When this hill was recently included in the listings, I marked it as climbed, but did not comment as it was a long time ago and my memory was vague. I did however comment in the general forum and wrote rather disparagingly about it, promising to climb it again to confirm if my memories were correct. This time, memory is not an issue as I am writing this only half an hour after coming down, this being the closest hill to my home, and I'm glad I returned as it appears I may have been a bit harsh. On reflection, I may not have been on the actual summit on my last visit, and I had better weather today too.

I reached the hill via the Lurganboy Road from Castlederg, continuing for a few miles until I passed over the highest point on the road, through a small coniferous plantation, and just after starting to descend again into the Finn Valley, I took a narrow minor road on the right. A hundred metres or so along this brought me to the first of a series of masts on the hill, where there was space to park one car at the side of the road. The summit is to the right of the road, and is not marked. My best guess is that it is close to a second mast further along, in the middle of a field, but perhaps someone with a GPS device may be able to give more precise guidance. I had a good wander around the whole area however, and I am confident I would have stood on the summit at some point.

There was practically no walking involved in reaching the top, and no challenge, but where I may have been harsh in the general forum was in describing the views. They are actually very good in all directions. The Bluestacks in particular looked impressive from here, and I could also clearly see Errigal, Muckish, and other peaks in that region. Closer by, there were nice views over Croaghan Hill.

If its a good walk and a challenge you're after, this would be better done as one stop along with other summits in the area, such as Croaghan Hill, but if you're nearby, the views are definitely worth a look. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1247/comment/15833/

I came here from Croaghan Hill. I hadn't planned to but it's the second closest hill to home and it was almost on my way home. Not being prepared I simply used Aidy's directions. I went further along the road and parked at the gate below the second mast (H 28871 89818 A) This brought me to within 275m of the mapped coordinates.

I crossed the gate which is part of an old cattle pen and headed along the edge of the field. A second fence also needs crossed. This is high on a banking with a deep, dry ditch on the far side. The single strand barbed wire fence on the first side is electrified which I discovered by touching it. I decided it was prudent to duck under rather than step over!

The top of the hill is rounded with a number of small humps, one of which is the highest. About 15m from the coordinates is a rocky outcrop with the remains of a concrete structure. Possibly the remnants of an earlier version of the nearby communication masts?

The hill, ditch and banking gave a feeling of something more than a field and looking at the OS map at home I wasn't surprised to see it marked as a Rath.

This field is now very much a farmer's field and I felt very uncomfortable being here without permission. I was glad it was late on a Sunday evening in October and unlikely to encounter an angry landowner. I did scout an alternative approach using a forest entrance on the western side (H 28221 89611 B) but didn't have time to explore further especially with little space to park along that road. That gate isn't particularly friendly either with the top bar wrapped in barbed wire.

For such a small hill and short walk the views are tremendous with a particularly fine view of Croaghan where I was less than an hour ago. It's definitely worth a visit but maybe with permission to access I would have stayed and enjoyed the view for longer.

Full report and photos on my blog: https://idlecyclist.wordpress.com/2021/10/10/hike-croaghan-hill-and-fearns-hill/
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. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1247/comment/23303/