When you have a couple of the grandkids for the day then what better than tiring them out on a local hill? Knockshigowna is off the main N52 road and is easily spotted at night by it's illuminated large cross. I parked at the Fairymount Farm car park S000 957 A where much renovation and other works are in progress. Following the Red Hill trail it was easy enough for the little ones who enjoyed the views from the top. The summit itself not only has the aforementioned cross but a trig, an ugly communication mast collection and a currently in progress downhill MTB platform and course which crosses the walking route and is at present a bit of a scar. No doubt the owner has big plans for the future and I suspect it is a busy spot when the cycling is in full swing. As it was we only met 3 other walkers on the day. The cafe was not staffed and there wasn't anyone about. Summer season will no doubt be a different experience but it's a pleasant spot to take the family. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1276/comment/15954/

The owners, who were very welcoming, explained to me that as it got harder to make a living in agriculture they decided to use the isolated hill that their farm was located on to develop walking trails but alas walkers were as profitable as agriculture so they developed a fantastic facility for mountain bikes. The walking trails are no more but I was allowed up to the summit via the uplift road without a cover charge . In another part of the farm on the opposite side of the road from the bike park a cricket pitch complete with pavilion is located. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1276/comment/18215/

The mountain bike park on Knockshigowna is closed indefinitely due to the crazy nature of insurance and it's costs . This makes accessing the hill from the farm a no go unless you want to drive up to the farm and knock on the door and ask. I didn't want to go disturbing anybody on a Sunday afternoon so I instead drove around to the North side of the hill. At S00726 95994 B there is a prominent bend to the left on the road, directly ahead is an entrance to a farm/house and on the right is a gate. There is room to park a car here, the gate has no lock and no private property sign, and it's actually possible to skirt in around the pillar of the gate without needing to open or climb it. There is a track that leads uphill through a wooded area for about 600 metres directly to the summit. As there is a small mast compound on the hill I assume that this is the access track for it and there should be no issue to use it to access the summit. In any case it's such a short jaunt, you will be up and down before you know it. As it's such a prominent hill, there are very good views at the top for such little effort. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1276/comment/24066/