Here are a few photos from this summer’s MI Alpine Meet, which some club members took part in. The meet takes place in a different spot in the Alps each year, and offers plenty of opportunities for hillwalkers as well as for rock climbers and those heading out onto the glaciers and higher peaks. This year’s meet was held in Val Di Mello, north of Milan on the Italian-Swiss border.

One good thing about hillwalking in the Alps is the multitude of well-marked and signposted tracks, which means you don’t have to worry so much about navigation in bad weather, or wading through boggy ground, thick heather, etc.

Here are a few photos from last Sunday’s 2 Boot walk in Wicklow, a fair bit of which was done in drizzle and poor visibility. The expressions on our faces seem to become more cheerful as we descended, the weather cleared and the views opened up ……

The route we followed took us through Fraughan Rock Glen, up to the summit of Lug, over Cloghernagh and back down past Art’s Lough; a description of it can be found in Helen Fairbairn’s Dublin and Wicklow, A Walking Guide (Collins Press). Wexford town library has a copy, as well as a good selection of other hillwalking and mountaineering books and guides.

Thanks to Sheila for the photos.

Last Sunday’s two boot walk tackled Blackstairs Mountain from the Carlow side, starting from the back road at Knock, which was both very muddy (not the way it looks on Google’s street view!) and very busy, with a gang of children heading off into the hills for the day.

Our route took us past the ruins of a nineteenth-century RIC barracks (a discovery for most of us), up the “Wexford Road” to the Meetings, then on to the extremely cold summit of Blackstairs Mountain via Caher Roe’s den. From there we headed down to Slievebaun (and some shelter from the wind), and then, after negotiating the brambles and undergrowth in the gully at its foot, it was back towards the Meetings and on down to the cars.

Thanks to Pat’s local knowledge, though, the day turned out to be a lot more than just following a pre-planned route. As well as visiting and chatting a bit about the ruined barracks, we spent some time at the site of the WW2 German bomber crash, and managed to locate the remains of two old hideouts dating back to the war of independence on the rocky slopes below Caher Roe’s den.

Thanks to Joe for the photos and to Pat for the history!

Here are a few photos taken by Siobhan on yesterday’s one (and a half!) boot walk.

And here’s the route we took.

Last Sunday’s 2 Boot walk saw four of us head out from Glendalough car park along the Spinc (the “far” end of which is currently having its wooden sleepers replaced). At the bridge over the Glenealo River we left the track and the crowds behind and climbed up over boggy ground towards the Turlough Hill reservoir. A few minutes further along the track towards Camaderry a peat hag provided welcome shelter for a late lunch from the strong wind blowing in from the south-west.

At this stage we thought the heavens were going to open, so we dashed eastwards over Camaderry, the day’s highest point (there was a brief and futile attempt to hold the map steady in the wind and peer through the compass’s magnifying glass to establish exactly what that height was) and then a bit of concentration was required for the steep descent to the disused lead works beside the Glendasan River.

A pleasant trudge along the river in the gathering gloom saw us back at the car, changed and on our way just as the forecast rain arrived. Thanks to everyone for an enjoyable day, and also to Siobhan for the photo.