Croagh Patrick

• macredeye

  Participant

  April 23, 2009 at 1:54 pm

  Sorry if I’ve posted this in the wrong catagory. I’m not sure where to post it.

  I’m planning a trip to document Reek Sunday, and i’ll heading down from the North. Can anybody offer me advice? According to the site approx. 15000 visit it on the Sunday. So…

  1. Is it too late for accomodation?
  2. Do pilgrims go up on the Saturday?
  3. Would I have to be there at dawn, or do they start climbing later in the morning?
  4. I would be well prepared in the clothing department for all seasons, but would i need to take food?
  5. Have i missed anything?

  Cheers in advance!
  cathald

  Participant

  April 23, 2009 at 8:12 pm

  You might get better replies in the general chat section
  I think Martin goes on this climb every year so I’m sure
  he will be along shortly to give you advice

  Cathal
  aoluain

  Participant

  April 23, 2009 at 9:58 pm

  Water! definately bring energy food too, it is tough.

  Make sure you have good hiking boots if you are not doing it the traditional way!
  Martin

  Participant

  April 23, 2009 at 10:21 pm

  Reek Sunday is the last Sunday of July from what I remember…

  1. Is it too late for accomodation?
  Id try ringing around you might still get something at this stage…the longer you leave it the further away from the start of the walk you will be based

  2. Do pilgrims go up on the Saturday?
  I’m sure they do but Sunday is the main day

  3. Would I have to be there at dawn, or do they start climbing later in the morning?
  They start climbing all day long, I started around 8am last year, when I came down at around 2pm there was still hundreds going up, it goes on all day long…

  4. I would be well prepared in the clothing department for all seasons, but would i need to take food?
  Yes take food, there is food at the bottom in the form of burgers, bring something healthy with you. There is also some drinks and bars you can pay for at the col half way up

  5. Have i missed anything?
  Can be hard to get car parking, you might have to park on the road and walk a mile or two to the start of the walk… this has benefits though in that its easier to get out of there after you have completed the walk. Campbell’s the pub at the bottom does a great Guinness…
  if you plan on taking pictures at this, plan to start early and get up for the mass at the top as there is great photo ops then. really take your time getting up there, just keep stopping and watching the people going by, spot the people in the distance that you want to photograph and photograph them as they approach. Don’t be afraid to ask people can you take their pic. On the final assent to the top, take lots of pics, people are too tired to complain that you are taking pics of them then:-)

  Buy a set of Op-Tech (Optech) Rain Sleeve covers for your camera, only 6 euro on ebay, if it rains and there is mist its the best time for pics so make sure you have a cover for the camera and can take pics without wondering if the camera is getting wet…

  main thing is just to enjoy the day. its a great day out and some really super people on the walk…

  lens wise I used the Nikon 24-70 2.8 and Nikon 70-200 2.8vr. Would use these focal lengths again as they were perfect, having two bodies with one lens on each would be the best setup…

  Enjoy
  Martin

  PS: some pics from trip up the hill last year https://www.photographyireland.net/viewtopic.php?t=20038
  johnnymc

  Participant

  April 25, 2009 at 1:34 pm

  1. Is it too late for accomodation?

  I’d agree with Martin

  2. Do pilgrims go up on the Saturday?

  Yes, from dusk on saturday night. Fantatstic photo opportunities at dawn (weather permitting) on Sunday morning
  
  3. Would I have to be there at dawn, or do they start climbing later in the morning?

  Some pilgrims start walking to Croagh Patrick on Friday/Saturday from distances of 40/50/60 miles away and arrive on Saturday evening.

  4. I would be well prepared in the clothing department for all seasons, but would i need to take food?

  Catch 22 here, the more food you bring, the heavier your rucksack. On the other hand, you’ll pay well for any of the junk food thats available at the summit.

  5. Have i missed anything?

  Make sure you have a dry shirt to change into at the top. No matter how slow you take things, you will be panting & sweating at the top. A sweaty t-shirt turns ice cold very quickly. You’ll enjoy the photo opportunities immensely.

  Best of luck,

  John
  macredeye

  Participant

  April 26, 2009 at 9:19 am

  Cheers folks, valuable advice. I’ve been checking hotels, there seems to be plenty of places at the minute. I’ll book somewhere at the end of the month.