Author Topic: Help - which best maps for Killarney and south west Ireland?  (Read 2311 times)

maiamaia

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I'm going to Burren & Killarney & Dingle in two weeks, and live in rural Wales near no bookshops with stock like i need. But if i buy every Xploreit Superwalker and OSI map for the area, i'll be spending about £100. I can't find any online clarity over what overlaps with what. Which maps are the best for walking in this area? Does the larger scale OSI Macgillycuddy's reeks Killarney map overlap with the Discovery 78 or 71? Thanks a lot, maia

Penygadair

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I had a similar problem last year when obtaining maps for Mayo and Galway. The description of the actual area covered by he Discovery maps on the Irish Os site is pretty vague so I ended up buying more than i needed. Having said that I'm not a fan of the Irish Discovery maps with their 1:50k scale. I think we are more used to the luxury of 1:25k maps in the UK.

I ordered mine from Dash4it and paid far less than had I ordered from Ireland. They may also be able to help you select the maps you actually need,


https://dash4it.co.uk/


maiamaia

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Wow, they're cheap. Thanks a lot. I decided to get the OSI adventurer for Killarney Pk etc because it's 1:25k over Superwalker's 1:30 and Harveys' stress on mountaineering detail suggested less interest in prehistoric monuments, which i know are accurate on OS maps. Wish i could see and compare to decide though.

I wish i could find a map of the Burren national park (actual park, not area). I have found TirEolas dotcom arty maps...

I currently have an OSI road atlas and a 1950s guide to prehistoric monuments

There seem to be a lot of walking 'apps' but i don't have a smartphone (no reception where i live = feels like a waste of a lot of money) and don't want to buy one ignorantly in a rush; i'm trying to find maps of the Green Ways of Burren or the Burren Way etc which are on paper...!

Penygadair

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Like you, no smartphone. What's an app?  As you said - this is North Wales!


I'm only responding here because I intended to do the Burren last year but it all went for a ball of chalk due to the weather. Briefly I had intended to drop down from Connemara on  Sunday see the Cliffs of Moher and do the red roue over Mullaghmore in the Burren on Monday morning before heading back to Dublin Port. I arrived at Moher too late so next morning was a toss up - the cliffs or the Burren.


The cliffs won - in pouring rain -  but I then headed for Corofin and the Burren visitor centre. Well worth a look. I drove up to Gortnaleck crossroads where the five trails start and drove below Mullaghmore for a few photos. Time ran out.


There is a free bus from Corofin to the trail heads. If you drive in the turn is at Killinaboy.


This info on the Burren Way may help Scroll down for downloadable maps.  http://www.irishtrails.ie/trail/Burren-Way/7/


There's also this link to the trails from Gortnaleck. Make what you can of the map http://www.burrennationalpark.ie/images/page_images/Walking_Trails/TrailsMap.jpg


If your main interest is Prehistory you could try ringing the VC in Corofin to see if they have any leaflets.


I shall be going back, gawd knows when, but I would love to walk over Mullaghmore. Next time I'll leave plenty of time for walking as well as enjoying Corofin.



henryb

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I could also recommend Jim Ryan's book; he goes into great detail on various routes up Carrauntoohil.
« Last Edit: 18:52:34, 21/05/17 by henryb »

maiamaia

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well i ended up buying a Burren map by Tim Robinson, a chap obsessed with Connemara etc, because it said it had all the Green Ways (traditional routes) and old tombs etc. I don't know if it will be good. Although it's but £13 new on amazon, delivery is 4 weeks! so got 2ndhand

Collins Press ireland do lots of books of walks, but with big overlap (dingle, dingle and beara, dingle and killarney etc) but no saying how many walks in each book, so can't compare... The website islandireland dotcom has an ace prehistoric websites list and one is extra special, megalithicirelandmap dot github dot io, with all the prehistoric sites. I  promise in the end to put up a comparison/review..

maiamaia

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Maps: the Discovery OSI 51 for the Burren is the only one to get - the #52 area has nothing Burren in it bar a couple of churches. The OSI road atlas is okay but minimal information for driving and if you can follow signs on a straight motorway to 'Limerick' and 'Ennis' you don't need it. Other maps don't add much: the Tim Robinson has quite a bit of extra detail for historical completists, but it's black and white so not useful for walking. There's a GSI map of geology of ireland.

Books: The Book Of The Burren: pricey E18.50 but complete, has everything: chapter on caves, chapter on botany, chapter on the geology. For anyone really interested in depth in the burren and just the burren, this is the book, just buy this one. Great pictures and some maps and lots of explanatory drawings of prehistoric remains you won't find anywhere else. It's pricey but you don't need another, because it's mailorder from Ireland it's not a last-minute buy.
Stone Water and Ice E10 and Burren Archaeology E9.50 bought in the very helpful Corrofin burren information centre, because they're very readable and the first a great introduction to the geology (not very big despite the price) and the second a decent survey of the prehistoric (again small), and because i only got to another information centre (Kilfenora) today and they had a huge selection of books inc. Book of the Burren. The Burren Archaeology (Hugh Carthy) is good because it puts a choice of prehistoric stuff together in for areas, so you can pick several things nearish to drive between. If you want a short trip to the Burren to see a lot of prehistoric stuff close together it's worth it. Bought Forgotten Stones because cheap, does have all early christian sites, thorough, best bit is black & white photos: great combination of seeing what it looks like without spoiling the surprise.

OSI Adventure map of Killarney: printed on both sides, so half the size you expect and you have to turn it over, not remotely waterproof so not much use to a serious hiker i'd've thought, does have some monuments etc but i don't think there's much there? I'd buy the Harvey next time but it's not worth it the amount of time

Burren 'what to see' list: my personal favourites
- the Burren itself, the bare rocky bit not the lush bit, walking on it, esp. the greenway etc; i don't like rockeries or alpines but it's different in the flesh, exquisite. There's lots of wildflowers in early June and i'm sure May is better but the orchids are only just coming out. The shapes are amazing, would inspire any artist, and this is a botanist's must-see place
- Fahee North lookout: driving past in the rain couldn't see anything, driving past in the sun was gobsmacked. Bit like those rocky columnar pictures of american national parks, but in the flesh (smaller and greyer maybe, but spectacular to me). Worth driving there just to see it.
- Cahercomaun: a hillfort, which i saw in the thickest rain and was still amazing. Very high up and dramatic situation with amazing views, easily the best.
- The drive between Caherconnell and Noughavel: not many road names in Ireland, this is 2nd not best, but it is the most romantic scenery, like Constable would paint. As it's highly likely you'll visit Caherconnell and Poulnabrone, which are worth seeing, it's highly likely you'll need to pick a road to leave on
- Dysert O'Dea church, tower, castle, cross. Just so quaint and pretty and so very close together and charming. I didn't go inside the restored castle, which is a tearoom with a museum on top, and i didn't buy the £2.50 tour-map, which would make a charming long walk of the area (am with parents who can't walk far) but would if had time. There are a lot of pretty ruined churches, but this is particularly nice and accessible and worth dropping in if you're going past.

Quite a few tourists during term time in June but not packed at all, signs are it will be. As someone noted, when it's a washout it's really a washout unless you like walking in the rain (spectacles, camera, not really) and you have to grab the sun.
Best food we got was Ennis market (first place awake we came to driving up from Rosslare, and first attractive town too, recommend as a stop en route. Has a physio, podio and lots of posh clothes shops and nice cafes but is the size of a pea) the butcher in Corrofin, the veg at the shop at the end of Corrofin just past the hostel, and the bread if 'homemade'. Cheese here is awful and cheap supermarket cakes on average E4! Meat eggs veg are good. Cafe coffee is superb but E2.50-E3 and sandwiches E5-7 in cafes. Glad i brought coffee & chocolate, wish i'd brought jam & cheese & dried herbs & marmite. Nearly everything is pricey but sometimes eg butcher's meat and bacon, eggs, it's high price for high quality and matches UK same stuff. It's meat country, not dairy. Factory chickens and cheapo rubber cheese are organic prices!

Lots and lots of footpaths are in the roads, eg large parts of the Burren Way, but they are very quiet (now) and although narrow like in Wales, they're straighter, better surfaced and don't have ditches and stone walls right next to them so it's a lot safer. They don't seem to have 'rights of way' like in UK (in wales, usually blocked by electric fencing & bulls & slurry except Nat Trust coast path) it seems to be, commons & national park are free, private is private, so lots of walking on roads but the Burren National Park (which is the part that's most interesting with the bare rocks and alpine flowers) seems to be go where you will, no protected areas. I still haven't figured it out for sure though. Sorry that went on so long

Penygadair

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Glad you enjoyed it. Any chance of posting some pics of your adventure?

 

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