colin murphy on Mullaghbeg

I did Mullaghbeg in conjunction with Eagles Hill starting at Coad (see Eagle's Hill for route). In driving rain there wasn't much to see and the 3km walk from Eagles Hill was a real slog through endless peat hags. The summit, like its nearby neighbour is an unremarkable peat mound. I'm sure the views are spectacular if I could have seen more than 10 metres. To complete my circular route I headed SW from the summit until I intersected a faint track (indicated on map) at A (V565 625) , which skirts back around under Eagles Hill and returns one to within a few hundred metres of the Kerry Way. By way of compensation I did snap this cobweb woven across furze and heather, sparkling with the recent rain drops. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/435/comment/4027/

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eric on Mullaghbeg

Mullaghbeg as seen from Eagles Hill with Lough Coomrooanig at its base. To get to Mullaghbeg via Eagles Hill, take the Kerry Way from Caherdaniel towards Sneem till you come to a fork in the path ( Coad Road End (V571 605) ). 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. On a clear day Mullaghbeg with Coomrooanig Lough at its base will be clearly visible from Eagle Hill. On the top of Mullaghbeg there are great views of Ballinskelligs Bay, Lough Currane, Isknagahiny Lough and Coomcallee. On your way from Eagles Hill to Mullaghbeg you may come across a bog road. This bog road can then be used for your return to Caherdaniel. Join the bog road below the top of Mullaghbeg at ( B (V562 631) ). On finding the bog road follow it down to a T-junction. At the T-junction go left and follow the track as it zizzags down the coom until eventually you reach a gate out onto a tarred road. Continue straight to a Y- junction taking the road to the left and walk the last mile or so back to Caherdaniel village. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/435/comment/2137/

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Fine Viewing Point for Lough Currane, Ballinskelligs Bay and Western Iveragh

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. We parked in Caherdaniel by the recycling collection point at C (V551 595) and followed the Kerry way to the Windy Gap at D (V586 632) and from there via the summit of Eagles Hill E (V582 632) (see separate entry). We travelled across the bog to point 473m at F (V567 629) , keeping close to the cliff edge to admire the views over Coomroanig Loch to Coomcallee. From there we travelled to Herman's 'lovely eyrie', the spur at G (V565 637) to take in the view over Isknagahiny Lough and upper Lough Currane. We followed the edge to the summit of Mullaghbeg at H (V558 637) . Great views down to Waterville, across Iveragh to the Blaskets and out to the Skelligs. We clambered directly down the slope (gradually becoming steeper but thankfully less boggy) to the unsurfaced road at I (V561 620) (Point D) which brought us back to our car. Overall trip 5 hour and 5 minutes including breaks. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/435/comment/6620/

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Mullahbeg from Caherdaniel

Starting from the crossroads in Caherdaniel ( C (V5510 5950) ), take the narrow tarmac road which leads northeast from the village, keeping right at the junction at 'Coom Cottage'. The road is pretty much flat for the first mile before starting to rise gently. After 1.5 miles, the tarmac road turns sharply back left, however you should continue straight ahead on the stone track. This track leads gently up the the head of the valley before switching back a number of times to zig-zag up the slope. When the slope flattens out again, you have reached the saddle between Cahernageeha and Mullaghbeg. Here the track branches off ( J (V5550 6230) ) to the right for Mullaghbeg and continues on to the left for Cahernageeha.

For Cahernageeha, the track to the left continues for 0.5 miles, at which point you can follow the fence line for another 0.5 miles of grassy boggy open mountain to the summit. The summit is marked by a trig pillar which is listing badly, presumably due to its boggy foundations. I can't vouch for the view from the summit as the mist had rolled in by the time I got there, but the views of Derrynane and Lamb's Head from the saddle below were impressive.

I retraced my steps to the fork in the track ( J (V5550 6230) ) and headed this time for Mullaghbeg. Again, it's approx. 0.5 miles before the track ends. Turn left onto open mountain at the end of the track and it's about 0.5 miles to the unmarked summit. Good views to be had here down to Lough Currane and Waterville directly below and further afield to the other peninsulas.

If you plan to visit both summits, you should expect to cover a distance of 11.5 miles. However, to visit either summit on its own would involve a. 9.5 mile round trip. It might be tempting to shorten the walk by parking somewhere on the tarmac road that leads into the valley from the village, but there are no parking spots where you would not be at risk of obstructing a local resident or farmer. It's probably just best to park in Caherdaniel. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/435/comment/16105/

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