[RWD version 1 ] Knocknagorraveela, at 507m, is an easily attainable Arderin, located at the northern end of the Cahas about 7 kms from Kenmare. It commands superior views in all directions, including Kenmare Creek, and the surrounding valleys and lakes. It is included in the Circuits of Inchiquin recorded in Tracks 2602 and 2795 which look really exciting. I would also love to include it in an extended circuit of the Baurearagh River Valley by expanding DenisMc's Track 2541. All these routes include other AAs but break up better routes from a summiteering point of view! Let me explain. It really all depends where you start your series of summiteering routes in a region. Once you have done a few you're left with some jig-saw pieces that have be to solved. I eventually took the view that Knocknagorraveela was an outlier given my climbing history and should be tackled as a short "out and back". But those unburdened by summiteering goals can happily walk wherever they wish!! Enough nerdy analysis: let us examine the mountain.
Parking
I had the pleasure of getting a Pass Out on a Friday night with a Cinderella time limit that I must be home by 4pm on Saturday or my cojones would disappear... The true purpose of my trip was to retrieve my forgotten bicycle from under Sugarloaf Mountain (Cahas) a fact unknown to the family but I was determined to chalk up at least one AA as part of the plot. I took the fantastic Glengarriff/Kenmare N71, turning off left to follow narrow leafy boreens to arrive at my parking space beneath Knocknagorraveela circa 2am. Total silence. Total isolation. I jumped into the back of the seatless Ham and slept until 5.30am. Waking up in this mountain pass was magic. Firstly, I had not been murdered during the dark hours. Secondly, there were mountains everywhere, of deepest green and sheep for platonic companionship.
Getting up There
Knocknagorraveela is quite flat once you get over the steep ascent at the outset. So the real work of the day takes place almost immediately and the rest is a dawdle. Since you are starting at circa 230m there's not a whole lot to worry about! From the parking space one views a steep river valley bounded by long spurs - just large steps of rock outcrops. I took the spur on my left (south) to go up, and to vary things, I took the other one on the way down. Now I am sure that many of you might prefer to go up the middle , by the river, but I couldn't resist the little challenges posed by the rock steps and I had great views into Baurearagh Valley on the way. The only serious obstacle I faced was a thick decrepit forest as I reached the head of the valley. I made the mistake of trying to go through it, only to be forced back. So if you are following my route "up" please contour round the the forest on its eastern side!
Low cloud
Once I was up on the rim, the walking became very easy and it was little or no challenge to reach KGV East. From there to the main Top was but a short hop. Because I was walking "blind" I made some easily corrected navigational errors. Let me say once again: the greatest aid to navigation is visability. Far less stupidity occurs when you can see what's in front of you! I am saddened at having missed some of the country's finest scenery because of the cloud but so be it. The fact that I saw nothing on the "plateau" simply heightened my sense of delight as I came through the clouds on the way down to see the happy little valley I had left a couple of hours earlier, and Kenmare Creek to the north.
Getting down I came down the valley's northern spur towards the mountain pass and my waiting Ham. Boy o boy, this was the pure drop! What feels like a narrow plunging ridge is in fact a series of superb viewing platforms. I do hope you'll experience it on a bright day, but even with low cloud it was electric.Let me say for the benefit of the mentally infirm and their lawyers, walking on steep ground is inherently dangerous, and should not be attempted without the prior construction of a supervised elevator or ski lift.
The Valley of Adventure Number of persons met en route: zero