Views across the five peninsulas of Kerry and West Cork

Followed the route outlined by hillwalking legends Seán O Suilleabháin (Irish Walk Guides Southwest 1991 Edition) and David Herman (Hill Walkers Kerry 1997) in their aforementioned books. The presence of this walk in both was as good an indication of quality as one is likely to get! Anyway, we parked in Caherdaniel by the recycling collection point at B (V551 595) and followed the Kerry way to the Windy Gap at C (V586 632). From here, we climbed the very steep/grassy/slippery slope to the summit, following the fence at the upper reaches. As the late Richard Mersey put it ' the 300 ft up from the Windy Gap is the sort of slope that causes a man addicted to Afton Major to pause for breath every fifty steps or so'. Irrespective of Richard's smoking habit, I have to say that pausing only every fifty steps on this slope is a pretty good performance in my book! As the various writers have indicated, the top is boggy and underwhelming in itself but the views are spectacular. On the very fine day that was the 5th of November 2011, we could see all five Ivernian peninsulas with views from Mt Brandon to Mizen Head, and the islands of the southwest including the Blaskets, Valentia, Skelligs, Dursey and the fabled Teach Duinn (portal to the otherworld) beyond. It took around 2 hours to reach the top. We returned via Mullaghbeg (see separate entry) at D (V558 637) clambering directly down the slope to the unsurfaced road at E (V561 620) which brought us back to our car. Overall trip 5 hour and 5 minutes including breaks. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/362/comment/6619/

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skyehigh on Eagles Hill

En route to Coomcallee, I photographed Eagles Hill from the road skirting Isknagahiny Lough. It shows a craggy, but not excessively steep, ridge descending north from the summit. One for the adventurous, perhaps? I would expect most people to ascend by the gentle route from the west or by climbing sharply up from the Kerry Way. Whatever the ascent route, this hill deserves a fine day, as the panorama of Beara, Iveragh, Dingle and ocean promises to be exceptional. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/362/comment/1819/

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eric on Eagles Hill

Eagles Hill (On the left). This photograph was taken from Kenmare Bay close to the village of Castlecove. The plateau between Eagles Hill and the hill to the right is the Windy Gap. A great route to the summit of Eagles Hill is from the Windy Gap.
From Caherdaniel follow the Kerry Way towards Sneem till you come to a fork in the path. Take the sign posted left route for Waterville thats winds its way up the side of Coad Mountain & Eagles Hill. The path eventually reaches the Windy Gap and from here it is a steep ascent to the top of Eagles Hill. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/362/comment/2107/

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colin murphy on Eagles Hill

Rather than start at Cahredaniel, I took a right from the N70 about 3km before the town at road signposted for 'Coad'. At the top of this road one meets the Kerry Way and there is plenty of room to park outside what looks like a building for housing farm machinery, at point F (V577 607). I then headed west for a few hundred metres until I came to a signpost, taking the Waterville direction which skirts Eagles Hill. Rather than folow the Kerry Way which goes close to the summit but leaves one a very steep final ascent, I turned NW where a stream crosses the track the steeply sided mountain opens up a little in terms of access, at point G (V580 620). After a few hundred metres negotiation rocky, furze-lined gulleys I veered NE again and reached the top after about 90 minutes. The ascent proved much more interesting than the summit which is a long, broad grassy bog-like top, the summit at the NE end marked only by a single white rock placed upon a turf mound. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/362/comment/4026/

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A lesser visited summit on the Iveragh peninsula

This route starts to the West of Lough Currane at Iskgah L E (V59319 65133) and follows the Kerry Way South for about two kilometres. At the col known as the Windy Gap it is time to leave the way marked trail and climb a very steep few hundred metres to reach the unmarked summit. The hill is out on the South West of the Iveragh peninsula so the views are quite expansive. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/362/comment/20544/

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