Glendasan
Laragh, County Wicklow
Glendasan was first used for orienteering for the Setanta Orienteers 2004 Leinster Championships. The Camaderry area had been identified for some time as being interesting terrain for orienteering, but physical and difficult to map. Having the benefit of a Stirling Surveys plot Setanta Orienteers decided in 2003 to produce a map of the area now known as Glendasan. This is the name of the valley and river that flows through it. The map also covers part of the Brockagh Mountain side of the valley. Glendasan is part of the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
The Glendasan valley has some interesting history and is the site of numerous old mine workings from another era. The terrain is entirely open moorland with some steep and rocky terrain. The orienteering map is very detailed and accurately reflects the difficult nature of the ground. The orienteering is physical and challenging. The map scale is 1:7500 to improve overall legibility. The map will be further extended to be used for other major events.
Below are a couple of facts about the area that you may find interesting.
The first thing you notice in the valley are all the old mine workings. The mines were worked on and off from 1795 to 1957 with the main period of mining being between 1850 – 1880. Between Glendasan and Glendalough mines 60,000 tons of galena and sphalerite was extracted from veins which varied from an inch to a foot across. The mines were worked by hand so conditions must have been very hazardous and unpleasant. A leat running from Lough Nahanagan to the ruined workings is still evident, as are the remains of an old tramway. The ruined buildings are mainly crushing and launder pits, and there is also a water wheel pit that was used to power the refining process. These buildings are said to be of Cornish design. The spoil heaps contain heavy metals and their toxic nature prevents any plant growth. Each individual mine had its own name such as Moll Doyle and Old Hero mines.
Another feature of the area is the ESB power station of Turlough Hill. Work on this hydro-electric power station was started in 1968 and was completed six years later. This project involved the construction of a huge cavern in the heart of the mountain, in which the generation plant and controls are housed. A pumped storage system allows for the use of excess electricity capacity during non-peak hours to pump water from the Lough Nahanagan to the upper storage reservoir on Turlough Hill and then the release of the water in the reverse direction to create electricity in times of maximum demand.
The Wicklow Gap at the top of the valley became known for a very short time as ‘le Col du Wicklow’ when the Tour de France rode through it in 1998.
St. Kevins Way also runs through the valley. It was opened as a waymarked path in 2001 following the traditional pilgrimage route from Hollywood to Glendalough. The 26km route is said to follow the journey of St Kevin when he left Hollywood after not seeing eye to eye with the locals. He set up camp at the old bronze age workings of St Kevins Bed by the Upper lake in Glendalough. While he prayed a local cow would come and lick his clothes. This contented and serene cow gave much more milk than the others so the herdsman followed it one day and found the holy man. St Kevins fame spread and he eventually founded the famous monastic settlement. St Kevin amongst other things is the patron saint of crows (he is always drawn with a blackbird in his hand) so there is a tenuous link to the Setanta mascot, the raven.
Below are a couple of facts about the area that you may find interesting.
The first thing you notice in the valley are all the old mine workings. The mines were worked on and off from 1795 to 1957 with the main period of mining being between 1850 – 1880. Between Glendasan and Glendalough mines 60,000 tons of galena and sphalerite was extracted from veins which varied from an inch to a foot across. The mines were worked by hand so conditions must have been very hazardous and unpleasant. A leat running from Lough Nahanagan to the ruined workings is still evident, as are the remains of an old tramway. The ruined buildings are mainly crushing and launder pits, and there is also a water wheel pit that was used to power the refining process. These buildings are said to be of Cornish design. The spoil heaps contain heavy metals and their toxic nature prevents any plant growth. Each individual mine had its own name such as Moll Doyle and Old Hero mines.
Another feature of the area is the ESB power station of Turlough Hill. Work on this hydro-electric power station was started in 1968 and was completed six years later. This project involved the construction of a huge cavern in the heart of the mountain, in which the generation plant and controls are housed. A pumped storage system allows for the use of excess electricity capacity during non-peak hours to pump water from the Lough Nahanagan to the upper storage reservoir on Turlough Hill and then the release of the water in the reverse direction to create electricity in times of maximum demand.
The Wicklow Gap at the top of the valley became known for a very short time as ‘le Col du Wicklow’ when the Tour de France rode through it in 1998.
St. Kevins Way also runs through the valley. It was opened as a waymarked path in 2001 following the traditional pilgrimage route from Hollywood to Glendalough. The 26km route is said to follow the journey of St Kevin when he left Hollywood after not seeing eye to eye with the locals. He set up camp at the old bronze age workings of St Kevins Bed by the Upper lake in Glendalough. While he prayed a local cow would come and lick his clothes. This contented and serene cow gave much more milk than the others so the herdsman followed it one day and found the holy man. St Kevins fame spread and he eventually founded the famous monastic settlement. St Kevin amongst other things is the patron saint of crows (he is always drawn with a blackbird in his hand) so there is a tenuous link to the Setanta mascot, the raven.
Directions
Approach from Laragh to the East. Travel in direction of Glendalough taking the Wicklow Gap road. Alternatively it may be approached from West Wicklow by taking the Wicklow Gap road. The area is south east of the Turlough Hill power generating station.
Grid Reference:
O 077 001
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