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The Walk
The cliffs at Bunglas are among the tallest sea cliffs in Europe
and there is a good viewpoint close by the Upper Car Park.
The route described by Paddy Dillon is a circular walk with a
recommended starting point at the Upper Car Park close to the
cliffs themselves. I decided to park at the Lower Car Park as I
preferred to walk along as much of the road as possible at the
beginning. The distance from the Lower to Upper Car Parks is
approximately 1.75Km. Along the route I noticed an alternative
parking spot approx 3km from the Lower Car Park which may suit
those wanting to do all the road walking at the beginning. If you
have two cars you could turn the circular walk into a linear one by
leaving one car at the alternative Car Park and the other at the
Upper Car Park. This would reduce the walk by almost 5km all of
which is road walking.
Paddy Dillon advised a walking time of 6 hours but I completed
it in slightly over 5 hours. This included hiding the cache, two
lengthy conversations with American tourists and a pair of UK
walkers, stopping for photos, lunch and many, many rest breaks. My
total walking time was 3.5 hours.
One Man's Pass
There are two sections on the route that are referred to as a
"One Man's Pass ". The official one is marked on the OSI
map and is a pleasant walk along a slightly exposed ridge. I have a
poor head for heights but managed it with no problems at all. Care
would be required on a windy day.
The unofficial "One Man's Pass" is a very exposed rocky
scramble along the ridge of Keeringear. This requires a serious
head for heights and a calm day. Thankfully it's optional as there
is an obvious rocky path that skirts around the landward side of
the ridge. If you like the idea of the scramble the start is easy
to miss but can be found at 54°38.659'N, 8°41.260'W.
The Pilgrim's Path
Also mockingly known as the "Old Man's Pass" this is a
clear path downhill from the area between Keeringear and the summit
of Slieve League. The cache is located close to this area in case
weather prevents access across to the summit. The path was
originally constructed in honour or St. Assicus, a smith to
St. Patrick, who is reputed to have spent 7 years on the summit of
Slieve League. On the OSI map there is a church marked at
54°38.997'N, 8°41.450'W which may well be the oratory of St.
Assicus which is mentioned by Paddy Dillon. The cache is now
located close to these ruins (December 07).
If you don't wish to descend by The Pilgrim's Path then David
Herman describes another route in his book "Hillwalker's
Donegal" (Route 33).
The route I walked when placing the cache is
here in GPS Exchange format (.gpx).
Getting There
Take the N56 West from Donegal Town and the R263 from Killybegs
to Carrick. In Carrick village keep a keen eye for the left turn
for Teelin, also signposted for Bunglas. The cliffs are signposted
to the right just as you enter Teelin but if you miss it you can
only go as far as the Harbour before you realise your mistake.
The roads in this area are narrow and winding and very busy on
good days and weekends as visitors flock to view the cliffs so
please exercise great care and attention. The final drive to the
Upper Car Park is not for the faint-hearted!
Nearby Caches
The cache
GCJ8RT is a short distance from the Upper Car Park and is
easily tied in with this walk.
GCY4DC is in Killybegs which is easily visited heading to or
from this cache.
GCPPBD is located on St. John's Point just outside Dunkineely
but will require a bit of advance planning.
The Cache
The cache is a small green decon container with a geocaching
label on the outside.
When placed it contained the usual logbook, pencil, FTF prize
and assortment of trade items.
Please replace and camouflage carefully as this is a popular and
busy area on good weather days.
PLEASE ONLY TRADE UP OR
EVEN.
TBs MOVE BETWEEN CACHES
AND REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE PERSON THAT RELEASED THEM. I DO NOT
COUNT THEM AS TRADE ITEMS.
IF YOU WISH TO TAKE
SOMETHING FROM THIS CACHE PLEASE DON'T LEAVE A TB IN IT'S PLACE.
THANK YOU.
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