Tim Mackey's Weblog

hi,
i went exploring on a new route yesterday and it was by far the most exciting trail i've been on for a long time.  Map and Stats below.

Stats

• Route length: 76k from Limerick city (Ireland)
• Time taken: 8 hours including about 7x5-min rests, a half hour nap at the top, and about 10 camera stops.  so you can easily knock an hour and a half of this time.
• Climb: 700m to Keeper Hill Summit
• Terrain: About 50km of this trip is road, but it's the fast part and i think the 20k on trails is really worth it.  you could drive to newport and cut out the boring leg between limerick and newport.
• Water needed: 2.5l energy drink was just about enough for me
• Food needed: 3 snickers + banana + raisins

Map

•  click for full size

Directions

The map has red arrows marking the route i took for the way up, and pink arrows for the way down. In case they don't make sense, here are the english directions:

• From Limerick, take the N7 dublin road out as far as the roundabout on the new dual carriage way stretch. Take the second exit sign-posted newport.
• Go straight through newport and keep on the main road and go past the entrance to Tooreenbrien woods. After that, take the next left up a small road.  (marked on map with a red arrow).
• Keep going and turn right near the end of the road (down a hill) and you should link up with the Slieve Felim way, marked with the hill-walker signs.
• Then just follow the hill walker signs up and across, and over the hill.
• There is an extremely fast (and mucky when i did it) descent to Toor (a village apparently).
• Go right on the main road for almost a kilometer. you get a good view of Keeper Hill from there. Turn left just at the handball court, following the hillwalker signs.
• The Slieve Felim way doesn't actually take you to the summit, so follow the map to choose one of the paths that leads there.  I had to walk the last 150m because the path was very loose and stoney.
• I choose the quickest way home once i had reached the top, and it is the fastest descent i've ever been on. the quality of the paths was pretty good when i was there, so i was able to clock 58kph. 
• you can see with the pink arrows which route i took home.

if you have any corrections suggestions, post your comments below.