Night Climb of Knockmealdown

Knockmealdown was the first mountain I climbed. I was 19 years old and in the possession of a brand-new Yamaha 200 motorbike. Now that I had an independent means of travel,I rode up to The Vee from my home in Youghal on a glorious summer's day determined to scale the mountain that was such a significant feature of the northern horizon from that seaside town.

And it was a joyous experience. Standing on the summit, viewing the panoramic vista, instilled a love of mountains that has never left me. I returned to the bike, parched with the thirst, and drove to the nearby Cat's Bar where I had the most refreshing pint of lager I have ever drank. It was my Ice Cold In Alex moment.

I've been back numerous times over the years and each visit feels like renewing acquaintance with an old friend, one that never lets you down, and that leaves you energised after each encounter.

Fifty years on from that first visit I returned once again on 13th November to do a solo night climb. I set off from the The Vee carpark at 4:22 a.m. and ascended the Sugarloaf keeping close to the wall on the way up. The sky was mostly clear and bejeweled with stars. I stopped regularly and turned off my headtorch to take in the spectacle.

The headtorch, incidentally, is a powerful 900 lumens Petzl Swift RL. This was a recent purchase and was the prompt for me to do the night climb - I was curious to see how it would perform. It is astonishingly bright at full power - I was reluctant to aim it at the sky in case I might blind the people on the International Space Station should it happen to be passing overhead. I never needed that much illumination: a lower setting did the job just fine. Highly recommended.

After reaching the summit of Sugarloaf I followed the wall along the ridge until I came to the trig point on Knockmealdown. The south-eastern sky was brightening but sunrise was still an hour and a half away. I spent the interim exulting in the views, taking some photos and video with my phone, GoPro and drone. It was still too dark to expect technically good results from that equipment but I had deliberately left my more capable DSLR gear at home in order to save weight.

As sunrise approached cloud began rolling in and soon the summit was enveloped in fog. I began to retrace my steps, knowing that keeping near to the ridge wall would get me back to my starting point. This meant going via the summit of Sugarloaf whereas normally, in good visibility, I would veer across its flank to avoid ascending it. That additional ascent is relatively minor however and it was safer to do it now that thick fog enveloped the mountain.

At the Sugarloaf summit the wall veers west and down and after 30 minutes or so I was back at my car. Once again, Knockmealdown had afforded me an enormously satisfying experience. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/45/comment/23349/

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simon3 on Knockmealdown

Knockmealdown boasts two interpretations of the Irish origins of its name, either Cnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh Muldowneys' Hill or Cnoc Maol Donn bald brown hill. Leaving aside such literary argument, it is the tallest mountain in Waterford.

Our view from beside the trig pillar is towards the north west. Just left of centre on the skyline is Sugarloaf Hill, while nearer and at the right is the ridge leading to Knockmoylan (768m and unnamed on the OS).

Reputedly, buried at the summit in a place he himself chose is Mr. Henry Eeles, an author, with his dog and gun. We didn’t see any signs of interment on our visit. However, as you can see, there might well be a funeral if anyone ventured over the steep NE facing side of Knockmealdown. There is a drop of over 300m to two tiny lakes at about 480m Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/45/comment/498/

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Another county top!

1st top of a short horseshoe walk on the Knockmealdowns on 14/09/2011. Started at the Glennandaree Bridge from which the going is relatively easy. Some heather needs to be encountered on the lower stretches of the mountain but this gives way as you gain height to rockier ground. The summit is marked by a trig pillar from which the ground to the North falls dramatically so care is needed in low visibility. Superb views encompassing the Knockmealdown Range as well as the Comeraghs, Galtees and solitary Slievenamon. Further away is the South coast and the Celtic Sea. A handy walk to gain the top of Waterford. Continued onto Knockmoylan and then Sugarloaf Hill. Done a write-up of the walk at: http://climbingirelandsmountains.blogspot.com/2011/09/evening-in-knocmealdowns.html Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/45/comment/6541/

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simon3 on Knockmealdown

Robert Lloyd Praeger [The Way That I Went 1969] wasn’t wholly impressed by the Knockmealdowns. He said “.. forms a fine upstanding row of peaks, rising to 2609 feet: but this is merely clever window dressing. There is nothing except this single row of summits – no lakes or corries or deep glens or cliffs; very little bare rock: and so, while they furnish fine walking, the zoologist or botanist will find these hills somewhat monotonous.” We can certainly agree about the walking which gives great views and a succession of relatively unfrequented hills.

This view of Knockmealdown was taken one fine day in February en-route to Knockmoylan. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/45/comment/499/

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David Bell on Knockmealdown

Climbed the Sugarloaf mountain-Knockmoylan-Knockmealdown we took our time 5 hrs in all , beautiful day .
Re Simon3 about grave of Mr Henry Eeles , we found a possible grave on the SE slope of Knockmealdown. A large unmarked slab about 200 metres from the summit.
The mountains offered a challenging walk for a beginner and provided fantastic views south and north. Walk along the ridge to Knockmealdown from Sugarloaf was rugged to start but the boundary wall provides a good walk way to make the journey slightly easier. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/45/comment/550/

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