeval forests that once colonised the area. The first opportunity to experience the beauty of Glanteenassig is about 1.2 km from the car park.

Just after crossing a wooden bridge, take a left along the trail to the shore of Lough Slat. This quiet and serene lake nestles below the imposing hill of Doon and the majestic rock face of Carrigaspanaig. This scene can be even more dramatic after heavy rain when "a thousand wild fountains rush down to that lake from their home in the mountains". ( J,J, Callinan ). It is easy to understand the origin of the name Glanteenassig or Gleann Ti an Easaigh which translates to the Valley of the Waterfalls.


Close-up of Glanteenassig Forest Park:
(This map was stitched together from surveyor's map #70 and #71):





The path through the small grove of beech to the bridge that spans the Owencashla river:




What I noticed was that there were quite a few trees either down or falling. The fallen trees, with their wide root systems sticking up vertically into the air, were covered with a gorgeous layer of moss; some of them were even growing a new trunk out of the uprooted roots. We saw one tree that was in the process of coming down: every time the wind blew it would lean over about 45°, the roots would hover 2-feet above the ground and groan. Fascinating.

Fallen trees:







Trail to shore of Loch Slat:





Bundled up – it was cold! Colder than Inch Beach….




Panorama of Loch Slat below the hill of Doon and the rock face of Carrigaspanaig:




Between Loch Slat and Lock Caum:





We returned to the car and drove down to Loch Caum. According to Glanteenassig Forest Park and Lakes.:

Back to the forest road and take the trail to the right which leads the visitor up along the bank of the river Owencashla and back on to the road again. Continue along the road to a T junction, take a left and after 100 metres you are on the shores of Lough Caum with a board walk right around the lake. This lake is a trout angler's paradise. From here the landscape opens up to a 360 degree vista of mountain, forest, lake and valley.

Close-up of Glanteenassig Forest Park:
(This map was stitched together from surveyor's map #70 and #71):





We got out of the car and fought our way to the boardwalk. The wind was so strong that I took one step back for every step forward and nearly fell over when I finally reached the edge of the lake. There was a space of about 3 metres with no railing that I would have to traverse and, even though the boards were covered with wire mesh to discourage slipping, I knew that with that wind I would be in the lake within seconds so I turned around to go back to the car.

The boardwalk around the lake:




Bundling up for the walk again:



KC noticed that the other end of the boardwalk had a railing that went all the way to the end so we crossed over and started moving in that direction. Once again, we came to an area with no railing so I told KC to go on without me. I waited there while he walked on ahead for about 5 mintues. He came back raving about the beauty and I knew he wanted to go all the way around so I went back to the car.

Waiting for KC (you can see mesh on boards in this shot):



In addition to the gale-force winds, I still had a headache, even after two cups of coffee, so today was not going to be a teriffic day for me and I didn't want to let that ruin KC's fun. I hadn't taken a Zomig because they make me tired AND they make me run to the bathroom every 5 minutes but, since I knew we were going to leave for home shortly, I took one, and napped until KC got back.

When he did, he told me that he had nearly been blown into the lake and that the wind had been so strong it had ripped the lens cap right off the camera. He'd gone running after it and retrieved it but that was further proof that I had made the right decision to stay in the car. We plan to return on a less windy day because the area is truly gorgeous.

KC's walk around Loch Caum from left to right:













Is this where the wind knocked the lens cap off the camera?




And was this the shot he was trying to take at the time? LOL!:




The end is in sight:




Looking back on the boardwalk:




The end/beginning of the trail:



We drove home quickly. The wind was getting stronger and the rain harder. On an impulse, we stopped at Clogher Beach again and the waves were bigger than before, but they were different, cresting over a big rock on the left this time. The spray was all over the parking area and even followed us up the road when we left! KC got out (with difficulty, the wind was so strong he could barely open the door) and took a few pictures. Then we took some through the car window. I could have stayed there the rest of the day but KC needed to get back.

Foam coming up the stairs and into the air:




The spray that hit the back of the car as we drove away:



At 4:00pm the waves seen from the cottage window were cresting over the promontory and the sea was very rough. The sun was still shining but clouds soon moved in and by 5:00pm it was solid grey. Inside the cottage the wind reverberated in the fireplace flue, it whistled past the windows, and it whipped the surf to a roaring frenzy. Through all that nasty weather, the stonemasons worked on the shed next door. Amazing.

The stonemasons working in this cold wet weather:



I went upstairs at dark and took a nap until 8:30pm with the rain beating down on the skylights (I love that sound!) KC started a load of laundry and said that the wind was still blowing but the rain had stopped. I wished it had been light enough to see the surf.

My tongue hurts! The hydrogen peroxide I've been using as a mouth wash seems to be stronger than what I buy here in the US. I've stopped using it and will check the solution strength when I get back (note to self: in the US the solution is only 3% whereas the one in Ireland was 6%!)

I read my book (The Unthinkable) and heated up the leftover stew while KC took another call. After dinner we played cribbage. Guess who won?

EOD cribbage score: KC=11 BH=7



Page 1: Prep and Travel to London.
Page 2: Fri – Drive from Shannon to Dingle and Cottage.
Page 3: Sat – Dingle, Michael, and John Benny's.
Page 4: Sun -Storm.
Page 5: Mon - Storm.
Page 6: Tue – Inch Strand.
Page 7: Wed – Climbing and Set Dancing.
Page 8: Thu – Glanteenassig.
Page 9: Fri – Shopping.
Page 10: Sat:Mon – Return Home via London.
Original, all-on-one-page version.
Press here to return to personal picture menu.

Press here for 2009 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2008 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)
Press here for 2007 Dingle travelogue (a new window will open)


A NOTE ON THE MAPS
Most of the maps I posted here were created using screen caps from MapQuest and Adobe Photoshop. I found that MapQuest had more detail, especially in the shoreline, than Google. But, neither MapQuest nor Google was detailed enough for our nature hikes so those maps I created by scanning the Ordnance Survey maps we use when we were hiking and then photoshopping the scanned images together. Please do not rely solely on my maps if you travel to this area -- buy your own Discovery Series Ordnance Survey Maps they are invaluable.


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Last Revised: January 14, 2011
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