Tag Archives: forest

Monellan Post Storm Éowyn

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My first time in Monellan since Storm Éowyn. It’s a mess! What was started by Darragh was finished by Éowyn. Some of the trails have been at least partly cleared but judging by seemingly unplanned and random way it’s been done I’d say it’s enterprising locals with a chainsaw rather than Coillte. Based on the sign at the gate Coillte’s policy seems to be ignore it and it will go away 🙈😔

The startling evidence of the power of the storm isn’t the number of downed trees. I’ve seen footage of other forests and it was expected. What wasn’t is the number of trees simply snapped like matchsticks. A very small part of me would like to have been there to experience the sheer power of the wind but it must have been terrifying also….

Operator Error

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The plan was to cycle this evening but when I got home it was just too blustery to be enjoyable. I find it hard enough to get motivated to go out in the dark so it needs good weather conditions as a minimum.

It was the kind of work day where I was able to sort all my emails during the day so when I got home at 5:30pm I decided to make the most of the last of the daylight, took a sneaky half hour and headed to the forest for a walk.

The last time I was here was just after Storm Éowyn so there were loads of fallen trees across the tracks including one track that I decided to avoid altogether as it looked bad and I’d already navigated around a few falls. As it was still fairly clear I decided to go see how bad it was in daylight.

Altogether I’d say there were approximately 15 trees down in 4 different locations but I was able to divert around, through and under them to get to the junction with the main loop. This had been cleared but as the other one wasn’t I guess it was the farmers that use the main tracks to access fields rather than an organised forestry job.

I didn’t need the headtorch until approximately 6:10pm but by the time I stumbled upon a small herd of deer just before the 3km it was fully dark and all I could see were eyes glowing in the light of my headtorch as they scattered in all directions. It was cool though being able to see their eyes back in the trees as they kept a wary eye as I passed on by.

Shortly after I realised that I should have charged my headtorch last night and it was in power saving mode, on one of the dimmer settings. I decided that trying to negotiate back through the fallen trees without good light wasn’t the greatest of ideas so headed back to the car via a rough little road section.

A more eventful walk than I expected and definitely more enjoyable than fighting a blustery wind on the bike…

Better late than never…
Flirting with the border again…

Back home to dinner while watching the superb American Primeval that I discovered after a recommendation from Rootchopper. He’s worth a follow for many great reasons, not least among them, his book, film and TV choices.

Same But Different

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Today’s walk brought me back to the same forest but on a different loop this time. Lots of the country has been hit by heavy snow but we’ve had nothing and it’s actually milder here today than yesterday at a balmy 3°C. Above 150m though, there was quite a bit of snow and ice on the forest tracks. I was glad I brought my walking pole for the extra stability on the slippery sections.

I haven’t been down one of the tracks for a while now and found a few trees down, probably from Storm Darragh a few weeks ago…

Frosty and Foggy Walk

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The plan today was to leave #1 Son to work for 7am, pack a bag and go hillwalking in Inishowen. Instead I went back to bed and slept until 10! I think I may have been a bit sleep deprived 🙈

Anyway I couldn’t sit in the house all day so headed out for a 9km walk on the local roads and forest tracks. Still really cold with icy patches and a fairly dense fog above 100m. Most likely this would have spoiled any views if I had gone to the hills…

Woodland Wild Camp

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I’ve been hankering for a wild camp for a while and at the weekend I came up with a good plan. I’d identified a potential good camping spot in one of my local forests a while ago. I initially had it earmarked for a potential hammock camp at the end of the Summer but never seemed to get around to it. I was hoping it would be good for a ground camp too and I was hoping to set up a tarp tent to take advantage of the mild weather and get a more open woodland sleeping experience.

The plan involved heading up to the forest in the afternoon to identify the best location and set up camp. Then head home again to do a few jobs around the house, have dinner and return to camp in the evening hoping to get a nice dawn chorus and cook breakfast outside.

It didn’t work out as well as I hoped 🤣 Have a watch of the video below to see how I got on.

Beautiful Monellan

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A couple of weeks ago I had a minor medical procedure* that has taken a little while longer than I expected to heal properly. The enforced lay up has unfortunately, brought my lazyitis to the fore.

*nothing remotely serious and completely elective

Having wasted Sunday laying around the house I managed to motivate myself to get out for a walk in the woods on Monday morning. The plan was to go and take some photos of the autumnal scenes I’ve been experiencing solely from the front seat of my van on my way to work each morning.

I’m far from an expert photographer but what I enjoy about doing this is that it forces me to slow down and look at my surroundings in a completely different way.

Monellan certainly didn’t disappoint 😍

Last year Coillte upgraded the forest roads in Monellan. I was concerned that we were going to lose another large section of trees as that’s usually the reason for any money being spent in an Irish forest. A couple of months ago I spotted spray markings scattered throughout the edges of the stands and I was sure I was correct.

When I returned about 5 weeks ago there was evidence of selective felling with wide swathes of trees removed, timber stacks on the trails and machinery still sitting around.

In typical Irish fashion this notice appeared after the work was pretty much completed 🤦🏻At least now I know what is the reason behind the strange pattern of felling!

It will be interesting to watch how this project develops over the years and see how the forest changes into a woodland. I have to say I’m relieved that we’re not going to see the whole thing just cut down even if this first stage is a bit barbaric.

evening daylight

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Today was that special day when I get home from work and I’m able to go for a walk in the woods before it gets dark for the first time this year. I managed to get home just in time to make the most of that unique period just as the sun is setting and the moon is rising.

With a massive relaunch sale at work the last two weeks have been long hours, very little time off and demanding days so this evening was very much needed to clear my head and leave me feeling rejuvenated.

It was brilliant to hear so many birds singing vocally as soon as I got out of the van. It put a real pep in my step and I could have sat for hours and listened to them.

The last 10min or so were in under the taller trees which brought an earlier darkness but I had enough moonlight to boost my night vision just enough to still be comfortable. I really do love the woods at dusk.

It wasn’t quite Venge Day but it was damn close…

Header image by Pixabay from Pexels

walk: corravaddy woods

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Corravaddy is a Coillte plantation forest between Letterkenny and Ballybofey. In recent years Coillte have spent some money in the area, upgrading paths, putting up signage and installing some bridges. It’s a popular place to walk being so close to two large towns. Catriona and the boys have been a few times with friends of hers but I haven’t. Looking for somewhere different to go this afternoon I decided to fix that.

Being a Sunday afternoon it was a bit too busy for me and Rosie both but I think I’ll go back another day mid-week when I think I’ll get a bit more peace and quiet.

Header image by Pixabay from Pexels

living with covid

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I finally got around to getting my vaccine booster this morning. I was going to book an appointment at the vaccine centre for a day last week but then our health centre announced a vaccine day. I decided to delay for a week for the convenience factor.

My first two shots were in the official vaccine centre in Letterkenny with a full-on Health Service setup manned by nurses and supported by Irish Army personnel. Checking in, proof of ID, short medical questionnaire, queues and 15min recovery afterwards – easily 30-45min. Today couldn’t have been much more different. Owen and myself arrived a few minutes early for our 11am appointment and were back in the van within 5 minutes! It wasn’t exactly hello, sign that, here’s your card, sit down, jab and piss off but it was close. That’s the way it should be 👌

From the experience of others and from my own experience of the first two vaccines I’d decided in advance that today would be an easy day. However, with the weather being settled and dry I was itching to get outside by the afternoon so decided to go for an easy walk in one of the local forests.

I packed a bag and half way round I went into the trees to make and drink a hot chocolate. I found a great stand of larch trees and a perfect spot to set up my stove and sit for a half hour. The larches have all dropped their needles at this time of year which meant it was bright under the trees and felt much more open than usual in a conifer forest.

Just before Xmas I’d ordered an ultralight stove and stand from Speedster Stoves. It’s a little alcohol/spirit burner but I hadn’t tried it out yet so brought that with me today to heat water.

The great thing about making hot chocolate like this is that it is scalding hot at first and needs patience and time to cool down. This forces me to slow down, relax and enjoy the moment. In the woods this is amplified further by the peace and quiet. I’ve used gas stoves before but the alcohol stoves seem much more appropriate. They’re virtually silent and being that bit slower also add to the need to slow down.

Unfortunately not everyone understands the value of sitting still and enjoying the silence…

As I said over on Instagram: Time well spent…

Header image by cottonbro from Pexels

hot chocolate and alcohol

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Sunday’s run went very well. Everyone had a great time, we raised a lot of money and I managed to run my 5K with no issues. In fact I ran my fastest 1K (5:41) and 1mile (9:08). It was too fast though and I had very sore spasms in my shins that afternoon and I haven’t run all week. I decided to rest them and start back at it next week again.

Sunday evening we all met up in Buncrana again for a night out. It was great fun and the entire staff was there (bar one guy away at a birthday party) plus a good few partners. My initial plan was a couple of drinks early on, 0/0 for the rest of the night and sober to drive home by midnight. That plan soon went down the pan and especially when Catriona agreed to come over and join us to drive me home. That turned into my first drunken night out for probably 3 years.

Monday was a Bank Holiday and I spent most of the day recovering from a bad hangover. In the evening we went back to Buncrana to collect my car, took the opportunity for a lovely walk on the beach just as it got dark and a fast food dinner.

That night I couldn’t seem to switch my brain off and was awake until well after 5am. Catriona was up for work before 7 which woke me again so I figure I had less than 2 hours sleep wiping out most of my Tuesday. Thankfully I’d booked the day off work as an extended long weekend. I did manage to summon enough energy in the afternoon to tidy and clean up the garage though which was long overdue.

I had a few errands to do on Wednesday morning and early afternoon but decided I needed to do something constructive with my days off before returning to work on Thursday. I decided to head for Monellan Woods for a walk with Rosie. I also took my new Trangia alcohol stove and made a hot chocolate drink. I sat and enjoyed that as the last of the daylight faded before heading back to the car in the dark and off home again. It was the perfect mindfulness way to finish my few days off.

I also took my camera and made another YouTube video. I was pushed for time as the light was fading quickly and my phone camera doesn’t cope well with low light (very rushed so didn’t think about a light) but I enjoyed making and editing it. The second half is very poor light quality but I recently watched a YouTube video that contained the advice not to strive for perfection, just make and create and if you enjoy the process then that is good enough. If you want to have a watch the link below will take you there.