A Winter Camp | Bluestack Mountains | Donegal 

Cheers Miriam👍 Always on the look out for the weather window that fits in with other things in life👍 I think I was 99.9% sure there would be no one else there, though again surprising at how many people seem to have wild camped there over the years. It was beautiful throughout the trip though the evening and morning light was pretty cool☀ The evenings are really starting to move now after a slow start and I am looking forward to those 11pm sunsets out west, though not the midges😊 Happy planning for your nest trip too👍

The Bluestacks are brilliant for walking and even better for wild camping👍😊

Cheers Jennifer👍 It was a beautiful camp and definitely a great way to start 2024😊

Cheers George👍 It was a cool wee adventure to start 2024😊 A few other ideas for new places in my head which will hopefully translate into actual trips😊

Cheers Siobhan👍 The Bluestacks are a stunning area and it is such a pleasure to visit them and take in all that is there. Thank you for coming along👣😊

Cheers Patrick👍 I have loved the Bluestacks for many years, probably because it was one of the first mountain areas that I explored that seemed really wild and remote where no one else seemed to go (at least not when I was there). I think that has stayed with me and has pushed me to seek out other similar areas in Donegal and down in Mayo😊

It was a class trip with pretty much all going to plan and getting that great weather with the cold and the sharp views😊

Cheers Karl👍 It was definitely a tonic for me😊 It is just brilliant to be able to spend a couple of days (pretty much all on my own) in such a cool place and to have had great weather, super views and even a fry for breakfast😊

Cheers Shane👍 Again I continue to be surprised and amazed that a good few other people have wild camped at this amazing spot👍 It is a brilliant place to spend some time with no other worldly distractions and is certainly good for the soul😊

Thank you for coming along😊👍

Cheers👍 Lough Belshade is a truly beautiful spot and a great place to spend the night whilst exploring the hills👣😊

Cheers👍 The weather and the light were about as good as you could get for the time of the year I think😊 The camp was fantastic and walking around that little beach in the dark looking up to the stars was just amazing. As long as I can get a decent sleep the long nights are okay - nothing worse than having an unsettled night and it felling never ending. Breakfast and tea is always important and it has to be hot🔥😊

Cheers Richard👍 There haven't been too many good weather windows over the past few months so I took this one even if was dark shortly after 4pm😊 Everything tasted good on this trip though stopping for that final cup of tea with some biscuits before descending, with the warmth of the sun on my face, views to a frozen lough and time to take it all in was pretty cool😊 All the best to you and yours for the year to come too👍

Cheers👍 The Bluestacks are a fantastic range of hills that i have been visiting for many a year and that I keep going back says it all. I have camped in a good few places in the Bluestacks and that spot at Lough Belshade definitely takes the biscuit, though many other places still to try out for the first time too😊 Yep there were cracking views to the other hills all around with the lovley and clear NW air.

Cheers Paul👍 I really enjoyed that trip too😊

Cheers👍 It was pretty cool to spend time in the Bluestacks in some rare good weather☀😊

Cheers Aidan👍 It can be hard to get up in the morning if you are all warm and cosy🔥 especially if it is cold or wet outside☀ it was a morning☀ well worth getting up for though and in such a cool location. The reflections on the lough were amazing - I had clouds, stars, the moon and aeroplane trails all reflected clearly in the water. You have a great 2024 too👍

Cheers Ben👍 It was a beautiful morning☀ and well worth 12 hours in a tent☀ Tea and a warm breakfast are essential😊

@@gerrymcveigh hopefully you were warm enough. I'm heading to Mayo this year part of my main content. Looking forward to it.

Another great place to explore👍

Cheers Andrew👍 The light at this time of year is beautiful with the low angle of the sun and the golden colours of the hills☀️ A long night in the tent alright though we'll worth it. Looking forward to the 5 hour nights later in the year😊 All the best for your adventures in 2024👍

Cheers Kev👍 I would take camping lower next to a lough like that any day over being on top😊 First good weekend weather in quite a while over here. It was cool to have the fry though probably back to cereal as it is much easier all round😊

Cheers Gary👍 It was a brilliant trip - love going to places that are so cool and there is literally no one else there😊 Those shots are just the style I have developed over the years so it definitely doesn't sound weird that you like it😊 It is a fantastic camp spot though I think it is time to leave it and explore new places to camp in 2024. All the best for your adventures in 2024👍

Cheers👍 It was an amazing trip with pretty much everything coming together, including the weather the camp and the fry😊

Cheers Niall👍 Lough Belshade is a brilliant spot though probably time to look for other places. Camped on the summit of Lavagh More many years ago and have a hankering to go back. If you get to Croaghbarnes before me you can sort out the best camp spot😊 Cool to know that house is uninhabited, it is quite a diversion around it if following the river. It is a house I have always thought would be amazing to live in due to its location. See you on the hills👣😊

Cheers Tom👍 My hats keep falling apart with all the use they get so it was good to get a new one😊 I was toasty🔥 all the way, even with 12 hours in the tent😊 It was a magical place to spend the night and I know I am so fortunate to be able to get to do that👍 Haven't done a fry in the hills for years and might do a few more😊

A good fry in the hills will do you the world of good Gerry! Got to keep the energy flowing!

Thank you😊👍

Cheers Ger👍 I really enjoyed the trip - had great weather, beautiful winter sun with that golden light and. All the time in the tent wasn't too bad either as I got some decent sleep💤😊

Cheers👍 It was a pretty cool trip😊

Cheers Paul👍 It was a super trip which pretty much went all according to plan. It was lovely to walk over the frozen ground on the second day and to have super views with the clear air. All the best to you over there👍

@@gerrymcveigh thanks gerry stay safe and keep warm it's freezing 🥶 😫

Thank you👍 I have been walking and camping in the Bluestacks for over 15 years and never fail to be impressed every time I return😊

Cheers Adrian👍 It was a great wee trip and it was beautiful to be able to spend a night at the lough with a clear sky full of stars reflecting on the still waters🌟😊

Cheers👍 Have had to bail the odd time too, even after checking the weather forecast😊 They are cool learning experiences though👍

Cheers Mark👍 It was a super trip with so many beautiful things to take in, which (as you know) have that calming and soothing effect - the simplicity of taking time to notice. It was really cool to see the stars and the moon reflecting on the still waters of the lough amongst everything else. A lot more effort to have a fry up rather than my usual cereal though good to mix it up now and again. Thank you for watching and take care👍

@@gerrymcveigh A pleasure as always gerry. Oh, for sure calms us no question - it's our go to place eh especially when the stars are out. Yeah, I might try a fry up some time. A pleasure as always.

Eddie, as you know there are areas that pull us back time and again because of the reach they have into our heart and soul and this is one of them for me😊 It isn't often I meet another person walking, never mind wild camping in some of these remote places, though when you have a plan there is always some doubt that creeps in that it will all work out😊 All cosy when you have half decent gear🔥😊

Cheers👍 I had brilliant weather with clear and cool air coming from the NW giving those long views. The fry was different, though not sure if it will become a permanent addition to my wild camps😊 That spot at Lough Belshade is outstanding and it has been so cool to have it all to myself twice in the past year. I will have a couple of ideas in my head far out. This year I have a couple of beaches on loughs in the mountains that I want to camp on in Donegal and Mayo so I will plan a trip and then go for it when there is a weather window. Sometimes I do decide nearer to the time when there is good weather and I can travel and it is thinking about where can I go - not an easy thing if I am wanting to do somethign different😊

Paddy, I am with you. There is a distinct lack of life in the valley and even knowing more about the Old Schoolhouse and how many children were taught there at a time tells a tale of how life has changed. I did think someone lived in the farmhouse down the hill from the grotto and across the river, though have been told it is uninhabited.

The house down the lane and over the bridge from that grotto is unoccupied. If I win the lottery, I'm buying it along with that entire valley and as much of the Bluestacks as I can afford. 😁@@gerrymcveigh

Ben, the gopro can be a nightmare with those batteries though keeping it inside the jacket did the trick and I had no issues👍 It was fantastic weather☀ and there hasn't been much of that over the past few months🌨

@@gerrymcveigh I reckon two of my 3 batteries are knackered. Still charge up but last about half there power. Dry weather at the moment. Make the most of it but the rain is making a comeback soon.

Not sure if I can remember my first wild camp! I have had some great wild camps that were only 5 or 10 minutes walk from the car, perhaps at a local beach, forest park of lake. It might pay to start looking for locations if you are out walking at these and other locations - somewhere that you know you could set up in the evening and pack up in the morning without anyone noticing.

Seriously? Wise up. As long as people leave no trace. You're not gonna get one night campers going that remote and leaving their nonsense. I'm with Gerry on this. We are not gatekeepers of who knows what. Those folks who "dont disclose the location" are, for the most part, up their own arse. Granted, some people genuinely believe they're doing the right thing. The thing is, Ireland isnt yours, its not mine, its everyone's who lives here and wants to enjoy it. Please, dont be so elitist. SHARE the locations and get more people outdoors, responsibly! 😊

Anyone venturing into The Bluestacks are serious hikers/wild campers. Your definitely not going to get the pop up tent folk hiking up there with a slab of cans.

Why?

I don’t care if you save your favorite spots for yourself. If anyone wants to find them, they can get a map and do so. And the less people traipsing around in the same place, the less bother to the environment. Looks like there’s plenty of room for folks.

Paddy, I have been walking and wild camping in the Bluestacks for over 15 years and making videos for the last 10 - it is still rare for me to meet someone else on these wild and rugged hills😊 I am not sure if that something about the reach of my videos😊 or just that this area does take some serious effort, confidence and perhaps experience to access. Certainly not like Errigal where there is a readily accessible carpark and an easily identifiable path to follow. In that respect I don't think it will change much in terms of who will come and walk the area, though in my heart that is the way I would like it to stay👍 I do find that many people who watch my videos are those who would never otherwise get the opportunity to experience what it is like in person - either because of where they live or that lack of experience, confidence and skill in walking on open mountain. It sounds like you know the area well and want it to remain a place that is special, as do I👍