Anthony and Claire on the drive to the mountain
A nice view on the drive to the mountain
Beginning of the steep climb to the topThe panoramic view from the top is spectacular and on a clear day you can see for many miles around - the only problem being, you have to get to the top first. Most of the way there can be made by car up a long winding road that takes you to the base of the mountain and here the fun ends as the final assault on the top has to be made on foot up a long steep rugged path for about 400 yards. This is the kind of path where you take one step forward and two backwards but undaunted by this we began our climb.
Taking a rest on the way to the top
It wasn’t much of a problem to my four youthful companions but for me, restricted by 69 years of roaming this earth and a heart bypass a few years ago, I wondered if taking on this climb was one of the smartest things to do. However, I pride myself in the fact that I am still pretty fit and I decided that I would start out and see how far I could get - promising myself that I would stop and return to the base if the going got too difficult.
In the event, I made it without any great difficulty to a plateau and picnic area about three quarters of the way up. Here the picnic table and seats were too tempting to pass by and I decided in the interests of common sense to pitch my base camp and wait for the others to return from the top. I was really quite pleased to have made it so far and I decided enough was enough.
View from the picnic area where I decided to wait for the return of my companions
Enjoying a picnic before returning home
One of the many wind farms that now dot the Irish landscape, supplying over 25% of our electricity to the National Grid. Pictured on the way down the mountain
Finally, a sign of the times we now live in. It's sad to see this evidence of Litter Louts who care little for the preservation of such a beautiful amenity and the image we present of ourselves to the many tourists and other visitors that come to this area.
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1 comment:
Great pics...We are off to Tipperary on 16 Aug and hope to climb the devil's bit..How long does it take? We are not climbers generally, but have seen the Devil's bit every year from the Dublin rd since I was a child going to visit my grandparents in Golden..Always caused excitement as it meant we were in Tipp!(Travelled from Co. Meath) Have always wanted to climb it..Not one bit fit though and have a broken wrist at the moment!..like yourself I will give it a go! Thanks for sharing your experience
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