Happy New Year Everyone. I hope everyone had a happy Xmas and wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2026.
At the end of 2024 I didn’t set any goals for the year ahead but ended up hitting a good many milestones regardless, almost 5000km cycling for the year, starting the Audax RRTY 100 challenge, completing the Festive 500 and ticking off a good few summits on my various Mountain lists. We had a great family holiday in Spain at the end of August and Catriona and myself had a really enjoyable long-weekend visit to the Xmas markets in Budapest at the start of December.
For 2026 I’m not setting any massive goals either but there are things I’d like to do this year. I definitely want to keep up the progress I’ve made cycling this year. I want to finish the RRTY 100 but I’m also determined to get back to full Audax long-distance cycling. In 2016 I completed the Audax Ireland Four Provinces Challenge and I’d like to do that again 10 years later for 2026.
I’ve identified four events I’d like to do for the Challenge. The first of these is on Saturday March 21st so that gives me 11 weeks to train for it.
All four events have been chosen to hit the four Provinces but also to find events with as little climbing as possible. The first goal is to get fit enough for March and then I’ll see how the rest go.
I want to keep ticking off my mountain lists but this year I’d like to get a better mix of solo hiking as well as walking with the Club. In 2024 I only managed two solo hikes in Ireland plus one on holiday in Spain.
I did no camping in 2025 at all, partly due to the lack of solo hiking and an increase in cycling. However, a big part of that is nervousness about solo camping. I have all the gear so no excuses. I’m not setting any big goals here either but I want to get one camp done by Easter and then set a new goal after that.
I think the main thing is to have a number of plans to keep me focused for the year and to give me something to work towards. It’s also important not to set overwhelming and unrealistic goals that only end up demotivating. Anyway, here’s to a great 2026.
I had signed up to do a walk today with the Club but only two of us and the organiser were going so it was cancelled last night. I guess it’s too close to Xmas for most people but it will be run again in 2026.
The weather was looking good and I had myself geared up for the hills so I decided to go myself instead. First time walking solo since January!
With limited daylight I wanted something relatively easy and not too long so after a trawl through my saved routes I found one that fit the bill in the Bluestack Mountains taking in two summits I haven’t been on before and at 10.5km manageable in about 4 hours.
The first section is along access tracks for the windfarm that sits on the lower slopes between Silver Hill and Carnaween. It’s simple walking but steeper than I expected as it rises steeply from 200m along the Eany Beg Water to the Anarget Reservoir at just under 400m in just under 3km.
It was on this very first section that I realised I had made a bad assumption about sheep. I figured there wouldn’t be many about the hills this late in the year but I was wrong. Especially wrong here as it looks like the windfarm company have leased the land from a local sheep farmer! Also with the land sitting in a valley it’s very sheltered and a perfect location to over-winter a flock.
Cooper and sheep in a staring contest
This was Cooper’s first experience of sheep “in the wild” and he really struggled to cope. He’s hardwired to chase when something runs so it became a constant challenge to keep him under control. Thankfully I’d decided to bring my 10m long lead that allowed him to explore but also gave me the ability to restrain his exuberance!
The steep track, heavy boots that are better on hill than road and the constant stress of keeping Cooper under control meant I was glad to reach the reservoir and the main hill.
A bit OTT but the track/water interface is quite sudden!
The reservoir appears to be a small lough that has been dammed at one end to create both a larger lough and a controllable stream that has a small hydro plant close to where we started. From the map I wasn’t sure how to cross the outflow end but there’s a large concrete wall that acts like a ford. I’m not sure how deep this gets but it was only a few inches deep today and easily crossed.
Cooper’s talents include the ability to walk on water
Across the lough and it was straight into open hillside. I should know better by now but I had expected better ground than what was in front of me. The Bluestacks are renowned for heavy, wet and boggy terrain but above a certain height it tends to be drier and rockier making for really nice walking. Today I had about 100m to go to get onto the good ground and in between it was some of the most difficult I’ve crossed. A constant mix of peat hags, boggy sections and cut by small steep ravines that knocked my legs for six! I was still hyper alert for wandering sheep so I’d kept Cooper on the long lead and it was a constant challenge to keep it from getting tangled in my legs and from getting caught on rocks and clumps. He had his own ideas about the best way to navigate this terrain and at 10 times the speed I was moving!
Once I made it to the drier ground it was pretty clear that I was going to need more daylight than I expected to get the full route completed. The day was quite dull with patchy low cloud rolling across from about 500m and above. Combined with my slow pace I made the decision to skip Carnaween for today and just focus on Silver Hill and getting home safe.
Looking back at Carnaween hiding in the clouds
The downside of hitting the drier ground is that it’s also steeper! Legs that were tired from the boggy bits were now complaining about the power being demanded to scramble up the rocky slope 🥵
Silver Hill is a really nice mix of rocky outcrops on this side. It was a challenge to pick the best route through but it made for interesting walking and very atmospheric as wispy clouds were blowing in and out.
After the inevitable false summit at 550m 🙈 I got sight of the summit with a distinctive rocky cairn built on a small crag. A very regular shaped rock has been inserted into the cairn. Covered in moss, it has obviously been there for many years but gave a strong impression that it was a man made mini trig.
Cooper’s first summit. He wasn’t as impressed as I was! Very picturesque views all around with intermittent cloud cover.
Rather than head back the way I came I decided to drop off the summit staying above the route in and heading for the highest of the windmills. This brought me roughly parallel to the planned route across to Carnaween but at a lower elevation and with an easy finish back along the windfarm tracks.
Despite improving visibility I was happy with my decision to do the shorter walk as I was once again in the same kind of ground I’d experienced just above the reservoir. Descending though was a bit easier than climbing up through it.
Descending the first section off the summit with Cooper was a challenge for the two of us. Still on the long lead Cooper was bombing on ahead in full 4×4 mode. He was happily picking his own route that usually didn’t suit me and once again at 10 times the speed I was moving. I had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t go over too steep a drop, hit the limit of the lead and jerk me off my feet. Poles were once again, unmanageable due to the lead so I was already feeling less stable than normal and was very wary of taking a tumble on slippery, steep terrain.
Pausing on the descent to admire the brightening sky
Finally reaching the windfarm again the afternoon decided to brighten up. The clouds had mostly blown away and the sun came out to give me fantastic views of Carnaween and its craggy summit. Despite this I was happy with my shorter walk and I’m looking forward to reaching Carnaween’s summit via a different approach, hopefully in the Spring.
Carnaween in the sunshine Fabulous, clear views down the Eany Beg Valley Glacial erratic with a turf top. How many years did that take to develop!
Running the final sheep gauntlet with a tired and therefore, better behaved Cooper, I was back at the car just under 3hrs after starting. I finally took the chance to have lunch and sat in pleasantly warm sunshine. You wouldn’t think it’s Xmas in 4 days!
⛰️ Silver Hill, Bluestack Mountains, Co. Donegal. 600m which qualifies it as an Arderin and also the smallest of the Vandeleur-Lynams, just sneaking over the line. Also on my Local 100 and 50 Highest in Ulster lists.
Silver Hill is definitely a summit I’d like to go back and revisit in a different season. Gerry McVeigh has a video of a wild camp on the summit as part of a longer two day hike in May this year. It’s a bit adventurous for me but I think the loop taking in Lavagh Beg and Lavagh More from Silver Hill would be manageable.
I was going to start this blog update by saying I’ve neglected it quite a bit this year but to be honest I’ve found myself stepping away from all forms of social media and at the risk of sounding very pretentious, all forms of creativity. I’ve thought about blogging and YouTube quite a bit but the drive to put something in words or on film just hasn’t been there. I’ve also been less inclined to take and post photos this year which is a big change for me. The majority of photos that I have taken have stayed on my phone only.
Last year that would have worried me as over the last couple of years I’d been struggling mentally to get the motivation to get anything done. A large part of that was that I was desperately unhappy at work and that was affecting me mentally and bleeding into my daily life. The main symptom was an increasing lethargy and lack of drive to do anything.
Having changed jobs back in August last year I’ve now had a significant turnaround. 3 years of negativity will take some work to reverse completely but I’m definitely feeling much better than I did this time last year. I’m putting the lack of social media interaction down to the fact that I’m too busy enjoying the moment to be able to document it or even feel the need to.
Cycling
One of the very first changes was a renewed interest in cycling. I hadn’t turned a pedal in over 12 months when I started back briefly in April 2024 with a spurt of 5 short rides over a 3 week period.
Self motivation was desperately lacking though and I stopped again until September following a good start to my new job. I had a few solo short spins again before reconnecting with the Club and joining the Saturday morning Stabiliser Group in mid-October for my first Club spin since February 2023!
Very quickly this became a regular Saturday fixture and I was hitting the 50km marker by the end of October having originally thought that it would be a good aim for the end of the year!
This year, despite a week here and there off the bike, I’ve made cycling a regular activity again and I’m enjoying it too. I’ve increased my distance to completing at least 100km most weeks and hitting the 100km marker at the really enjoyable Donegal Bay Sportive at Easter when a big group from the Club did various routes with many of the Stabiliser beginners completing 50km for the first time also.
For the May Bank Holiday there was an organised group spin from Ballybofey to Buncrana with the option to join depending on the distance you wanted to cycle. I joined in Raphoe for just shy of 90km.
The Club then rounded off the Summer with a fun day on Saturday last week. We bussed to Errigal and did a summit walk followed by dinner and drinks in Lettermacaward before returning to Ballybofey and more drinks before heading home at a very late (for me!) 1am. A great day of fun and laughter and a good physical challenge that was highly enjoyable.
In the last couple of years I’ve struggled to gel with the Club. It’s been mostly my own fault, being in a bad mindset and finding it difficult to connect with the other members, despite knowing some of them for a few years. Thankfully this year has been very different.
I’m not setting any massive records for the year but so far I’ve managed to clock up 2,650km for the year. It’s not a huge amount but considering 4-4,500km is average for me, that my biggest year was 8,000km and the combined total of 2022,2023 and 2024 was slightly over 2,400km I’m doing pretty well for 2025!
On Sunday the Club is running a Sportive again. There are two routes, 62km and 135km, and I’m planning for the longer route. I’ve been doing steady mileage over the last few weeks including two longer rides of 90km and 110km. I’m feeling in a good place for 135km but I’m currently in Spain for a very lazy family holiday and not sure how that will affect my fitness. We’re back home on Friday so I’ll take a short leg loosening spin on Saturday to see if that helps.
Increasing my distance like this and the subsequent increased fitness, has brought back a hunger for Audax. I’ve stayed in all the Audax Ireland WhatsApp groups so I haven’t really lost touch but it’s taken until now to really consider the daunting 200km distance once again.
The RRTY challenge (1 x 200km Audax event per month for 12 consecutive months) has had a new version launched for 2025 called RRTY 100. Basically it’s an introductory challenge for those looking to get into full-on Audax and consists of 1 x 100km Audax event per month for 12 months. I’m thinking of using that as a pathway back to Audax similar to how I used the Club Stabiliser Group to get me back cycling regularly. I’m not setting any great targets for next year but seeing as 2015 was my first ever Audax I’d quite like to get one done before the end of the year and I’m seriously considering giving the Four Provinces Challenge (see the link above) a go in 2026 as I did it previously in 2016.
To get the RRTY 100 completed I’m going to have to get at least one route published for Donegal. The nearest is currently in Sligo and the only one I’m currently aware of in development is a massive 1600m of climbing in 106km!
Hillwalking & Camping
My last solo hillwalk was in The Sperrins at Banagher Glen in the last of the Winter snow on 11th January. I’d earmarked that route for a period of snow and just managed to time it right although I did have a mild panic at the car park, deep in the Glen, when I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get the car back back out in the compacted snow!
I haven’t given up on hillwalking though as I’ve been active with the Bluestack Ramblers Walking Club this year, completing 8 group walks from January to June with 3 in June alone. There were some great walks in there with Knockalla and the Aghlas definitely being my favourites.
I didn’t get out at all during July or August as the walks weren’t as interesting and I was busy with jobs around the house and cycling. As my cycling mileage increased my free time for hillwalking decreased and, if I’m being honest, I struggled to get enough fitness for cycling and hillwalking in the same weekend! However, I have two of interest in September that I’d like to do. They’re on the 7th and 14th which will hopefully allow me a chance to get an Audax 100 completed later in September to get the RRTY 100 started.
Another victim of cycling and the lack of solo hiking has been camping. Despite buying two new tents in the last 12 months my last wild camp was in April 2024 ! I simply haven’t had the time to give up two days for an overnighter and have had too many other things I wanted to do instead. I would like to get out and do something in the Bluestacks before the end of the year though, preferably in September or October. If nothing else I need to try out my new 2 person tent I bought specifically for Spring and Autumn camping! It was my Xmas present last year but I haven’t even managed to get it out of the box for a test pitch…
Of all my social media posting it’s YouTube that has taken the biggest hit this year. My last video release was in November last year. I did record my hike in Banagher Glen that I mentioned above, but somehow haven’t had the time or drive to get it edited and published. I’ve given it a go a couple of times and have it about 50% done so I probably will finish it eventually. However, I wasn’t really in a filming mood that day and it’s a bit disjointed. It could be a feeling that it’s not that great that’s as much to blame as lack of time for not getting it finished. I do enjoy filming and editing for YouTube though so I do see myself getting back to it, possibly with a return to solo hiking and camping but I’d like to start adding some cycling content also. That will involve some solo cycling as I don’t like to film with groups so might kick in if I start into Audax preparation…
More to come…
This is already too long so I’ll add the rest in the next couple of days.
Yet another absolutely stunning walk on Donegal’s North Coast with the Bluestack Ramblers. This time on Horn Head with amazing cliff views seen from multiple angles and a trip out to the tip of the horns before heading inland to the “helicopter landing pad” (Duncap Isle) and a stiff climb back up to the highest point of Croaghnamaddy (252m) ⛰️👣
9.5km and an accumulated elevation of 734m with all the ups and downs typical of a coastal walk
What a day! A hard earned 11km climbing Dooish (651m) via Maumlack (480m) and returning via Dooish SW Top/Edenadooish (528m). We had every weather today with heavy rain showers and hail that turned to snow leaving Maumlack. Lots of sunshine between the occasional shower before more heavy rain and hail to finish.
Heavy snow leaving MaumlackLooking ahead to snow capped Dooish Errigal and Mackoght from Dooish Summit Errigal and Mackoght on the left, Aghla More on the right. From Dooish Summit. A cross in the Dooish Summit Cairn
Dooish is an Arderin and Dooish SW Top is an Arderin Beg. I’ve climbed both before but not from this side and Maumlack was a new summit for me.
Brilliant walk up on the Knockalla ridge in North Donegal. Brilliant day and one of the most enjoyable hillwalks I’ve had for a while. Great views in all directions out over Mulroy Bay, Lough Swilly and along the coast to Horn Head, Fanad and even North East to Malin Head.
A place I’ll definitely be returning to and having identified a couple of possible camping spots I might even get up here with a tent.
I forgot to start my watch until I was almost 2hrs in so I’ve no real idea of the distance.
Edited 03.03.25 22:45
One of the other group members was tracking the walk and shared his gpx file with me. Turned out to be 9.7km with lots of up and down 🙂
A trip to visit the two summits on Slieve Gallion in September. A repeat of a walk from 15 years ago but this time visiting both tops.
Starting from the car park at Inishcarn Forest I followed the track through the deciduous woods, back into the conifers and eventually out on to the open mountain. Two tops with a trig pillar on the main Slieve Gallion summit before following tracks and lanes back to the car park.
Starting my new job at the end of August came with an unexpected seven days of annual leave to use before the end of the year. Four of these are required for my first Xmas off since 2012 leaving three to be used elsewhere. I used one to make the Halloween Bank Holiday into a four-day weekend and used the other two this weekend to do the same.
My Friday off coincided with a friend Gary’s suggestion to attend a Mountaineering Ireland event in Dublin on Thursday evening to hear Demort Somers speak before being presented with the annual Lynam Award for his contribution to Irish Mountaineering. Dermot was part of the 1993 expedition which saw the first Irish person reach the summit of Everest. Although he spoke only a little about Everest he was very entertaining. I’m not a climber in any sense but it coincided nicely with a podcast I’ve been listening to in the last few weeks.
Gary and myself were very kindly hosted for the night by Miriam, another friend. She attended the event with us and our plan was to go for a day hike in the Wicklow Mountains on Friday. However, a low cloud forecast required a change of plans and we headed for the Dublin Mountains instead and visited a place I’ve been interested in visiting for a long time
Montpelier Hill (Irish: Cnoc Montpelier) is a 383-metre hill in County Dublin, Ireland.It is topped by the Hell Fire Club, the popular name given to the ruined building. This building – an occasional summer residence built in around 1725 by William Conolly – was originally called Mount Pelier and since its construction the hill has also gone by the same name.
Members of the Irish Hell Fire Club, which was active in the years 1735 to 1741, used Mount Pelier summer residence as a meeting place. Stories of wild behaviour and debauchery and occult practices and demonic manifestations have become part of the local lore over the years.
All of this was fuelled by possibly the best ever breakfast I’ve had, supplied by the East Village Coffee Shop in Clondalkin.
Close by the building at the summit there was a trig pillar which I dutifully tapped. Sadly it has been vandalised over the years with all the metalwork removed but the concrete pillar is still in decent shape.
Gary was a geocacher at one time and between the two of us we made a short diversion to grab a nearby cache that was close to the path, making for a trilogy of lists that got ticked off in one short visit.
Following a short diversion into a very picturesque Massey Estate we headed for Timbertrove which according to Miriam, has the best scones in Ireland. They are certainly among the biggest I’ve ever seen anyway!
One thing for sure, I didn’t go hungry on my mini trip to Dublin!
Thursday Evening Street Pizza
Saturday morning saw me joining the Club Stabiliser Group for the weekly ride. That’s six weeks out with this group now which is becoming a really good and very enjoyable routine again. Also my 5th ride over 50km which I didn’t expect to be coming close to this soon after starting cycling again at the beginning of September.
Coffee Stop
Sunday afternoon it was my turn to look after my Great Aunt Ruby while Mum and Dad had a few hours to themselves. I’ve spoken here about Ruby before but she is now the oldest living person in Ireland and it’s an honour to be able to spend time with her like this. Unsurprisingly, she is not the same lady at the end of the year that she was at the beginning but she still has moments to make me laugh.
NYE 2023
Today I had planned to cycle in the morning but Winter has come rushing in late but with a wicked bite. Temperatures hovering just above freezing created a fog thick enough to make it unsafe that didn’t lift until well after noon. By that stage I was too lazy, was settled in with the heating on and a really good book (The Reckoningby Jane Casey) with a few episodes of Justified to break up the day.
There’s something in me that tends to see days like today as a waste but I managed to ease the “guilt” with a bit of housework in the afternoon. Going back to work tomorrow I may appreciate the rest better in the morning.
Four days definitely is a good long weekend but it has felt a good bit longer in a positive way.
Back in August I went for a hike under and over Binevenagh, the most Northerly summit of the Sperrin Mountains. I managed to lose my way in the trees, follow a track that didn’t go where I expected, logged a geocache and tapped a trig. It was a mixed up day that I mostly enjoyed and the video is now live on YouTube 👣⛰️🎥
niall harran 