Another milestone was tripped over by yours truely yesterday. I’ve passed another birthday, yet still mercifully I’m still in my thirties. To celebrate my brothers, a pal and I decided to climb to Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed, a cave 560 metres (1867 ft) up the Dartry Mountains. It has long been a goal of mine to climb some of the great hills that we all take for granted here in the North West. Years ago I had driven around the Geniff Horse Shoe glen and marvelled at the rock formations and hills around the valley. Up the valley on the south side is an enormous cave that is just below the summit. Its easy to see how the cave became embroiled in the old Irish legend of Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Gráinne.
For those who don’t know the story, Grainne the daughter of High King Cormaic McAirt was to be married to Fionn MacCumhaill leader of the Fianna Warriors. At the wedding Grainne was disgusted at how old Fionn was compared to her father. She slipped a sleeping potion into the drink of Fionn and the other guests and then coerced Diarmaid MacDuibne to run away with her by threatening a geis (or curse) on him. ( Women! They never change…) This set off a chase throughout Ireland as the couple try evade capture by Fionn. Many places in Ireland are called Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed, so named for the couple who spent time there as they tried to stay ahead of Fionn.
Diarmaid and Grainne's Bed
The cave is in Sligo roughly at 54°22’20.36″N and 8°25’22.30″W. The easiest way to reach it is to drive to the village of Cliffoney, Co Sligo and then follow the signposts for the Gleniff horse shoe Glen.
We parked below the cave at a derelict house and started out at 10.30am under sunny and breezy conditions. Our plan was to go up along the more gently sloping path left of center in the photograph, and then cross to the steeper slope below the cave. I would have considered myself the unfittest of the bunch climbing, and the burning in my calve muscles started pretty quickly. Of course it didn’t help that I was laughing at the smart ass comments coming from the guys ahead of me. Comments about setting out from base camp, rationing provisions and having to eat sheep. We were all un-used to climbing and had to take regular breaks on the way up. The terrain was scrubby grassland, very well cut back by sheep. As the incline became more steep, we had to progress spiderman style on hands and feet. This of course meant watching where your hands went as there was nettles and thistle lurking among the grass.
We lost a good man on the way up. Our pal John who none could call a sissy, stopped and stuck to the hillside like a limpet. John has fished for King Crab in Alaska on a trawler. Anyone who has watched Deadliest Catch knows how tough that job is. John also regulary saves kittens from trees, rescues damsels in distress and helps little old ladies across the street, so his credentials are impeccable. John decided to turn back and we decided not to slag him… at least until we got back to the car.
Gleniff Valley from half way up
From just above half way up the view is spectacular. Looking north Mullaghmore can be seen and if there was less haze, one could see clear across Donegal Bay to Slieve League. Just above the halfway point the terrain levelled out to make travel a little easier. The remaining four of us, walked along the sheep trails to the scree slope beneath the cave. This is where the hill walking gave way to mountaineering. Below the mouth of the cave is a rock gulley that zig-zags to a small grassy slope at the mouth of the cave. Previous climbers had left a rope dangling down the gulley to assist those that would come after them. Using a combination of the rope and careful climbing we took turns at climbing up to to the grass slope at the cave mouth. A second rope anchored to a pin at the mouth of the cave gave assistance over the last couple of meters.
I now know the meaning of the word exhilaration. When I could turn around and take in the scenery, and the surroundings of the giant air-craft hanger of a cave perched atop a mountain… exhilaration is the only word. My younger brother had been here the previous year and had told us about the numerous caverns and smaller chambers further in, so in preparation we had brought torches. In the back of the cave to the right is a chamber about the size of a big house that has second chamber leading off into the mountain. On the other side of the cave is an even larger cavern that has some interesting stalactites. Not having any experience as cavers or climbers we left the deep exploration for those with the proper skills. What we saw though, was certainly very impressive.
We were nervous about the decent so after half an hour we started back down again. Going down one at a time and taking exceptional care we managed it without difficulty. Not surprising the descent went a lot faster than the ascent. Climbing took us just under an hour and twenty minutes, while the descent was just over half an hour. From a fitness point of view I was happy; I wasnt as fast going up as the rest of the guys, but racing up and down would have defeated the purpose.
The buzz from climbing up to Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed is still with me, though last night I caught myself twitching a few times as I thought I was falling. On hindsight it may have been less than wise for five untrained guys to climb to a cave at the top of a mountain and then explore inside. The ropes that were so helpful during the last section are made of nylon. Nylon rope deteriorates faster than any other type or rope, and with the exposed conditions up there, it definately shouldnt be trusted. While some kind soul left these ropes for those that came after, we dont know how long ago that was and wether the archor points they made can still be relied upon. If you decide that you would like to climb Diarmaid and Grainne’s bed in those mountains I would suggest going as part of an experienced group and being exceptionally careful.
I heard recently that more than 5000 Irish people have taken up the hobby of hillwalking in the past year, which isn’t really surprising. There is fantastic countryside all around us and the cost of starting out is minimal. On beautiful clear days like yesterday, it also beats going to the gym.
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- Diarmaid and Grainne’s Bed
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- Gleniff Valley from half way up
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- View from inside the cave
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- The dangerous section beneath the cave
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- Looking down from the entrance
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- Looking North
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- steep!
I’ve been getting back into training again after a break that probably was longer than it should have been. I’ve been out jogging on a couple of occasions, and cycled a few times also. But all exercise doesn’t have to be solitary and strenuous. Last weekend, we took off exploring Inishowen from beloved’s house in Buncrana. Donegal is a seriously big county and as well travelled as I considered myself to be, I still hadn’t explored it to its very top. Inishowen could almost be another county on its own. So last Saturday, beloved, the kids, the dog and myself took off to go visit some of the more hidden spots of Inishowen.
First stop after leaving Buncrana was Clonmany. Clonmany is very easy to get to after you leave Buncrana, you simply turn left at the North Pole ( hey, I told you it was a big county). Clonmany is a couple of short miles from Ballyliffin aka the wedding capital of Ireland. Just outside Clonmany there is a small hidden valley at the top of which there is a spectacular waterfall. Just over a kilometre each way, it has beautiful pathways, and footbridges that crisscross the stream all the way to the waterfall.
Clonmany Waterfall
inishowen Sheep
Just below Clonmany there is a small derelict churchyard that has only a single grave that seems to be attended. St Columb’s church was in used for 300 years before falling out of use in the 1920′s. The sole maintained grave belongs to a soldier who died in the first world war. The church roof was removed due to that draconian law brought in at the formation of the Irish state.
After leaving Clonmany and skipping through Ballyliffin (we’d visited there a few times before) we headed through Carndonagh heading for Malin. Without stopping in Malin we headed for 5 fingers strand.
Though on this occasion the strand had less sand than normal due to the winter storms. It didn’t stop us having a good explore through the rockpools and the dog had a great time.
five fingers strand
View from 5 fingers
Some winding backroads bring you to the cliffs above the five fingers strand and the scenery is spectacular. After this the road brings you closer to Malin Head. The scenery makes you drive quite slow as this is really wild country.
Passing the Malin Head Coastguard station the road leads to Malin Head and Banba’s Crown. This is Ireland’s most northerly point and with the clear weather we could see why. For 270 degrees all that can be seen is sea and sky, though I hear that on exceptionally clear days, Scotland can be seen. Below hill can still be seen Eire written in stone and mortar, a remanant from the second world war, where the sign was used to let pilots know exactly where they were. On other headlands numbers were lain out on the ground to indicate where exactly they were in Ireland.
Banba's Crown - you can see Eire written in the bottom left of the picture
Martello Tower Banba's Crown
The tower has had a mixed history, firstly as a watchtower during the napoleonic wars, then as a marconi tower and then as a signal tower for Lloyds of london.
We also had a coffee at Ireland’s most notherly coffee shop. Caffe Banba is a mobile coffee wagon stationed next to the old martello tower, and I have to say that we were impressed. Not only was the coffe and cakes good ( I didn’t have cake, relax!) but it was extremely reasonable, unlike many other cafes at prominent tourist destinations. Well done Caffe Banba.
Moving back down through the east side of Inishowen, we passed many hidden piers, bays and beaches. It would take a lot more time than we had to explore them. There were also many places that would have been great for fishing.By this stage everyone was getting tired, including the dog who couldn’t believe her luck at getting walked again and again.
Our plan also included climbing the king and queen of the meenshies, the twin hills between Carndonagh and Buncrana, but we’re leaving that until another day.
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Sexual Hurling
You will often see motivational posters in offices and businesses throughout the land. They invariably consist of a very nice picture with some words of wisdom underneath. Unforunately they’ve become so commonplace and cliched that a massive backlash has occured resulting in what is now called “demotivational” posters. Here are some of the really good ones
You are gonna be replaced by a Robot
Chick Norris
Yoda T
Anger
What has been seen...
The Vet
Well, the first baby steps have been attempted, and I’m glad to say that I have run nine miles in total this week. On Monday night I ran 3 miles on the road, Friday lunchtime I ran 3 miles on the beach, and today I ran 3 miles on the beach also. I should have gone running on Thursday night, but I thought the minus 4 temperatures and the darkness would conspire to end this endeavour before it begins properly. Thinking I was being wise, I had deferred the Thursday night run to Friday lunch time. My erstwhile younger brother had run 4 miles in Dublin on Thursday as planned, and he believed I was slacking off. You can’t win, can you?
Today I ran the 3 miles with the same younger brother, and boy do my legs feel it now. He is a lot fitter than me, but that wouldnt be hard. The plan was to run today but having run yesterday it was going to be tougher on me than on him.It was a beautiful day, but quite cold on Rossnowlagh beach. Off we went, at a pace that was ever so slightly faster than I would have normally gone. It was tough but I managed it, I had been drinking water like a fish all morning and had some porridge which I’m sure helped. At the end of the beach, we slowed to a walk and went through some stretches, some of which I hadn’t done before. They worked very well because when we turned to run back I almost felt recovered. That notion left me pretty quick, coming back was way harder, as my long dormant muscles really began to squeal in pain. But I did it. The aches in my legs will go away, but the self satisfaction will outlast the aches.
This time last year I set up a blog on Google’s blogger platform, with the intention of sharing my exploits as I tried to get fit. I updated it often for the first six months and then stopped, firstly because I had reverted to my old ways, and secondly because no one was reading it. So here we are a year later and I’m trying again. This time my blog is built using WordPress, which gets way more visibility from Google, so there may be a chance that somebody might actually read it this time around. Having failed to enter any races last year probably put paid to my motivation. This year I’m going to try establish a baseline of fitness that will allow me to enter many of the smaller races that are on around Ireland. While I didn’t lose a huge amount of weight last year, my weight compared to this time last year remains the same. Beloved and I do walk with the kids a lot and I suppose that does go to show what a little exercise can do to maintain your weight.
Professionally last year was good, I accomplished quite a few projects and learned a hell of a lot more about business. Being self-employed brings a whole separate set of neuroses and worries, and if unchecked these can take over your life. Yanky Faschler said a very smart thing about being self-employed ” its working 80 hours for yourself in order to avoid working 40 hours for someone else”. You regularly have the worry that you aren’t doing enough.Last year I spent a ridiculous amout of time working, to the extent that other interests were left by the wayside. This year I feel more confident in my abilities to designate work time and leisure time. I’ve reitired from my side-line business of more than 10 years, so my weekends are now free. I now have a steady stream of clients coming to me for my day job and I have no excuses for not taking leisure time.
Business Consultant Paul Davis ( you never know who I’m gonna reference in this blog, so pay attention) says that you should have three sets of targets – an easy target, an achievable target, and wildest expectation target. Hitting the easy target keeps you motivated eg I’m going to go for a run after work. The achieveable target is one you have set out as well within the realms of possibility eg. running 3 miles on your Saturday run. The wildest expectation target is the one you really would love to achieve, but is gonna take determination, drive and commitment eg I’m going to run the Dublin Marathon in 2012.
Here is my first achievable target – the Cara Bundoran Run on March 05th 2011. A ten mile road race around the seaside town of Bundroan. The achievable target is to be able to do this race with 6 weeks training. I think its achievable, I managed to cover 3 miles on Monday night mostly jogging. If I add a mile per week for the next 6 weeks I can surely manage ten miles on the 5th of March.