Night time hike: Enniskerry to Laragh Nov. 24th.

Night time hike/climb November 24^th - Crone woods, near Enniskerry , to Laragh.

The night time hike I undertook, with the rest of the December team, last Saturday was the most physically demanding challenge I have ever endured. It was exhausting, exhilarating, exciting and worthy of a few expletives. However, as moderator of this site I have to refrain from such language.

The plan was to meet in Lynham’s Bar in Laragh around 4:15pm. Anna had arranged a mini bus to take us to a location close to Enniskerry where the hike would commence. Niamh would lead the group across country, in the dark, all the way back to Laragh. The objective was to familiarise us with walking in the dark using head lamps so we could cope with the summit night in Kilimanjaro.

Paula, anticipating a late finish, had the foresight to organise accommodation in Lynhams for anyone who wanted to stay overnight. Heavy rain was forecast and temperatures expected to drop at altitude. We were to dress appropriately.

So, everything was in place for this endurance test. We were ready for whatever the night time hike might involve, or were we?

Before the cold set in



Before the driving sleet and rain

We set off from Lynhams by mini bus and were dropped off close to Crone woods to start the hike. It was raining and noticeably colder than when we left the bar. We started with a gradual ascent into the woods and remained sheltered from the cold winds as we traversed the north east side of the woods. As we turned south west through the woods the climb became more difficult. We paused to regroup, catch our breath and listened briefly to the sound of the Powerscourt Waterfall close by. We emerged from the woods above Powerscourt to commence our ascent on Djouce Mountain.  

Mist, sleet, rain and the dark of night.

Without any shelter we now felt the full force of the deteriorating weather conditions. Rain and sleet, driven by what seemed like gale force winds, struck us incessantly as we crossed bog lands in very poor visibility. The boardwalk underfoot was barely visibly most of the time for those of us wearing eye glasses.

Niamh lead us across Djouce Mountain and White Hill before stopping for a short break in Ballinastoe Woods. Packing up again we set off through the woods and emerged onto the R759 just above Lough Tay. We stayed on the road until we came to Sleamaine where we went off-road again.  We walked through Sleamaine, Slievebuck, Carrigroe, Lake Park and eventually to Oldbridge, close to Lough Dan.

Many of us were exhausted but determined to complete the hike. A road sign informed us we were seven kilometers from Laragh. Niamh said we would go off road again once we climbed a very steep stretch of road. Once off road we started to climb again where we were once again exposed to the very poor weather conditions. We finally reached the shelter of the woods and once through Paddock Hill we started our descent towards Laragh. We left the woods behind and took to the R115 just above Laragh. After a short walk along the road we reached our destination. It was about 1:20am and 7 hours 40 minutes since we started to walk.

A short break before the final stage of our hike

Difficulty restarting after sitting down

Many of the customers in Lynham’s bar were amused to see us arriving back at such a late hour. One couple asked me if we were lost in the mountains.

Some team members left almost immediately while others stayed for some light refreshments. Some of us who were staying in Lynhams took a quick shower and returned for drinks. Me, I only lasted to about 4:30am, others kept going until 5:30.

Thanks to Niamh for getting us through this endurance test.  The route described above is based on GPS information supplied by Lydia and Paula. If I have interpreted this incorrectly please send me details of the changes. The stats from the GPS devices indicate we travelled 25 to 27 Kilometers over a period of 7 hours 40 minutes. The elevation chart shows us reaching 2,100ft at one point from a starting position of 600ft.   

A big thanks to Lydia for the photos. 

Retrace your footsteps on this map.