Easter Weekend Adventure

Easter Saturday 2023, I left Daisy the Dacia in Mulranny (of the many spellings!) , while I walked up to the remains of the Old railway station, now a part of the Greenway (Green? More like grey asphalt).
Anyway I took up by the old water tower through a gate onto the Lookout Loop and within minutes was making elevation over the beautiful Clew Bay. Although my destination was Claggan MNET, I wanted to pick off the lower summits en route and make it a really fruitful walk so I went up to Dooghill and then on to Claggan MWT. The navigation was somewhat serpentine and I was moving slowly as I had 14kg on my back with plans to overnight on the hill, and being solo didn't want to go arse over head. The views up here are stupendous and even more so when you reach CMNET which squeaks in as an Arderin at 501m. You have the Nephin Begs, The Corranabinnia horseshoe, Clew Bay, The Reek and it's attendants, Islands' Clare and Achill and another under-rated gem unexplored by many, the Corraun sub-range.
By 19.00 hours I was at my objective surveying the area in an attempt to find a suitable pitch, knowing that the wind was to rise by morning. On the lip of the NE face I got a somewhat less level than desired spot, put up my tent, put on the stove and ate my supper, happy as only a man on a mountain can be.
I had a superb view over Lough Anaffrin and across the vast wetness of the bogs and lofty mountains, and happily retired to my sleeping bag. Sleep was somewhat hit and miss as wind and rain showers scudded over me that night, and I arose at 06.00 to a monochrome world of low cloud. My stove decided to misfire and I struck camp coffeeless, but nonetheless cheerful. It was a different place to the day before, the views were gone and I had to push hard into the unrelenting wind and murk to continue. It was a world of grey fog crossing the peat hags and navigation was tricky but I got to Maumthomas SWT . I had originally planned to go to it's NE summit too,but the weather was just way too nasty now. I followed the spur SE off the hill for my descent, it was generally easy going underfoot, here and there having to dodge the peat hags.
I was into the teeth of the wind here and was glad to eventually reach the turf cutters tracks and from there the 'Rocky Mountain' Trail (another somewhat misnamed way). By now the cloud was above me and I could see my start point ahead, so i dallied along a bit of the aforementioned and unaptly monikered 'Greenway' to get back to the start.
In conclusion, A great walk, and if you want solitude you will be unlikely to be disappointed.
Statistics for those interested - 20km with about 600m climb and it took me about 7 hours in total, but there again, i was heavily laden and I'm never a fast walker.
A 9/10 for me. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/452/comment/23872/

Read Less

simon3 on Claggan Mountain NE Top

A view of the Claggan NE Top scarp from Corranabinnia SW.

The two summits on the skyline left are the Corraun group while Knockmore is skyline right. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/452/comment/2705/

Read Less

simon3 on Claggan Mountain NE Top

Claggan Mountain NE Top is the highest point of the ridge from the Mulrany area before you reach the Corranabinnias. Like the next small bump to its north east it's a scarp with a steep north facing side and a more gradual slope to the south and south east. Unlike many 500m summits in Ireland with low rates of visiting this place is deserving of more attention. The walk up from the Mulrany area with an unfolding coastline view on both sides and the mountainy northern views from this summit make the place deserving of more interest. It's on a good route to Corranabinnia.

For a couple of months in 2007, before the introduction of the 400m summits, this was the last summit in the list of 500m summits which had no comment.

A curiousity of the summit is that it is called the NE Top. The map marks Claggan summit as a point 2.2k SW.

Our photo shows the summit of Corranabinnia left and in cloud. Right just above the near ground is Anaffrin a continuation of the scarp that is Claggan Mtn NE. Dark and right of centre skyline is Bengorm NW Top (468m) Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/452/comment/2704/

Read Less

SW gateway to the Nephin Begs. Challenging despite the modest elevation.

Visited July 2024. Parked in the lower car park of the big hotel (which didn't say "patrons only", just a disclaimer sign). Then out onto the road and back towards Mulranny until I saw signs for the Greenway. Followed this as far as the bicycle hire which I believe is the old station house. Stright across from there is an old water tower and right next to it is a gate which leads onto a short but good raised walking platform. Exit at the end and then there are posts every hundred yards or so, pointing to "Lookout Hill Walk" or similar. It was a good approach route to get up onto the shoulder of Knocknatintree at B (L82956 97065) or thereabouts. Then heading broadly NNE to reach Lough Creag a Duileasc at 1175 ft(358 mtr). Carry on NE to Glenamadda Lough with a fair amount of 'umps an 'ollers (ascent and descent!) to finally reach Greenaun. I decided to carry on round to the next minor top of Annafrin E.Top at 1493 ft (455 mtr) past the site of an old mass rock (according to my Wild Nephin map), and offering a dramatic view through the ravine across to Lough Annafrin and through to splendid Sliabh Carr way off to the NE. It would be possible to carry on if you had plenty of daylight and stamina, and cross down and over the top of Cruach Bui to reach Maol Rua ( aka Corranabinnia SW top). But this had taken a good three hours so far, and I would estimate the climb over to Maol Rua and back would add another two hours even before the long walk back to Mulranny.
I re-traced my steps with the aid of my GPS track-back to save any unnecessary detours. Total distance was 12.3 miles(19.8km) and allow 6-7 hours with a couple of stops. A long enough day for a top that only just makes Arderin status at 501m. But another excellent summit in the Nephin Begs ticked off. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/452/comment/24247/

Read Less