MacGillycuddy’s
Reeks, Co Kerry, Eire – Maxi-METHS meet – 15th – 19th September 2026
Dates: Pitch up Tuesday 15th September, depart
Saturday 19th September, i.e. 4 nights
Location: MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, County Kerry, Eire
MacGillycuddy's Reeks
(Irish: Na Cruacha Dubha, meaning 'the black stacks') is a sandstone and
siltstone mountain range in the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.
Stretching 19 kilometres (12 miles), from the Gap of Dunloe in the east, to
Glencar in the west, the Reeks is Ireland's highest mountain range, and
includes most of the highest peaks and sharpest ridges in Ireland, and the only
peaks on the island over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) in height. (Wikipedia)
Accommodation:
Kathleen’s Country House,
Tralee Road,
KILLARNEY, Co. Kerry, V93
X642, Ireland.
+353 64 663
2810/2340
Email: info@kathleens.ie
Website: www.kathleens.ie
Prices:
Bed & breakfast EUR 700,- per double room for 4
nights for twin-bed or double-bed room
Access:
Extracted from Kathleen’s Country House website Contact | Kathleens :
From
Shannon Airport, Kerry Airport, or Galway:
Kathleens is situated on a very elevated site 1 mile prior to Killarney
Town Centre on the right hand side, very visible. Our driveway to House is
accessed through the slip road off N22.
From the
Cork side: When approaching the 1st roundabout on the outskirts of Killarney,
bypass Killarney Town Centre and stay on N22, direction north towards Airport or
Tralee, for 1 mile until Cleeny roundabout. At Cleeny stay on N22 taking 3rd
exit. We are exactly 1 mile from this roundabout around a bend on left hand
side, direction north towards Tralee or Airport.
GPS
Coordinates are Lat: 52.0812414 Long: -9.5159554
Killarney
is easily accessible by road, rail and international airport:
o Dublin International Airport
Ireland's largest international airport with flights around the world.190 miles
/ 305.7 km
o Cork International Airport Flights
throughout Europe.60 miles / 96.5 km
o Shannon International
Airport Serving North & South America, Europe, Asia & Africa.78 miles /
125.5 km
o Kerry International Airport
Our closest airport. Flights to and from Irish and European destinations.6
miles / 9.6 km
Dublin by Air or Rail
Dublin is only 50 minutes by air from Kerry Airport or 3 hours by Train.
Booking:
14 members
showed interest and rooms have now been reserved.
Any queries
contact Dave
Leishman. Dave and his 2
sisters will be in the area, though not at KCH, in May, to recce routes, check
out Kathleen’s Country House,
& he will then report back to us all….
Possible routes
and references:
On a superb,
sunny, haze-free day with 360-degree views of much of Munster & its
peninsulas - we'll be v. lucky if it's like that on any ascent we do in Sept! -
Carrauntouhil was ascended last Sunday via the Black Mare route up to the base
of Beenkeragh peak & round to the summit, the highest in the island of
Ireland at 3,407' (1,039m), a Scottish Furth, qualifying as a Munro, as
sufficiently 'stand-alone.' I returned form the summit by the quickest, most
popular route up & down, from Hag's Glen via the Devil's Ladder. For those
of you who know the main Platterklip Gorge route on Table Mtn, it was narrower
version of that, with the gabioned steps strewn about in a haphazard
fashion! Easier by far to ascend than descend.
We wouldn't be
descending via The Devil's Ladder., but by The Zig-Zag, which is, as its name
implies, a rather less precipitous descent, or, as an alternative, The Bone,
yet further east via Cnoc an Chuillin, an easier & simpler route down, if
further to walk. If you look at the map on p87 of the Ryan, you'll see The
Zig-Zag round to the left of the DL ascent, from which it can be seen, & it
joins up with the trail returning to Cronin's. The Harvey 20,000 ill-defines
the DL & Bone routes, & doesn't show the Zig-Zag at all - so not worth
sending a photo-imageAlso achieved the much lower Torc Mtn, in the KNP.
Now I have
something of a knowledge of both Reeks & KNP for hiking purposes. Here are
2 of the best books on them, though now 20 years out-of-date in the case of the
Reeks book, & 13 for the KNP:
Ryan, J, Carrauntoohil & MacGillicuddy's Reeks,
Cork: The Collins Press, 2006, 141pp,
incl. maps, photos, &c.
Scenic Walks
in Killarney [the National Park], Cork: The Collins Press, 2012, 88pp, incl.
maps, photos, &c.
The Irish
Ordnance Survey cover the area, & also Harvey, with their 1:30,000
all-weather sheet, with the Reeks on one side & KNP on the other.
Fo those
wanting online info on hiking routes, here's a site which is worth exploring:
www.komoot.com/guide/41627/hiking-in-the-macgillicuddy-s-reeks
I'm not going to make any suggestions at this
stage. Do please read up, if you feel like it, to give you some idea of what
you might be able to achieve - & enjoy!
I haven't been on an AGM meet for many years, & the last sizeable
ones were Martin H.'s 2 in SA last decade. I therefore don't know about the
state of fitness, slothfulness, decrepitude, & whether I'm dealing with the
halt & the lame, or mountain-hopping super-striders - probably somewhere in
between?
We called in
on KCH, where we're booked in, & I can report its entire suitability &
relative accessibility to the ranges & Killarney town.
(Source:
Dave’s emails of 24/31 January, 6 February and 30 May 2026)