The Walk in Ballinastoe will be led by Betty Behan and Deirdre McLoughlin and the following message from Deirdre to me is self explanatory – my sincere thanks to both of them for their guidance and support to South Dublin RTAI branch and to those interested in the walking activities.

Please note  the helpful advice and words of caution from Deirdre especially regarding the necessity for warm clothes – while temperatures in the lowlands may be very tolerable they can drop quite low in the exposed upper reaches of the hills – especially at this time of year – wear a few layers!!!

Micheál Ó Gríofa

I will be leading the walk on Jan 25th with Betty Behan. It would be great if you could let people know that this is a more challenging walk than the last one which Betty led. Each month there will be one easy walk on fairly level ground and one more challenging one for those who like to walk in the hills. The walk on Jan 25th is of the more challenging variety and is definitely not an easy stroll through the woods.

For those who wish to do the walk, there is a choice of meeting places:

• I will be at the car-park in the Spawell, Templeogue leaving at 9.45 am on the morning of the 25th in the part on the left nearest to the entrance, and will drive from there to Ballinastoe Woods.
• Betty will be at the Silver Tassie  leaving at 10 am for those who will be travelling from that direction. There is parking for about 20 cars at Ballinastoe so car-pooling, particularly at the Spawell would be a good idea.
• If people wish to make their own way, Ballinastoe woods is on the road between the Sally Gap and Roundwood. Coming from Rathfarnham, turn left at the Sally Gap; drive 5km and Ballinastoe car-park is on the left, with a sharp left turn at the entrance. It is signed.

The walk follows the Wicklow Way from the woods and goes up towards Djouce Mountain on a boardwalk. Fairly close to the top, we leave the boardwalk and climb up the last stretch over a rough track.

There are marvellous views across to Lough Tay, Lough Dan, Lugnaquilla, and Luggala on the way up.

From the top, there is a steep path down which requires hiking boots, and if possible, walking poles. They are a great help on the steep stretch which has a lot of loose stones and can be slippery. We can see right across to Howth from here on a clear day.

We rejoin the boardwalk to walk back down to the car-park. The total length of the walk is about 3 hours. People will need warm clothes, as this area is very exposed and there is no shelter whatsoever along most of the route. A drink and a snack would also be a good idea as we will probably stop somewhere close to the top to take in the views.

If people need any more information, my email is dmcgloughlin@eircom.net

Regards,

Deirdre McGloughlin

PS If you need to ring me, my mobile is 0877741953.