zeaphod on Slieve Snaght

Finally up here on Sat past, much easier than I had anticipated. Park at the head of the Poison Glen and basically make a bee line for the Snaght/Drumnaliffern col. One hour to cross the initial bog plain (at a good pace - the midges forbade stopping!) then the ground dries up considerably. Very easy pull up to the summit, two hours in total to the top. Fantastic views (I could just make out Ben Bulb in Sligo) mean I will be back - as the b****dy batteries died after a few shots! (spares left in the caravan earlier, most useful). A really wild and special place. One of the best lunch venues I have encountered for all round views. Warning, after wet weather/poor visibility the bog crossing on this route will be very unpleasant and difficult, my walk was after a week of almost no rain.
As an update, I headed up again last week (with fresh and spare batteries!). Following the Devlin river to just below the first lough, then heading straight for the col described above will save some "bog trotting" Crossing just above the lough not recommended - long grass and heather, with bog underneath - very "interesting" For the nature lovers, lots of huge dragonflies along the route. We met two Norweigans on the summit, equipped with huge packs, kettle and stove etc. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/142/comment/1781/

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Lovely Autumn Walk

Climbed Slieve Snaght and took in Drumnalifferny on Sunday 22nd September 2013. We approached the mountain from the Doochary Road side (R254), parking the car on the bridge at (IG G (B9343 1290)), ascending the coomb to the south of Snaght and descending the coomb to the north.

From the car we headed straight into the coomb, keeping the Sruhancrolee river to our left. This coomb is always wet underfoot, even in the driest of summers, and anybody walking here can expect to have wet feet and caked bog up to your knees. We then climbed on the right hand side of Scardangal Burn waterfall (marked on OS map). This was pretty hard going, wet and steep. A safer alternative would be to walk all the way into the coomb and ascend onto the ridge. When we finally ascended the waterfall the weather had cleared and we walked steadily around and up, corkscrewing to the top of Slieve Snaght. The view was spectacular on this rare and beautiful autumn day (see pic’s).

From the top of Snaght we descended to the northern end of Slieve Snaght Loch. We then climbed to the cleft of Drumnalifferny/Bingorms ridge (IG H (B9333 1525)) and took in the top of Drumnalifferny as a wee extra. We descended to the cleft point again to descend into the coomb to the east of this position. It is useful to remember this point as mists can descend very quickly on these mountains and if you are too far to the south, you can easily find yourself at the top of the Bingorm cliffs, where you do not want to be in a mist!

We descended into the coomb of the Scardandoo stream (marked on OS map) in loose order. This coomb is always very wet, boggy, full of hidden watercourses, holes and slippery rocks and you could very easily twist or break an ankle! So take it easy and slowly. Wet and mucky, but unharmed, we eventually reached the road again beside a bridge (IG I (B9440 1383)) and walked a kilometre back to the start-point.

This is definitely a moderate to difficult walk. We took our time, five hours for the whole thing. Not a midge in sight! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/142/comment/15217/

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eflanaga on Slieve Snaght

(Climbed April 17th – see Bingorms for previous stage in walk). From the summit of Bingorms there is a short albeit fairly steep drop over boulder-strewn slopes into Scardangal Burn (J (B93017 14526)). The descent is not so difficult so long as care is taken. This would be especially pertinent in wet conditions when the boulders may become treacherous for the unwary. I crossed a small stream and climbed for about thirty metres until I reached a large boulder. Here, I decided to stop for lunch. I re-commenced my climb up the boggy eastern slope of Slieve Snaght. Having rested I thought I was up to the steeper climb. My left knee thought better of it and was beginning to object strongly to the pressure it was being put under. In hindsight it might have been better to drop a little further south into the Burn from Bingorms so as to climb Snaght’s south-eastern slope - the gradient at this end appears less steep. However, I persevered until I topped Snaght arriving at its summit through a heavy veil of mist. I carried out some running repairs on the knee (bandage) sheltering behind the summit cairn. The mist cleared after a short time allowing me to see my final two targets; Crockfadda North-East Top & Crockfadda. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/142/comment/2286/

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skyehigh on Slieve Snaght

For those who find it more convenient to climb Slieve Snacht from Dunlewy, this view from Errigal clearly shows the course of the Devlin River beyond the old church. One option is to walk upriver for two miles, then after a boggy patch follow a tributary to the left, eventually attaining the col to the right of the summit. In this picture, unfortunately, the target resembles a topped boiled egg. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/142/comment/1598/

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Platform to a simply magnificent panorama.

On previous climbs of Slieve Snaght I had always approached from Dunlewy or from along the Dooish to Slieve Snaght ridge. I therefore took the opportunity on 26 July 2012 to climb it from the S, up from the R254, in order to access four tops not previously climbed, Bingorms on it's E side and Crockfadda NE Top, Crockfadda and Crocknasharragh to the W with Drumnalifferny Mt thrown in for good measure. ( For earlier parts of route see my comments on Bingorms and Drumnalifferny Mt.) From the rocky ground just N of L Slievesnaght I climbed up the ridge which runs down the NE side of the mountain. The bonus for including Slieve Snaght in my round was a simply magnificent 360 degree panorama of the hills and mountains of NW Donegal and those further afield Slievetooey, Slieve League and even the distant prow of Ben Bulbin. From the summit cairn I dropped down SW over a steep, rocky and heather/grass covered slope where care was needed to avoid hidden holes, to arrive at a boggy saddle K (B918 145) below my next objective Crockfadda NE Top. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/142/comment/14744/

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