GO WALK:Such serene landscapes are ideal places to unwind, writes JOHN G O'DWYER
WE ALL SEEM to have one – a hive of inactivity we head for when we need to empty our heads and re-thread our values. Gay Byrne walked the Hill of Howth and credited this with keeping him sane in the pressure-cooker world of broadcasting. John Paul II had the Vatican Gardens cleared daily at 4pm for his solitary perambulation, while Charlie Haughey’s famous bolt-hole was a Kerry island.
These high profile individuals are not unusual because almost everyone has a preferred place of natural solitude. Deep in our subconscious, we seem hard-wired to seek green spaces when daily dilemmas threaten to overwhelm us. Secluded and evocative, these serene landscapes offer a quick avenue to relaxation and mellow thoughts.
For a gentle reconnection with the natural world I usually head for the eastern Galtee Mountains and the charms of a rewarding but generally unchallenging circuit that pushes all the buttons for escaping life’s treadmill.
Still one of Co Tipperary’s best kept secrets, this walk begins beside the former Ballydavid Youth Hostel and follows a forest trail past a barrier and gently uphill. The broad path swings left and right and right again before diving into woodland at a turning circle.
Here it steepens and roughens a little as it meanders upwards to emerge on a forest roadway near a deflector mast. Go right here and soon after you emerge onto pristine moorland where mankind has bequeathed few fingerprints.
Now moving through an overwhelmingly empty landscape you reach the cairn marking the unassuming summit of Sturrakeen – also known as Carrigpherish – a name that usually sets me wondering who was Pierce and for what reason was this high point named in his honour. Pierce’s Rock rewards with lovely views to the high Galtees and north over pastoral Aherlow to the Slievenamuck and Slievefelim Hills beyond.
From Sturrakeen, head southwest to a prominent sandstone outcrop (point 597m on OSI maps) that once protruded above the ice-age glaciers and was subsequently shattered by water and ice. And here is a good place to have a wow moment as your eyes are drawn by sweeping views south to the Knockmealdown and Comeragh Mountains.
Now foot it east for about 1.5km and ascend more shattered rock to reach point 541m and enjoy views east over Cahir. Follow the broad crest to point 505m and then swing sharply north and descend to reach a rough path by a forest edge.
Tag this path as it doglegs downwards to traverse beside a substantial forest roadway. Join this roadway and descend following the straight ahead options at junctions until you reach a tarred road. Go right here, then left at the next junction and continue as the roadway transforms to a pleasant boreen. Leaving a ruined tower house on the right, you cross a pretty footbridge and pass through a gateway. This not only leads you to the trailhead but most likely to mellow feelings of contentment as you journey away from the peaceful eastern Galtees.
* John G O’Dwyer’s guide to the mountains of Tipperary and Waterford is published by the Collins Press in April
East Galtees
Getting there:Take the N24 from Cahir towards Bansha. At Tankardstown Cross go left into the Glen of Aherlow. Follow the road when it swings right and go on for about 2km to a minor crossroads. Go left here and continue to the trailhead beside the former Ballydavid Youth Hostel.
Time: Allow 3.5 hours.
Map:Osi, Discovery Series sheet 74.
Suitability:A generally unchallenging outing suitable for those of moderate fitness. Navigation skills required on a misty day.