Wild Camping Donegal | New Summits | Bluestack Mountains
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2023
- A 30 km walk and wild camp in the Bluestack Mountains of South Donegal taking in 5 new summits and 2 previously completed summits.
Parking
Parked at entrance to forest where room for one car at side of road. Parking for several cars a couple of hundred metres into the forest (no gate).
GPX Track
www.outdooractive.com/en/trac...
New Summits Visited
Croaghbrack (401m) mountainviews.ie/summit/826/
Cloghervaddy (402m) mountainviews.ie/summit/820/
Brown's Hill (496m) mountainviews.ie/summit/464/
Croaghnageer NE Top (521m) mountainviews.ie/summit/1473/
Croaghnagranagh (440m) mountainviews.ie/summit/654/
Previously Visited Summits
Croaghnageer East Top (543m) mountainviews.ie/summit/1446/
Croaghnageer (569m) mountainviews.ie/summit/325/
Bird Identification
Merlin App
The light at 23 minutes 😍
Another brilliant video.
Cheers👍 The light was amazing (and almost too bright) at Barnes Lough and I was just at the right time and place for the light to shine up the length of the Barnes River valley west-east☀ 😊
That was an amazing wpot my friend! The sound is therapeutically good. The leaves were so nice. The different trees were so captivating to see and the way you explained every detail of that place or should I say forest is indeed wonderful and great. The rocks were so great also because it has greeny leaves that makes it more realistic. The field were so wide and beautiful. Have a nice day friend!
Thank you👍😊
There is something very relaxing and motivating about your videos Gerry, thanks for sharing.
Cheers Nigel👍 It was a really relaxed trip (I didn't get up until 9am and didn't leave camp until 11am)😊 My relaxed pace meant I got to walk back in the dark which was cool👍
Great trip Gerry! Way to finish up in the dark!! Amazing nature and views. I love seeing the rolling hills and lochs- looks so peaceful. I’m sure that hiking there is reinvigorating and inspiring! The evening looked cold, but those cold nights make for amazing mornings. 😄🌟🌟☀️☀️ Thanks for the beautiful nature! Cheers - Jen
Cheers Jennifer👍 Rolling hills and lochs make for great viewing👍 It was a super trip where I was (mostly) just there and present in the hills which has great benefits for health and wellbeing😊 The warm weather has definitely left us here and the first frosts have been. I am sure those first snows wouldn't be long in coming over there❄ Thank you for watching👍
Very good Gerry, distinct Autumn colours at the start and you captured the lake so well too. Brilliant.
Cheers Patrick👍 Autumn is definitely in the air with the change in colours and temperature and ever diminishing light over the past couple of weeks. The Bluestacks had a distinct autumnal feel and getting that low golden light so early in the evening is one (of the few) bonus points of this time time of year☀
Glad you had the down booties with you Gerry (and the tent!)- can’t believe the frosty temps are back already 😲 So many lovely views enhanced with that gorgeous light. That was an impressive ginger nut stack too 🏆 A really lovely trip!
Miriam, we are definitely into the colder wetter weather after the milder wetter weather of summer😊 It was a lovely wee trip walking over new ground and new summits and of course walking along some cool rivers👍 I had ate pretty much nothing all day so that cup of tea and all the ginger nuts went down well☕😊
Great video as always Gerry. Spectacular views. Loved your take on the stone cairns with the ginger nuts and your excitement at seeing a bird of prey.
Cheers Siobhan👍 There were great views on this trip over the Bluestacks and to other mountains in Donegal and further afield. Ginger nuts and tea are an absolute must on trips like that to keep me going☕😊 I know there are eagles in Donegal though to see one in the forest just as darkness fell and so close overhead had me super excited😊
Hi Gerry. That was a very enjoyable watch. Its looks like a nice mountain range with plenty of water sources. You got good weather for your trip and nice clear visibility. There is a distinct drop in the night time temperatures for sure. Thanks for the link for the bird identification app, I will try that the next time I am out. That light and reflection at lough Barnes was spectacular and hard to leave behind. Thanks for sharing your trip. All the best👍
Cheers Andrew👍 A wee bit more water than Mallorca😊 I love the Bluestacks for their ruggedness and remoteness where you can get away from it all and rarely meet another person. The visibility was excellent and it definitely had an autumnal feel with the colours and the temperature. I have heard others using the Merlin app and actually used it when playing back the video I recorded and it picked out the birds pretty easily👍 Lough Barnes (and the eagle) were 2 highlights of the trip. You definitely don't know what you might see and hear when out in the hills😊
Great Sunday night watch Gerry, just what I needed 👌. There definitely looked a bit of bite in the air and it’s not often we see you in a tent, normally just the bivvy. Some miles clocked up again, brilliant going. Cracking chilled out camp 👍, keep them coming.
Cheers Geoff👍 The tent is usually more in use from this time of year on because of how long I spend in it😊 It was a great circular route through the Bluestacks and great to take in 5 new summits along the way👍 Super relaxing throughout too😊
Thanks for your great sharing, really is beautiful and amazing and i believe there are millions like me who will learn from your great work, stay safe,stay connected
Have a wonderful day and support you
Thank you👍😊
What an amazing spot Gerry. CroaghBrack is a very cool summit. What a stunning location. I really gotta get up there. That was some amount of bedding near the fox den.. or hobbit hole 😂. Stunning lake shit at the end. Unreal man.
Martin, it was a cool wee trip with some beautiful autumnal light☀👍
Fantastic trip Gerry, you looked like you had a ball 👌 I've looked at Croaghbrack and Cloghervaddy before but didn't fancy the suggested MountainViews route from below Brown's Hill. Your approach is a spot I know very well and looks like a much better option. I've also been looking for a reasonably accessible mountain camp spot for a short trip and that looked absolutely perfect. I did a Brown's Hill - Croaghnageer loop last year and that was one of my favourite walks. I've seen Barnes Lough from many angles and at many different times of the day and night but never like that! It was simply stunning 🤩 Thanks for showing me so many great views of my own backyard 😍
Niall, your backyard was definitely looking well on my visit👍 I had thought of starting at Barnesmore Gap and following the track up which would have been way shorter. It was a good starting point though and I enjoyed the walk in and out (in the dark). It was very wet climbing Croaghbrack and I suppose that is just because there has been lots of rain recently. My camp site was through necessity and it worked out okay though a higher spot would have been cool, there is a wee lough near Croaghnageer main summit that might be promising. Barnes Lough was just stunning with little movement and a golden light as the sun dropped - like a mirror. The Bluestacks always pay off👍
Golden Eagle - Amazing - so rare to see in Ireland.
Cheers Ed👍 Couldn't believe it as it flew so close over my head, it probably couldn't believe I was there at that time of the evening either😊 I have seen them once before in the Derryveagh Mountains, again just before darkness. A rare sight indeed though hopefully less so in the future.
that's a fairly spectacular area Gerry, not sure i've seen many videos from the Bluestacks before but this has definitely peaked interest.
When we got that reflection at 0:30 I knew we were in for a good one, some fantastic shots overall...
I did however feel cold watching it when you were on about it.. 🤣
Cheers Eddie👍 It was cool alright. They are a range of mountains that caught my imagination many years ago when they seemed impossibly remote and rugged - not so much now, though still great walking and wild camping with little opportunity to meet others on a long hike👍
Loved that Gerry. Tough walk on some hard ground in places in there - and you sick too.
Cheers Adrian👍 Ground I am sure you know well. I was definitely under the weather and I think that was why I felt the cold. I felt great walking (though there wasn't a massive amount of climbing) and it was the right decision to get out exploring👍
Spectacular Gerry
Richard, that pretty much sums up this trip😊 It was really cool to explore new ground in the Bluestacks and my eye had been on some of these summits for quite a few years so it was great to visit them👍
Beautiful autumn vibes and colors. Yes the wind chill can impacted hugely cuppa tea definitely right approach😊. Ya this actually true even its natural but leaving stuff close to water source could contaminate it valid point makes sense. That is way its recommended to walk a stream further up to see if a death animal is in the area to see if the water is contaminated/drinkable. Thank you for sharing Gerry 🧡
Cheers👍 This trip definitely had an autumnal feel and it was great to pretty much have the area to myself for the duration😊 Always good to think about our impact when out walking I think👍
@@gerrymcveigh absolutely 💯 everyday is a school day 🧡🙂
Another great video Gerry, thanks.
Cheers Kenny👍 Always good to travel to Donegal and the Bluestacks in particular👍
Gerry you've got guts I admire you thanks for sharing I've never been up there though I've been all round northern Ireland and southern Ireland my great grandparents are from co wexford all the best 👍
Cheers Paul👍 The Bluestacks are perhaps my favourite mountains in all of Donegal (and there are some very cool mountains in Donegal)😊
@@gerrymcveigh yes I know I love it round there
It is such a great and beautiful work.
I enjoyed it so much and thank you for sharing it with us.
Happiness and health to you ~ Lolo ~🙋♀🕊
Thank you😊 Happiness and health to you too🙏
Very beautiful nature
It is a beautifully rugged and remote place to spend some time at a slower pace than the rest of life👍
Gerry, you should go an buy yourself a box of them hand warmers, the wee ones that are air activated! Cheap and you get a box of them. I just use them in my pocket, under my hat and inside my gloves! They last hours and really heat things up. Very cheap way to heat things up.
Another wee tip, use a Nalgene collapsible water bottle for toilet duties in the night. Save you having to get out in the cold. You can just empty it the next day. Dunno what the women can use haha😂
Wow, beautiful views. Great share
Thank you👍 I was lucky to be able to spend some time there😊
One of your best hike through the mountains there gerry. This one had bags of atmosphere for some reason although you said it wasn't the best camp. I thin kit was your cross country route after the cold camp - up through the stream. I know what they're like - I imagine there was no path but plenty of Elephant grass. Wow, that loch was simply divine. I would have stayed a while too. No doubt the farmer stands amid them in meditation also. Now that's far out - an Eagle. Yes, this was a good one. Hope you din't make yourself more ill. Well, good going. All the best over there. Mark
Cheers Mark👍 It wasn't great going in places though that is where going off the beaten track gets you and it is all worth it at the end of the day👍 The light at the loch actually looked artificial it was that still, bright and golden though it was just being there at the right time for the lowering sun ☀ to shine right along the river valley😊 Definitely a place to contemplate the beauty of what is. I think the trip was like a dose of natural tonic, lots of nasty colds and flu going around at the minute over here. Seeing the eagle silhouetted against the last of the light as it flew overhead was again pretty surreal😊
@@gerrymcveigh Now we don't see that sometimes the tough walking but it as I saw it did take you to great places. Ah, sometimes the outdoors gerry is an altered state of existence bro - we don't need drugs. Hope you're recovered from the flu. Re-the eagle that's another natural boost - awesome. Have a good week ahead gerry. Peace.
Fantastic scenery with views most of us would probably never see otherwise, another great video miss the music of your earlier videos though 😊
Cheers John, a beautiful place👍 The music was useful in hiding the noise of the wind which is still something I have to work on with better protected mics. I have also used it a few times recently with longer time lapse shots. It was also a hassle at times trying to get music that had no copyright as I had some videos blocked. I have also become more comfortable in allowing the noise that I am hearing when out walking and camping just to be heard on film.
@@gerrymcveigh I'm sure there is a lot of production work that we just take for granted, thanks for all the effort you put in, it is appreciated.
Looked a cold one Gerry. That will be why you took your tent instead o a bivvy 😉 A Fine set of hills them. Look a wee bit like the hills in Dumfries n Galloway. I've been camping next to water sources for years. Okay as long as your no washing yurself in Lynx shower gel. 🤭
Kev, I am pretty careful when camping (though if being totally honest have left a few things in the hills over the years by accident) though I think it is good to be challenged to think a wee bit more. I will probably still camp close to water sources though might also think more about creating some distance. Definitely cooler here and way cooler in Scotland with the first proper snows❄❄ I never wash when wild camping😊
It's a good therapy for many folks Gerry.
The best laid plans of..........no 6 o clock start!
I think that you are doing a grand job with 'leave no trace'. You can become paranoid about this. The only wat to completely ensure leave no trace is to not go there at all, which would be silly. Are the folk who push for leave absolutely no trace of the hill going the same at home I wonder, or in their daily lives?
Fabulous views every time.
I've never seen a golden eagle in the wild. Wow!
Take care.
Best wishes from the Belfast Castlereagh hills.
Tom, it is perhaps the best free therapy there is👍 I agree that It could be easy to overthink, though it is good to have it at the forefront of my mind when out there to ensure I am doing my best👍 It was just amazing to see that enormous bird of prey glide along the forest track at tree height checking me out before veering off into the forest. I was like a wee child giddy with excitement😊 You take care too up in them there hills👍
You were privileged Gerry!
awesome, well done 👍💥💯
Thank you👍
Nice video Gerry 👍
Cheers👍 It was a cool wee trip😊
Love that cold remote look to the place! Btw you should do a video on the gear you have. It seems like you've got a really great set up that fits down to a tee.
That is a good way to describe it (though maybe with wet added in too😊). I did a run through of what I bring in my rucsac last year: ua-cam.com/video/sYv7c5yRRPc/v-deo.html and I think I have it pretty much pared down to just what I need (after lots of practice!).
@@gerrymcveigh Great stuff, I'm really impressed with how compact your kit is, just staring out it's good to see how it's done by someone very experienced camping out.
No luxuries for me, except the ginger nuts😊
Another great video 👍 but I'm probably not the first to say you could do with some wind protection on your mic ?
Barry, wind is the constant enemy when filming. I have stick on dead cats for the gopro mics though the wind can get in around these with wear and tear. Am aware the sound could be much better and wind is pretty much a constant here.
There are long-eared owls in the area. If it was dark, it’s most likely an owl. 🦉
Paddy, cool to hear there are long eared owls in those woods. There was lots of birdsong and I used the Merlin app for the first time to do some identifying from the video. It was definitely an eagle though😊 it was clearly silhouetted against the remaining light in the sky as it passed overhead.
Yes I have seen eagles in the Bluestacks area too. I have also seen an owl. I found the best birdwatching technique for birds of prey is to sit on a hillside in the summer and just watch the entire area with binoculars over an extended period of time. I did that once on a summer day many years ago.@@gerrymcveigh
Beautiful country! Isn't it a little cold at this time of the year?
It is a beautiful country and it is cool, though not too cold just yet❄😊
Maybe a USB-powered heated gilet next time!
I definitely think being under the weather had me feeling more cold than usual - it was cool though not that cold. Usually in the tent in the sleeping bag and with the down booties my feet are toasty though it took the down jacket as well for comfort.
I am sure you know that feeling of isolation in the dark mountains, the fear and discomfort if something is not right... like too cold or too wet but it's dark and where are you going to go at 2am? I once got a scare in the Bluestacks in a sudden winter blizzard with darkness approaching and Itook a wrong turn to get off the mountain leading to a steep bank and a few minutes of panic... thankfully I fired up my Garmin navigator and got sorted OK but it was a good warning for me.@@gerrymcveigh
Some great pictures there Gerry, especially those little close-ups. Interested to hear your musings on “leave no trace”. It seems your thinking of our “personal” waste. My own view is Humans have lived on the land and lived off it for thousands of years. We share it with animals whose trace, like ours, is a part of the ecosystem. I’m old enough to remember dry toilets, now back in fashion, (who’d have thought it?) As creatures of the land we are not alien to it. Everything that has ever lived on planet earth has left trace and ultimately left its body and the land has taken it back. When I’m out I keep my waste at a distance from running water and make sure it’s buried so nature can deal with it efficiently the way nature has always dealt with it.
great video and trip, what sort of tent have you got there?
Cheers👍 It is a really old Terra Nova Laser Competition, still does the job and is super light in the backpack👍
@@gerrymcveigh many thanks, it looks just the job, I've got a coffin tent but for winter more headroom would be better for the long nights, and something that goes up quickly which is light. Love the videos, very inspiring 👍
come to support, thank you for sharing interesting videos, I like your content, keep up the good work, always success for all of us
Thank you👍😊
Browns Hill is fierce with Midge in the summer months. 🪰
I would extend that warning to the whole of the Bluestacks😊 October sounds like the ideal time to go👍