Some parts of the Wild Atlantic Way are wilder than others.Recorded using a helmet-mounted GoPro.
When the A-walkers of the Galway Walking club assembled in Leenaun village for the first official hike of 2016, the A stood for absentee. Most of us had been away from hiking for a while, so there was no enthusiasm for a fast pace. Looking back over pictures that I took in previous years, it seems that it is a tradition for the club to climb Leenaun Hill in late January or early February. The weather forecast wasn’t great but if you’re afraid of rain, there’s no point in hiking in Connemara. As you can see from the video above, there was plenty of cloud and drizzle, and a ferocious wind along the ridge. In fact, it looks like this year’s trek was the worst weather that we’ve had on this hike in the ten years that I’ve been with the club.
The great thing about navigating along the ridge on the top of Leenaun hill is that there is a continuous line of fencing that can be followed in even zero visibility. The other thing is that, if the visibility is good, there is a super view of Killary and Mweelrea. We didn’t have to worry about that last weekend.
Looking at Killary Fjord and Mweelrea, from Leenaun Hill, in late January, 2011.
Snow on the ridges of Leenaun Hill in early February, 2009. Note the fence which can be used for navigation (if all else fails).
Our walk leader marking a waypoint on Leenaun Hill on his GPS almost a decade ago, during a February 2006 hike.