Coumshingaun Loop

The Coumshingaun Loop is one of my favourite walks, one that I've done at least once a year for more years than I care to remember.

I was back there on 1st September in the company of three women who wanted the reassurance of someone familiar with the walk.

We parked at the Kilclooney Wood car park and headed up in a clockwise direction. I've always done it clockwise - it seems more "natural" somehow.

Once you are out of the wood it is a straightforward ascent up the left spur. When you reach the prominent rocky outcrop there is a pleasant section of easy scrambling and spectacular views of the lake.

The most difficult part of this spur is the section just below the plateau.It is quite steep and I've seen many people turn back at this juncture. The thing to do is to avoid the first defined path up the cliff face; instead, go a bit further to the left where there is another easier path to the top. It requires some scrambling and is probably best avoided by those who haven't a great head for heights.

From there it is a pleasant walk along the rim of the plateau with the lake far below. Then on to the right-hand spur (assuming you are doing it clockwise of course) where you make your way to the rocky outcrop that marks the beginning of the descent proper to the corrie floor.

Avoid making your way through the outcrop as it will prove to be a physical and metaphorical pain in the posterior. Instead, skirt it well to the left until you find the well trodden path that will take you down.

From there make your way across to the beginning of the left spur that you ascended at the outset and your path to the wood and the car park will be obvious.

Allow 3 to 4 hours. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/48/comment/23261/

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Coumshingaun seen through a rock

Peering through one of the wonderful rock formations that dot both the south and north sides of the Coumshingaun Lough circuit. Fascoum top itself was a disappointment after the spectacle of the approach, which offers views as good as any in Ireland. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/48/comment/4663/

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Some light scrambling.

It's been a while.
I think I was scratching with quill and ink in the dim candlelight the last time I posted a comment on MountainViews.
Time passes and the longer you are away from it the more difficult it becomes to come back.
The hillwalking never really stopped , it just got easier and less demanding by choice.

Since I joined my local Scout group in 2015 a new road to walk opened itself to me.
Orienteering, campcraft, pioneering, learning by doing became my mantra, hillwalking and summiteering, though we do some, slipped into the background a little more.
The obsession to get up at 5am on a Saturday and drive 2.5 hrs to get a new summit was dulled by the scout meeting until 10pm the Friday night before and the desire to sit down with a glass of wine, a wife and a movie on Saturday evening.

Anyway enough of that.

This year I'm encouraging a small group of scouters and scouts onto the hills every two weeks.
I'm going to bring them to some of the places in Ireland that I love, 7.00am start and we get home when we get home.
I hope to see some of you along the way. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/48/comment/23841/

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Al on Kilclooney Mountain

Having had a scary experience on a gully scramble in W Cork described in the book "Munster's Mountains" i was keen to find out how the coumshingaun gullies would fair as described in the same book so i headed out with the father figure saturday 19/07/08. The car was parked at a layby where the Ira river flowing down from the coum crossed the clonmel-dungarvan road, Rv Ire (S350 115). 45 minutes had us at the lakeside, a gradual track leading up. The fun then started as we skirted around the south side of the lake on a track leading up to the start of the first gully (arrows on map). Out came the rope and the slings and we negotiated the first small obstacle without much bother (although the rock was wet). Moving out of the gully to the right a little further up we traversed under the cliffs to the start of the second gully. A slightly harder move got us over the wet block at the entrance and from there it was a slog up through knee high "comeragh weed" to the top. We finished off the coumshingaun circuit from there, having the lunch and taking the picture from the north ridge before descending back along the track to the road. Route 2 i think in the book, 5 hours, description was on the money! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/48/comment/3245/

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Deise splendour

Taking advantage of the good forecast I headed for the Mahon Falls this morning,parking at the upper car park and climbing to spot height 414 along the road before climbing along the fence north west up the steep slope onto Comeragh mountain.Following the track around
the top of Coummahon until I crossed the river above the falls.
The crossing was easy today but I'm told in winter this may be impossible,After crossing the river I headed northeast up onto Knockaunpeebra with its two distinctive cairns,from here down into the boggy col and up onto Fauscoum or spot height 792 as pointed out on other comments here.The summit is uninspiring but a 450m walk North East you'll see one of the finest views in any mountain range-Coumshigaun lake,after enjoying the sambos sitting above the lake I returned to Fauscoum before heading southwest crossing the river and making for the high ground back around Coummahon finishing at the three cairns on Comeragh mountain and back to the car.Time 3 hrs 35 mins,distance 11km,ascent 733 m,descent 762m. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/48/comment/18293/

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