Climbed Mullaghcleevaun via Carrigshouk and the East Top on the 26th September 2009. Decided to traverse across from Carrigshouk to Ballyknockan. There is a nice pub called the Lakeview Lodge where I parked my car in the morning and got a lift back to the start point of Carrigshouk at
CShouk
(O102 050)
The climb to Carrigshouk itself was relatively straightforward, the ground on the day was dry and made climbing a lot easier. From the summit I took a moment to get my bearings and then proceeded north-west to Mullaghcleevaun east top. The cloud had descended around me by the time I was nearly at the summit but thankfully the ground was easy to walk along.
For those of you who geocache there is one hidden not far from the east top summit so I spent a few minutes looking for this. From here I then went due west trying to avoid descending too much ground before heading to Mullaghcleevaun itself. Due to the thickness of the cloud at this time I was at the summit in no time as the hike over from the east top is relatively straightforward .
Mullaghcleevaun was busy on the day as I ran into a walking club on the summit so I didn't hang around too long, sadly due to the cloud cover the views were hidden on the day. From here headed down to Billy Byrne's gap before heading upto Moanbane summit. The clouds had dissipated at this point and the view of the reservoir by now was excellent.
Took the relative short walk across to Silsean which due to the broken nature of the ground took longer than anticipated. The route up and indeed most of the summit has been destroyed by quad bikes making the hike a tougher slog than it would normally have been. Be sure to take care if the weather is wet.
From here it is descent all the way to Ballyknockan. Its a long descent and I found it tough on the feet so take a little extra time. Refer to the Mullaghcleevaun traverse on the walks list of this site for more info. Overall start to finish took 4.5 hours and well worth a little preparation with a 2 car set up.
Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/20/comment/4151/
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