Wild Camping Donegal | Derryveagh Mountains
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2024
- A 27km hike with 1,400m of ascent through the Derryveagh Mountains in Donegal. Starting with a walk through the awesome Poison Glen and then climbing steeply to the summit of Crockfadda Mountain. Saw a Golden Eagle soaring over the summit being mobbed by ravens. Still some snow on the higher summits in the Derryveaghs and found some on the way to the summit of Slieve Snaght.
Wild camp was at a spot I had visited a couple of years ago on the sandy shore of Lough Agannive where I arrived after dark. I had a clear night with a sky full of stars. An experience money could not buy. Next day visited more summits and more loughs, all under the gaze of Errigal, before following the Glentornan River off the mountains. A superb trip overall though challenging in places.
Outdoor Active Track
www.outdooract...
Summits climbed
Crockfadda (485m) mountainviews....
Drumnalifferney Far NE Top (535m) mountainviews....
Drumnalifferney NE Top (585m) mountainviews....
Drumnalifferney (596m) mountainviews....
Slieve Snaght (678m) mountainviews....
Crockglass (489m) mountainviews....
Crocknafarragh (517m) mountainviews....
My goodness Gerry what an absolute treat, thank you so much. Great to see Donegal again.
Cheers Richard👍 I had the absolute pleasure of a week in Donegal with the family in a wee house beside the sea. I came down a day early to do this hike and wild camp so it was a great start to the week😊
Well done for catching that weather window Gerry! Such a lovely place to spend a night, you struck gold 🤗 Wonderful views of the surrounding mountains throughout! 🎉
Cheers Miriam👍 Still not many of those weather windows about, hopefully they are all collecting to be claimed😊 You know what a beautiful area this is and this trip has confirmed this yet again for me.
Great watch as always, captured perfectly. What a cracking camping trip. That looked a tight pull up about 3 mins 40 seconds in. Who doesn’t love a weather window. Look forward to the next one Gerry 👍.
Cheers👍 It is a tight pull up out of the Glen with no track to follow and on mixed ground, though nothing too difficult. The beach was a very cool place to wild camp and one of those 'dark places' that give superb views of the night sky.
That was one beautiful place to spend the night and by the sounds of it a perfect night for the bivy. I love the new light, very handy. I've only ever seen one eagle in Ireland, a white tailed eagle up in Mayo. It's amazing to see them in the wild. The shots after that shower passed you were absolutely beautiful, really enjoyed the video as always Gerry. I'm also glad that you made it out of that ravine in the end 😄
Cheers Jason👍 I am glad I made it out to - I was worried at one point! I am a bit tight with the old spending so £6 for the light seemed okay😊 I did also spy some sleeping bags which put my 10+ year old Mountain Equipment bag to shame - maybe for next Winter😊 Seeing an Eagle is pretty special and I was literally jumping about with excitement.
Hi Gerry. there was a colorful variety of late evening and early morning skies on offer, it must have been great to experience and capture them. The smattering of snow certainly adds to the landscape, especially with Errigal in the background. You got a lovely beach for your overnight stop, and having it midge free was a bonus 😊. All the best
Cheers Andrew👍 A midge free trip is always a bonus, though time is fast running out🦟 The light was fantastic with some really clear air. I had great conditions for my beach camp - seeing the light of the stars reflected in the waters of the lough was very cool. Definitely my type of beach with no one else on it😊
Brilliant Gerry. Some fabulous views.
Cheers Patrick👍 Always mighty views up around the Poison Glen, though always with a difference due to the weather, light and seasons, so well worth going back👍
Excellent video Gerry...love watching your vids whilst following on outdoor active :) thks M ☘️
Cheers Merky👍 I do find Outdoor Active a great tool for planning and saving potential routes, especially those that take in new ground, though that doesn't always go according to plan on the ground😊
Lovely Gerry 👌 You have the best knack for finding great routes and beautiful camping spots 😊 Loved the waterfall in the ravine but you really did earn that view! 🙈
Cheers Niall👍 That one was in my head for a couple of years and I made a plan to do it this year👍 Walking up through the Poison Glen is always awe inspiring, as is the climb up out and then being able to look back down through the Glen all the way over to Errigal. Camping at the beach was just beautiful in near perfect conditions. It was a good bit of exploring and learning following the river down through the forest, not knowing how it would be, and it all turned out okay😊
Beautiful wee mountains there Gerry. A fine bivvy spot indeed. 👍Lovely sunset light too... Aye your right eh, weather has just been rain rain rain lately
Cheers Kev👍 That part of Donegal has some cool hills and walking and the odd fine bivy spot too😊 Not much sign of the never ending rain settling down yet, fingers are crossed though.
Beautiful locations as always.
Cheers Thomas👍 That has to be one of my favourite areas for hill walking and wild camping - I have been back there often enough😊
Beautiful Ireland! Really enjoyed seeing these mountains in Donegal with you Gerry! Lots of crystal clear water! Your beach spot was great ... sounds amazing to be out with no moon and a sky full of stars. Fun to see how you set up your lamp when you’re in your bivy… I still haven’t tried a bivy… maybe one warm summer evening… lol. Too bad you got into a tangle in the forest, looked very challenging with no established track through there. Thanks for taking the time to film and share your adventure! 🌟🌟🌟 - Jen
Cheers Jennifer👍 It was a beautiful camp on that beach with all the stars shining - well worth the hike in and out😊 The bivy is definitely more comfortable on a warm summer evening, looking forward to those too☀😊 The tangle in the forest was all part of the adventure and I will hold the learning from it.
@@gerrymcveigh There sure were a lot of blown down trees in the forest! Yes, looking forward to warm summer evenings!! ☀️😄
Gerry! What magic is this!? This is art. The views! The views in that light! So so good. I loved this. The walk was so impressive and looked like a great challenge. I also loved the nature notes and am totally jealous of your Eagle sighting. BTW the frogspawn may have already hatched, the stuff up around me on Croob has been hatched for a couple of weeks already. Now, you know what I think about beaches but this was spectacular, what a site to sleep on. Loved the whole thing Gerry. Thank you
Alyn, you are way too kind!! I had very good conditions (even if they wee slightly challenging at times) with some beautiful light and very sharp air giving clear views. As you know there hasn't been much in the way of settled weather and it can be difficult to get a window with all the other things we have going on in our lives, though it is important (I feel) to take the window when possible. It was so cool to have an idea of camping on that beach 2 years ago and to form it into a plan and go for it. It was just about as good as I could have imagined (without waiter service). Seeing the Eagle was awesome and it was enormous! Not sure if the frogspawn was up and away, hopefully so - I only came across the one site on the whole trip.
Hi Gerry, how are you? Thanks for taking us on a journey through the poison glen and the Derryveagh mountains. It is such an amazing place.
Mike, I am good as I hope you are? It is an amazing place and it was a real pleasure to go back and wild camp at that beach that had been itching away at me for the past 2 years😊
Nice one Gerry. Great trip. Hoping to visit the Poison Glen soon for the first time. Place looks unreal.
Cheers👍 It is a place that is awesome when looking deep into it, when walking through it and when viewing it from above. Well worth a visit, as is that whole line of hills from Dooish to Slieve Snaght👍
Great video Gerry. Thank you
Cheers Peter👍 I don't think I have anything other than amazing experiences walking in this area and it is always exciting to return to confirm it yet again😊
Excellent account Gerry. Yeah might do the Poison Glen up to Snaght and back the same way some time soon. Need that vital weather window
Cheers👍 It is a fantastic route up to Slieve Snaght from the Poison Glen, even with the wetness. I didn't meet a single person on my trip on a Friday/Saturday over the Easter weekend which still amazes me - the road at the Errigal carpark was bunged! Always good to have the views and not to be battling the weather to have the best experience of a pretty special place👍
Brilliant video. 👏
Thank you👍 That was a lovely trip with a just about perfect wild camp on the beach up in the mountains.
Amazing vid man! maps too!. Ill have to get out before the midges.
You will have to be quick🦟😊
Fair play Gerry, ya got a good bit of weather. I can remember watching one of your vids when you were at that beach before. The Derryveaghs have been an itch needing scratched for a few weeks now. Maybe I am being a but saft with the weather 🤣
The weather was about as good as I could have got given how unsettled it has been - was pretty windy the second day which is a challenge for recording. That beach has been in my mind ever since that last visit and I was determined to wild camp there this year👍 It was a superb wild camp with still conditions and just me up there under a star filled sky - absolutely priceless in terms of experience. The Derryveaghs are way cool - especially that side with Dooish and Slieve Snaght as they are alot quieter than the business across the road towards Errigal. Hopefully your itch will be satisfied in the not too distant future😊
Brilliant video as always Gerry. An awesome location for a bivvy and the scenery is truely beautiful around here. Must have been amazing to see the eagle and deer. I will bear your advice in mind when I explore here....follow the river up, not down😁. Looked treacherous indeed!
It was difficult going down through the forest along the river and I give it as much as I could before admitting defeat and climbing out of the ravine. I have descended along the northern ridge from Crockglass and along the Sruhannameel River before with no much bother. It was very cool to see the eagle and to get a clear idea of its size when the raven was mobbing it. Usually see deer up there and this trip was no exception. The beach is one in a million for a wild camp and it had been in my head since the last visit so I have done it now😊
@@gerrymcveigh❤
As always, Gerry, great stuff. I've been doing your walks, from my channel (footslogger) 😉
I love your walks, mate.
yea, man, that is a beautiful spot! Is this on your outdooractive routes?
*edit
Just seen the GPX file in your description! Sorry, didn't read it! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers👍 Always good to be in the Derryveaghs and it has been a couple of years since I was up over Slieve Snaght from the Poison Glen. That wee beach is a belter and it was good to get a camp in there before the midges appear🦟
Yep route is there - though obviously avoiding the descent through the forest alongside the Glentornan River which was a nightmare with all the fallen trees. Steep drop off the western side of Slieve Snaght too which requires some care otherwise not too bad😊
nice trip Gerry,
the place yet again looks awesome. some of the ground looks rough enough.
It's not often you seem out of breath, but that ravine was a tough one by the look of it alright.. :)
great to get a break in the weather.... it's been a while
Cheers Eddie👍 It is as rough as Kerry😊 It was a very tough haul up out of the Poison Glen, though not too bad after that. The weather has been unbelievable since last July. I can't remember a period where we haven't had at least a week of settled, calm and sunny weather - but we haven't and it it is long overdue.
Excellent video.
Cheers👍 It is a real privilege to be able to visit these places and very cool to be able to share at least some of it on here😊
Class video as usual 👏
Cheers Joe👍 It was pretty cool to spend 2 days and a night there not meeting another person. Not many places where that can happen these days.
Your own private beach!
Now - how much would you pay for that in some resort island? I think the price I paid in terms of hiking in and out was a bargain😊
Gerry I’ve been watching your vids for ages - truly inspirational. Love the camera work and your obvious respect for nature. I’ve recently bought a Hunka XL and thinking about a small tarp but wonder how to deal with midges as I seem to be particularly attracted to them and regularly get eaten alive on the Dingle Peninsula if I forget my repellent?
Thank you😊 Not sure if I have figured out how to deal with the midges as yet - I have bought a head net though haven't used it yet. I have spent several nights in a bivy trying to keep my face covered and it wasn't a pleasant experience - the tent does come into its own being able to close them out. I do hedge my bets and carry both the tent and bivy on most trips😊
You making me want to run away to Donegal again! ( but can we please call it the Heavenly Glen as this was what it was suppose to be and I am unsure of Poison being associated with the name Glen 🤣)!
I did read that there were a couple of different names. I like 'Heavenly Gate' which is probably more descriptive of the experience walking up through it and then ascending. If I do another video there will be sure to do the name check👍
I keep coming back for the beach holiday ideas, Gerry! Another great adventure in the wilds of Donegal with stunning light formations there on the top. Can I ask, please: what sleeping mat do you use? I have a Hunka XL and am looking for a good 3 season mat to use inside..
Can't beat a good beach camp in the mountains😊 I have an Exped Synmat 7 which has very good insulation for cooler weather and is full length though is a bit bulky and heavy. Might look for something lighter with the same insulation rating if buying now.
Great video. Do you ever take a pair of binoculars or a telescope on your hikes to do some star gazing? Could the lake of trees and wildlife in poison glen be something to do with its name? presumably it got that for a reason.
Cheers👍 My backpack would scream at the thought of having binoculars or a telescope in there😊 It would be perfect though in those dark sky areas where the stars just fill the sky👍 I did check out the name and it does seem to be rooted in mythology. I think the lack of native trees is more to do with fauna such as sheep and deer who will probably prevent new tree growth through grazing, except for isolated spots such as river ravines.
Another brilliant video, Gerry. I’ve stood at the foot of the Poisoned Glen a few times and always thought it would be great for some sort of track. How did you find negotiating your way up?
Cheers👍 There is a track of sorts that heads along the left side of the Glen though it is very wet and it does disappear. I have found that following the river up is actually firmer walking and goes right to the head of the Glen and then turns left and uphill where the river can be left behind for a couple of obvious access points up onto the high hills above the Glen.
I wonder Did the derry lads do that thing at 3.21?
There was a steep wee drop below those rocks at 3.21 and I was holding on pretty tightly😊
Hi Gerry, thanks for the lovely video 😊 just wondering which weather apps you use for the mountains? 🏔️ ⛰️
Cheers👍 I do find that many of the weather apps jump around with their forecast and aren't that reliable, especially for the mountains where the effects of the weather are multiplied. I do like watching the weather forecasts on tv from the met office which give a good steer on the general weather patterns and conditions. For the Mournes I use the UK Met Office which have a specific mountain weather forecast for areas of the UK. Windy is one I would use - again for that general steer which again I know to add on for wind etc when in the mountains.