milo on Croghan Kinsella

Revisited Croghan after a interval of nearly 30 years. The additional fencing and clearfelled forestry made for a less pleasant walk than I had anticipated. However the panorama to the south did not disappoint. Easiest ascent from the forest entrance is to leave the track at the bend D (T145 735) and follow the eastern forest edge to 540 metres. A pleasant return track contours below the southern edge of currently standing timber to re-enter forest at E (T149 730). Parking is limited to about 2 cars Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/261/comment/625/

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simon3 on Croghan Kinsella

This is an isolated peak giving a quite different vista compared to anything else in the Wicklow Mountains. In fact it is only just in Wicklow, since its summit is part of the Wicklow/ Wexford boundary. One way of accessing it is from the Raheenleagh Wood forest entrance at F (T152 714). The main forest tracks are accurately enough represented on the 1:50k map that you can find your way using it.
The summit itself is easily reached and recognisable from a trig pillar and group of rocks. The older Irish Walk Guides: East included a walk starting from North West of the summit at G (T104 744). This route went over Croghan and on to Moneyteige North (427m) and rejoined the roads at around H (T148 791). (I don't know if the exact start and finish are still useable, though I did meet a group on Croghan's summit who seemed to be doing something similar)
The view here includes Annagh Hill (454m) partly wooded to the left and in the distance on the skyline, the Blackstairs. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/261/comment/416/

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A Miniature Coffin Stone

On a trip up the south west spur led by the knowledgeable local Tom (of the labradors), we came to this uncelebrated but remarkable natural whitish object. Hereby it is known as the Kinsella Child. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/261/comment/4579/

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Fine views and a gilded history

Decided it couldn't do any harm to get on the M11 down past Arklow and make the journey to Croghan Kinsella.

Coillte and the ESB have created a 35 MW wind-farm on the eastern flanks of the mountain between the main mountain and Slievefore to the east.

Probably to seek to allay concerns of people in the vicinity, the bodies have sought to market the recreational use of the forest tracks that lead to the summit and the windfarm from the entrance at White Heaps.

I suppose in some respects it's not totally far removed from the late 18th and early 19th century when government appointed geologists were directing gold mining works on the north of the mountain - there's an economy to drive one way or the other. Back then, men were tunnelling hundreds of metres into the mountainside, now there are structures rising almost 100 metres above the land.

A contemporaneous account by one of the Directors of the mine, Thomas Weaver (of whom there are apparently trenches named on the latest mapping of the northside of CK), offers a vivid insight into the times that were (see also comments on the Moneyteige summit page):

"The discovery of native gold in the Ballinvalley stream at Croghan Kinshela was accidental, and at first kept secret, but being divulged, almost the whole population of the immediate neighbourhood flocked in to gather so rich an harvest, actually neglecting at the time the produce of their own fields. This happened about the autumn of the year 1796, when several hundreds of people might be seen daily assembled digging and searching for gold in the banks and the bed of the stream. [...] The populace remained in undisturbed possession of the place for nearly six weeks, when Government determined to commence active operations. An Act of Parliament was then passed for the management of the undertaking [...] and up to the unhappy period of the rebellion in May 1798, when the works were destroyed, Government had been fully reimbursed its advances [...]. In the year 1801, the operations were resumed, when the directors proposed to Government not to confine its views to the mere collection of the alluvial gold, but to extend the researches, directing them more particularly toward the discovery of the auriferous veins."

Who knows what it will be like 200 years from now? An Ozymandias-esque array of decaying wind turbines presumably! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/261/comment/20071/

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Windfarms completed. Walking trails nearly ready but the trails are industrial

Jogged up Croghan Kinsella from entrance at Ballinvalley near Ballycoog where there is space for a couple of cars. The trail upwards is wide and rather industrial in nature. The trail switches back a few times before you ascend up to where the new windfarm is complete. There are walking trails about to open here but the signposts are still incomplete The work on the windfarm has introduced wide roadways on the mountain which are decidedly ugly. This allied to the reduced tree cover near the windfarms spoils the outlook on the mountain. Its a pity that once the windfarms are installed they don't restore the trails to the natural look they were before. However, when you ascend to the top of Croghan Kinsella the views are worthwhile, in all directions. Jogged back downhill to Ballyvalley Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/261/comment/18725/

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