Unusually named hills with great views.

Take the Finea road out of Castlepollard, Take the third turn right ( A (N45749 73437) ), proceed through crossroads just after last house park on the right ( B (N45762 75540) ) where there is some space. Walk to gate on track and cross gate. Just before forest barrier turn right and proceed through forest that is being felled whilst keeping remains of overgrown boreen on your left. Eventually you will come to field, cross field to fence here is a gap in the gorse. Head up hill here until you come to another fence. Cross through gap in fence and the trig pillar is at the top of the hill. Great views can be had here on way back if you have time cross barrier and proceed through forest to the top of the rock of curry also nice views from there but be prepared for a bramble and gorse war on Rock of Curry!. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1226/comment/15855/

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Perhaps best approached from the north west

Perhaps best approached from the north west via the lane that begins on Castletown road at C (N44347 77216) (Whitegate). Also known as The Hill of Mael on some OSI maps. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1226/comment/16051/

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Westmeath's unappreciated diversity

I quote from a report (1972) by Roger Goodwillie of An Foras Forbartha (the link to the PDF is provided at the end of this comment): "Westmeath is one of the more diverse counties in the midlands. A look at the geological map might lead one to suppose that the monotonous sheets of Carboniferous limestone are reflected by a similar monotony in the flora and fauna, but in fact the combination of shallow lakes (e.g. Coosan Lough), glacial eskers (Long Hill), bogs (near the Meath border), exposed rock (Rock of Curry), seasonally flooded land (River Shannon below Athlone), fens (L. Iron) and natural woodland (Lough Ree shores) makes the county of exceptional scientific interest".

The document reports on a number of areas of scientific interest in the county, and covers the Hill of Mael and the Rock of Curry on page 62.

From the summit, the views are extensive: Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Slieve Bloom mountains, Slieve an Iarainn and Cuilcagh, as well as the Cooleys. It is a better vantage point than it's afforested higher neighbour and county-top Mullaghmeen.

Finally, MV might consider renaming this peak - it is known as The Hill of Mael locally (I am from the area) and I've never heard it referred to as the Hill of Moat.

http://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Goodwillie_1972_ASI_Westmeath-1.pdf Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1226/comment/18474/

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