Go Walk:Follow in the footsteps of Antarctic explorer Tom Crean...on Beenoskee, says Tony O'Doherty
THE VILLAGE of Anascaul is indelibly linked with the Antarctic Explorer, Tom Crean. For me, no trip to the Dingle Peninsula is complete without a visit to The South Pole Inn which, when I first visited, was a tiny pub unchanged since he had owned it.
An old customer once told me that he loved to roam the hills at the back of Anascaul Lake. So while I would never have been able to follow in his footsteps in the Antarctic, I feel some affinity with him when I ramble in those same hills.
The car park at Anascaul Lake marks the beginning of one of the most attractive green roads that I’ve come across: it winds its way up the side of a cliff-bound, glaciated valley to the waterfalls that tumble down its head wall. If you are not a hill walker I would heartily recommend that you take a stroll along here if you are visiting the area. Past the waterfalls the track zig zags up onto a small boggy plateau where there is a way marker pointing left towards the track which leads down into the Glenahoo Valley.
But you’ll be heading for the Beenoskee Ridge (826m), whose first spot height (height measured above sea level), at 592m, is ahead of you. It’s not possible to head directly to it as there are steep sided grassy gullies in your path. So head north to get around them and then contour over to the cliffs which run up to the spot height.
There is a brilliant view down into a u-shaped valley with 500m cliffs overlooking the Glenahoo River as it meanders in great loops towards its sandy mouth on Brandon Bay.
Heading east from the cliffs it is easy going on heathery boggy ground across to An Com Ban (610m) from where you’ll get your first view of the great sweep of Castlegregory Beach which is a superb example of a tombolo. A tombolo is a sand spit which has grown seawards to connect an island to the mainland; in this case the inner of the Magharee Islands which you can see offshore. After negotiating some boggy ground there is a steep pull on stony ground up to Beenoskee (826m) with the stones getting bigger as you go higher. The view from the summit, to use a Kerry expression, is “mighty altogether”.
The Brandon Ridge lies to the west and below you the 12km beach runs in a great arc from Fermoyle to Fahamore, enlivened by its sparkling crescent of breaking waves. To the north east Kerry Head and Loop Head mark the entrance to the Shannon Estuary while to the south the ubiquitous MacGillycuddy’s Reeks can be clearly seen.
It is an easy walk around the top of the coombe to the scree-covered summit of Stradbally (798m). The forest which is marked on the map as running right up the slopes as far as the peak does not exist.
The descent from Stradbally is easy. It is best to head south first until the ground begins to level off and then head west across the bog to the top of the track which leads back to the car park. Take care on the lower slopes because there are tiny streams which are hidden by the heather.
When you get back to Anascaul pop across to the village green for a quick chat with the statue of Tom Crean and then call into The South Pole Inn which is now a veritable museum of Antarctic memorabilia and also serves very good food and drink.
BEENOSKEE
GETTING THEREThe walk starts at the car park at Anascaul Lake. Anascaul is on the N86, Tralee to Dingle Road, 16km east of Dingle. At the bridge in the village head norths along the road to Lough Anascaul. Keep right at the first crossroads. To get to the car park you will have open a gate.
TIMESeven hours. The route is hard and covers 17km. Compass, map and rain gear are essential.
MAPOrdnance Survey. Discovery Series, Sheet 70
ACCOMMODATIONB&Bs in Anascaul. Campsite Castlegregory.