Picture from mcna : Cuilcagh Summit and Ridge from Benbeg
Picture: Cuilcagh Summit and Ridge from Benbeg
by mcna 29 May 2007
Climbed Cuilcagh Yesterday and It was one of the nicest walks I have done in a long time. This was our second attempt at Cuilcagh as we failed on our previous attempt from the north a few months ago – the weather was misty, the ground frozen, mountain was invisible and so was our spirits so we turned back and did Benaughlin instead! This time we approached from Benbeg – please see that for first part of the walk. It was much shorter than our failed attempt from Florence court and I highly recommend this route as there are very few steep climbs and the ground is good. However it was a very clear day on the featureless ridge and it would be a nightmare to navigate on a foggy day! From the summit of Benbeg it took us about an hour and a half to walk to Cuilcagh (not counting the numerous photographic breaks) I rounded the summit of Benbeg and followed an intermittent track that I picked up and lost the entire way to the summit! Dropped down through bog to the col and up again onto the ridge. Picked up a fence and followed this to just before the final ascent – on a good day the visibility is fantastic and you can pick your route out very easily – I had a route card, map and compass at hand and kept an eye on bearings just in case but I navigated solely on vision. Now we had the choice of going on up a nice gentle slope to the flattish summit but we choose the more adventurous route round the east face and reached the summit with a scramble through boulders and then walked the short distance to the massive summit cairn – this thing was huge! We had our lunch in a wee wind break shelter someone had kindly built on the east side of the cairn and we sat there for an hour! Breath-taking, inspiring views that allowed us to pick out all the distant mountain ranges. Words don’t do the view any justice – you need to see it to believe it –this is why I get up early on a weekend morning, drive for miles pull myself through heather and bog – just to sit somewhere like this. When we pulled ourselves away from the top we traced our steps back to the col and dropped down through the heather and skirted the bottom of the slopes through long grass and heather. Made out way over to the tree graveyard (see Benbeg), picked our way through felled, rotten trees and branches out onto the forest track, and followed this back to the car. Fantastic day – total walking time of 5 hours and one I would do again in a heartbeat!(Comment Rating 3.60)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/2716/
by thisbliss 27 May 2008
Parked at a park in Gortalughany townland (H168301 (Point A) )! There is a good view from here and is handy as it gets you up to 300m straight off. However there is still loads to do! Walked to near end of tarmac and then took grassy track (marked on map) sharp right, over a few gates, past a megalithic tomb (unable to find it) and came to Legacurragh, a large eroded channel. Just here the Ulster way runs past, marked out by yellow posts. Then its a case of just follow the yellow stick road to the left! This takes you to the bottom of the north cliff just below the carn. Nothing too demanding in this first part. Is gentle rolling hills but takes over 1.5 hrs. Some soft ground too but nothing i wasnt prepared for from the other comments. Going up the cliff i possibly took the steepest part. Only took 15mins but wouldnt do this again as it left me strained with a 2hr walk back ahead of me. Would either take my time or skirt round the slope to a gentler climb. The carn is big! as is the whole top of Cuilcagh. Impressive and quite an unusual mountain, different from others ive climbed. Some views too. Also couldnt get over the wilderness of it all, its not that its that hard to climb, just that its in the middle of bloody nowhere! Took about the same time getting back. All in all over 4 hrs. Cuilcagh put it up to us but made it ...just about
(Comment Rating 3.50)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/3127/
by kevin dockery 26 May 2009
On Sat. May 23th 2009 a group of 20 made their annual trip to Cuilcagh which is organised by an intrepid veteran hillwalker. As soon as we started the walk at Bellavally Gap it started to rain heavily and heavy mist shrouded the mountain. The wind gathered strength as height was gained. This ensured a miserable trek to the summit. The plan was to continue onto Tiltinbane but it was decided to shorten the walk. After a quick snack on the summit we retraced our route back to the Gap. Some of walkers were suffering from the effects of the atrocious weather conditions. I've never experienced such awful conditions in my 74 visits to Cuilcagh.Just before we finished the walk, the rain and mist cleared. Better luck next time with the weather.
(Comment Rating 3.50)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/3786/
Picture from Alaskan : View from Cuillcagh with Blue Stacks on right, Dartrys in centre and right and Loch Atona below
Picture: View from Cuillcagh with Blue Stacks on right, Dartrys in centre and right and Loch Atona below
by Alaskan 5 Jun 2006
On 3 June, my wife and I hiked up Cuillcagh using the Legnabrocky trail on the north side. The trail started from a parking area signposted Cuillcagh Mountain Park near the entrance to Marble Arch cave. The trail started in flowering white thorn trees but soon entered the bog land. For 2.5 miles, the trail consists of a gravelled road over the bog. The last 1.5 miles crossed the bog, way marked with poles, and climbed the obvious ramp near Loch Atona. The route gave some fine views of the cliff-topped north side of the mountain. From the summit, we could see the Sperrins, Blue Stacks, Donegal Bay, the Dartrys, Nephin and Croagh Patrick. It was the clearest view I've had from an Irish mountain.(Comment Rating 3.33)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/2375/
Picture from murphysw : Cuilcagh's cliffs in the eerie mist
Picture: Cuilcagh's cliffs in the eerie mist
by murphysw 24 Jan 2008
Took the most straightforward route to the top from the Cuilcagh Mountain Park, which can be found just after the entrance to the Marble Arch Caves at about H122337 (Point B) . For most of the approach the the mountain there is a gravel road (off limits to cars) which ends about 1km short of the ascent of the ridge at H113300 (Point C) . From there it gets badly boggy, I went into the stuff thigh deep at one stage. The upside is that there is a line of stakes to show you the best way up to the summit plateau. The day I was on the plateau, there was a great big dirty cloud sat there, and visibility was terrible. The pole line seems to stop once you're up on the plateau (i couldn't find the next one!) Despite the summit cairn being 1km or so away it is still easy to find. Keeping the cliffs to the north in view (just! - be careful) you'll soon hit an inconvenient barbed wire fence. Head south along this until you reach a section of fencing where the barbed wire has been cut away, just where a rock provides a natural stile. Once over head due east or ENE until you can see the cliffs again. Keeping these to your left, you'll happen upon the cairn after about 20 mins. The cairn is huge, all those rocky outcrops you see in the mist and think and hope are the summit are not! You'll know it when you see it.
Point B: H122 337
Point C: H113 300
(Comment Rating 3.33)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/2948/
Picture from AdrianneB : Landslide
Picture: Landslide
Braving the landslide!
by AdrianneB 11 Apr 2011
Walked the Northern waymarked route on Sunday 10th April 2011, took my chances with the landslide. As you can see from the photo it's not too bad, although the day I was there we hadn't had rain for a good few days. There were far boggier/difficult to negotiate spots further up the mountain. In fact my feet were wet for quiet a lot of the walk, but didn't get wet crossing the section that had lost it's bridge, use the grass humocks to the left of where the bridge used to be in the picture. Did the return trip in 2 hours 45, although I did jog the last 4 km which is on the gravel track back to the car. It's a great walk, unfortunately there was a bit too much mist to enjoy the views. But be prepared to have very wet feet.(Comment Rating 3.33)
Your Score: Very useful << >>Average
Trackback: http://mountainviews.ie/summit/165/comment/6301/
(End of comment section for Cuilcagh.)
Cuilcagh, 665m
slemish
Harry Goodman
Collaborative entry
simon3
Collaborative entry
RSS Feed for Recent Items.
