eflanaga on Croaghbarnes

From Croaghaniwore (see for previous leg) I turned towards Croaghbarnes dropping down fairly steeply through mixture of rocky hillside and long tussock grass eventually flattening out onto the saddle dividing the Corabber (SW) & Cronamuck (NE) River valleys, before climbing up onto Croaghbarnes. Here I found a suitable camping site about 150m short of the top. I set camp and retired early determined to get an early start the following morning. From the camp site the following morning, I popped up onto the summit IC (G99061 90362). From here the summits of many of the peaks around and about were visible while beneath them the countryside was enveloped in an early morning (07.00hrs) mist. As I made my way to my next target, Croaghbane, I came across one of those rarely seen phenomena a ''brocken spectre' with my silhouette caught directly in it - very 'saintly' - I think not!. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/462/comment/2893/

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Central Bluestack Carn

Climbed as first of three Carns in the heart of the Bluestack Mts, approach from minor road at Northern end of
Lough Eske Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/462/comment/23825/

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A Wild Landscape

Recently I've been trying to get to all the summits in the central Bluestacks, which are usually difficult to reach, being far from roads, and behind other mountains. On Sunday, I targeted Croaghbarnes, Meenanea and Cronamuck. I started from an unnamed road, north of Lough Eske, overlooking the Corabber River. A few yards after leaving the car I arrived at a gate with Private Property, No Tresspassing, and for good measure, Beware of the Bull signs, so there are definitely access issues here. I confess, I pushed on regardless, taking the gravel track uphill, still overlooking the river, until it petered out on higher ground to the north. Luckily, I wasn't spotted, or the landowner wasn't bothered. As I suspected, there was also no trace of a bull in this terrain. Once off the track, I entered a confusing area of micro hills and valleys, with high, steep slopes to my left, but I was able to follow the river to Lough Belshade. It was a dramatic sight, backed by the steep cliffs of the main Bluestack ridge, still dusted with snow. This is a really wild, beautiful area. I went up the steep, rocky southwest side of Croaghbarnes, emerging on to the lough covered summit area, and continuing from there to the top. Views from there were breathtaking for 360 degrees, and the hard walking was well rewarded. A magnificent walk which I continued on to Meenanea and Cronamuck. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/462/comment/17927/

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