Crotty’s Lake I

I am standing above the Crotty’s Lake, Crotty’s Cave somewhere under my feet. To get there, you can either hike from any other part of the Comeragh Mountains, or choose to walk a road, which leaves you with only 450 m of rough land to cross.

This is Bernard Cullinane, the owner of the land around the Crotty’s Lake and a trusted source of information 😊. You can stop at The Ass’s Ears and have a cup of tea before you walk further up the slope.

When the pandemic began, he and his family did a great job on their picnic area project.

My favorite is The Labyrinth.

Bernard’s sister Vera has an Instagram page where you can share your pictures of the lake and the area.

Another great source of information is Barry Dalby of EastWest Mapping, a company providing cartographic services. They have a Facebook page too. EastWest maps are very detailed and linked with historical data. You can also download an EastWest app on your phone.

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When I say ‘we will walk a road’, I mean we will walk about a mile of a steep grassy path with the mountain slope on our left and a breathtaking bird-eye view on our right. We can expect to see some wildlife too. One day a fox stuck his head out of a gorse bush right in front of me. We had an eye contact and after a minute he slowly retired back into the bush. I kept walking for another while until I had to stop and take a breath. It is when I realised that the fox had been following me all the way up. I slowly moved towards him to take pictures.

I have never seen a wild fox that close. Left a piece of banana for him – it must be the reason he walked in my steps all the way. I know they love bananas.

Another beautiful thing that makes your hike delightful is the mountain stream gurgling along the road.

Even sheep appreciate the view.

You will see many sheep around.

This is the last stretch of the road before climbing up the slope. I am not sure the road was actually there 300 years ago, but I can easily imagine William Crotty riding along.

Breathtaking view on the right.

The path to the lake is marked, but you will like some little deviations to take pictures of many interesting objects and wildlife. Be careful not to stray away though. Return to the marks and walk from one mark to another – you will save your energy and time.

You might see a rabbit or Irish hare.

The rocks of many fantastic shapes will fuel your imagination

 

I found a rare Crimson waxcap – Hygrocybe punicea – among some other waxcaps. You can see them from far away.

Gnarled Hawthorn trees – some of them long dead- are a striking part of the landscape.

I didn’t see a hoof-marked rock, but spotted this skull mark from a distance. It looks pretty menacing.

There are four arrows to give us the right direction, but it is up to us where to put our feet, so choose wisely. Another 450 m, or a third of a mile, and we will reach the lake, but don’t expect it to make it to the lake in 5 minutes, especially if it is your first time on the slope 😊 How about 35 minutes? That sounds reasonable 😊

We will complete the hike by the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

  Have a wonderful day!

105 comments

    1. Thank you so much, Derrick 😊 That was a very delightful walk. The birds were shy though. I saw a kestrel on my way back but he saw me first and hid in the forest. There was a robin and a wren, but no birds up the slope. Any sighting of Nugget?

  2. What a beautiful place to walk, and so much wildlife! I must admit, bananas are the last thing I would expect to be a fox’s favourite 🙂

    1. Thank you so much! I had some other fruit in my camera bag, but the fox showed up after I ate a banana in the campsite. Then I remembered something Pat has told about them loving the bananas. If I didn’t stop to take a breath I would probably never know the fox was trailing behind. God only knows who is sneaking behind me when I don’t look back on my walks 😉

    1. Foxes love fruit, and bananas have a very strong fruity smell. This one lives near a campsite and knows a thing or two about the human foods. He kept his distance, but obviously wasn’t afraid of me. Hope to see him again.
      Their coats look best in winter. I can say the same about birds. They are the most colorful in winter.

  4. Such a gorgeous walk!
    I adore all the animals, the most. How awesome that a wild fox came so close to you.
    Bananas… wow, how sweet that they like bananas, and that you gave yours to that adorable creature!
    Thank you, Inese!

    1. Thank you so much, Resa. Glad you had a chance to leave the city for a short walk in the mountains 😊
      I haven’t seen any new murals this year, but I haven’t tried too hard to find them either. These last 2-3 years have been difficult.
      Hope all is well with you X

  5. Another beautiful and interesting walk with you. Crotty’s lake has an air of mystery to it and love the Ass’s Ear. That gave me a laugh which I needed today. Thank you. Labarytnths are a favorite of mine as well. The gurgling brook you could hear and that sly fox following you for a piece of banana. Never heard that before. Won’t be trying that as there are no foxes here on the island. The views are panoramic. The sheep are my deceased partner’s cousin’s favorite and she would love. Rabbits are so cute. Rocks have always spoken to me and yes my imagination did get away on me with those rocks. The last picture of a rock I see a cat in the middle. He or she has one green ear. If nobody can see it then the pleasure is only mine. Hope you are keeping well Inese. ❤

    1. Thank you so much for your comment, Joseph. The real Ass Ear’s do exist around here as you will find out in my today’s post 😊
      There are many streams, and a culvert takes water from the lake to Carrick-on-Suir some 15 km away. It is an eerie experience when you hear gurgling water right under your feet but don’t see it.
      I so agree about the rocks. You walk around them and see something new as you move. I cannot tell which rocks have always been there and which resulted from the detonations when the water-related facilities were built at the lake. I am sure the area didn’t look the same in Crotty’s times 300 years ago.
      I often think of your partner’s cousin when working on my sheep pictures in b&w. I feel the connection. Some things one cannot explain.
      Wishing you all the best. Take a good care of yourself ❤

    1. Thank you so much! I have a good few pictures of sentimental sheep just standing there and taking in the view. What do they think I wonder.

        1. This sheep wouldn’t know. There is a forest between her and the grass below. Hope she didn’t consider leaping off 😊

  8. Inese, thanks for this virtual walk in the Crotty’s Lake area 🙂 The fox is a beauty. I’m stuck in the city and can’t move around like I used to because of the pandemic.

    1. Thank you so much, Julian! I think it is Pat who told me about their love for bananas. Foxes love fruit in general.
      I wish the mountains were closer to where I live. Our 5 km restrictions don’t help either. The weather has been mild lately. We will see what the winter will look like, but I’d say it will be mild too.
      Stay safe.

  12. A magnificent walk Inese! I love that photo of the sheep surveying his kingdom, it’s no wonder they like that spot. And what a wonderful familiar you had on your journey – I never knew foxes enjoyed banana 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Andrea. It is not the first time and place I see a sheep simply standing there and apparently taking in the view. What do they think, I wonder? This is a very human-like behavior 😊 We are all the same, I guess.
      Foxes love fruit. I am not surprised that a strong fruity smell attracted the fella. Hope to see him again when I go to the lake next time.

    1. Thank you so much, Bruce. I look forward to reading your blog. It has been a while. Just bear with me please. My love to you two X

        1. I only hope the summer won’t dry you to the bone. Hopefully the rainy spring provides you with plenty of water for your garden.

  15. Three cheers to THE ASS’S EARS —
    What better place to quaff three beers.
    Then, to top it off, a toast to Crotty’s I make:
    If you don’t like it, you can jump in the lake!

  16. Your photographs bear the stamp of highest quality. Add to that your charming narration and it is impossible not to be immersed in the story. What’s the story behind the Ass’s ears? The fox did fox me initially till you revealed the magic of the banana. The sheep is definitely not wool-headed. I look forward to joining the rest of the trip.

    1. Thank you so much, Uma! I am happy you enjoyed the walk. I revealed the identity of the Ass’s Ears in my new post 😊
      I always have some fruit in my camera bag, instead of a water bottle. I think the fox sensed bananas when I ate one at the camping site because he showed up right after I set off. When I knew he was following me, I had to peal one more banana and leave a piece for him. Love when things like that happen 😊
      Hope you are on the mend. Will check out your blog for more info.

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