[RWD version 1 ]
This is my track from day 1 of a 2 day trip. Please see track 4381 for day 2.
I camped overnight beside Lough Coomavaranniha below Cnoc Breasail.
Others have written about how rough and wild the terrain is in this area and I can only agree! Starting from the valley north of Sneem, I followed the vehicle track that rises almost to the summit of Knocknagantee and the view from it's Western ridge is stunning:
Knockmoyle from Knocknagantee West Ridge.
I think this area lends itself well to backpacking because carrying the extra weight means travelling slowly which helps with the rough terrain and with being able to stop regularly to admire the views:
Slievenashaska from the slopes of Cnoc Breasail.
Sunday morning at 7.00 and I was up and making breakfast and 'on the road' for 8am. Climbing up out of the valley was a bit tricky, and having read about others having some difficulty in descending to the western side of Lough Coom'anniha, I decided to try an ascent from the eastern side, which went well apart from one or two short, steep rock steps.
Lough Coomavaranniha below Cnoc Breasail.
The walk is approx 25.5kms in total (by my Viewranger app) with 1127m ascent and a walking time of just under 10 hours.
I found the going very tough and hugely enjoyable and would encourage anyone who hasn't been in these mountains yet, to give it a go. Keep it for clear weather though, both for easier navigation and for the views. Regarding navigation, every 10m or so, involves decision making, especially on the descents as its difficult to find a clear and direct route down.