Just three of us set off from the car park at 10am. The dire weather forecast had obviously put off some of our regulars. The weather was harsh at times, but was exhilarating with squalls of snow and hailstones followed by blue skies and sunshine. Several iterations of this made for a fascinating circuit. We crossed over the first Nire bridge (in very poor condition) and then to the stepping stones which were only just passable. It’s a good long pull up to the top of Coumfea (711m). We were buffetted by wind, snow and hail on the way up but it eased at the top and we quickly followed the edge around to the top of the Sgillogues and sought shelter for lunch. After lunch, speeded up to avoid the next squall of hail, we headed over Coumlara. We looked back on our way down and admired the “Sean Bhean ag Caitheamh Tabac” smoking away as is her wont in high winds. Then it was back to Ballymacarbery for coffee and rugby in the company of our friends from the Scillogue Loughs walk. It’s days like this that keep us coming back for more.
The weather on the top prevented the taking of photos, but we found this character lurking in the undergrowth just after we crossed the river!
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