I visited Reenearagh In July 2015. Unlike Ciarraioch who also climbed this hill soon after, I was lucky to have had wonderful weather. As Ciarraioch says, the drive to the parking point is fantastic, and the further I drove along the scenic road I couldn’t believe that there were people living in such a secluded place. On a good day I’d say they are in heaven, but when a nasty Atlantic storm rolls in I’d say it’s hell.

I had spoken to one local resident who told me to park at the end of the road at the gates to ‘The Paddocks’. (V47289 60478 B ). It is possible to park one car here without blocking the road or gate. It’s comforting to hear that Thomas_G and Ciarraioch also received a friendly welcome re access, as this starting point does initially pass along the gated lane to The Paddocks. The Paddocks is a lovely stone built holiday home and is one of several with similar design tucked away on this quiet road.

I took an anticlockwise route to the summit, which is less than a kilometre from the starting point. After leaving the track I wandered up through long grass and heather to approach the summit from the east. It was indeed quite an effort (In July anyway!) I returned by dropping south and completing a mini-circuit. The return part of the walk was much easier over short grass and slabs of rock. This is one of the best of the small summits I have walked – the views are sublime. To the south the green of Deenish and Scarriff islands contrasted with the blue of the ocean. About 25 kms to the west the distant jagged Skelligs rise from the Atlantic. Ballinskelligs Bay glistened in the sunlight to the north, and the wide expanse of the Atlantic veered away to the south and west. This is the place for whales, sharks and dolphins, for multitudes of wheeling seabirds and fishing boats plying their trade.

The very tip of the small peninsula Reenearagh occupies is actually an island, and is separated from Reenearagh by a narrow deep channel. It would not be possible for non-climbers to reach. You can look down to it from the summit to see the seabirds that make it their home, knowing that landlubbers won’t get across the narrow channel to disturb them! Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1335/comment/18286/