eflanaga on Ballinafunshoge

Approached from Sleamaine crossing over top of Cloghoge Valley Track ID (O16603 04672) but continuing on up grassy track keeping forest & fence to the left. The southern end of the East-West ride which crosses the summit exits the forest along this fence at IE (O16382 04320). There is a hole in the fence a few metres before the ride which is possible to crawl through. 5 minutes and the odd duck and crouch to avoid low branches and fallen trees will take you to the summit. A quick retrace of your steps will bring you back to the fence and out onto the open hillside. My next target was to be Cnoc Na Cloghoge on the other side of the valley but while descending the Cloghoge track which I had returned to, I noticed a track of sorts to my left running east in the direction of Kanturk. I decided to see where it might lead. While a diversion it may be off interest to some. There appears to be the ruins of a number of old stone houses/buildings (settlement?) at IF (O15838 04492). In the wonderful sunshine and with trees interspersed between them these ruins had a rustic beauty. Just beyond this the track runs into a green leafy glade before a switchback at IG (O15516 04360) and a short drop before joining the main Cloghoge Track just above a gate which is a private entrance to one of Lough Dan's sandy beaches. Before, taking the aforementioned switchback I carried on for about a hundred metres eastwards passing through a green gate while maintaining height to reach a vantage point above Lough Dan which affords great views of the lough, the beach, Kanturk and Scar. On joining the main Cloghoge track I was sorely tempted to ignore the Private signs on the gate so as to gain access to Cnoc Na Cloghoge within a few minutes. However, I resisted the temptation and made my way back to the Pier Gates, where I replenished my water supply before starting out again to scale Cnoc Na Cloghoge & Luggala. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/516/comment/3809/

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Be warned, there is certainly no fun in this climb!

On 29 May 2012 I parked to the side of the forest road, also signed for the Wicklow Way, at H (O17327 06289) just S of the Pier Gates. Before climbing Ballinafunshoge I climbed Sleamaine en route. On coming back down from Sleamaine at I (O17402 05653) some 700m from the start point for the walk I turned right (S) and continued on the Wicklow Way for a further 2k in search of a forest ride to the right that would give me "easy" access to the top. This was at J (O16883 03919) where a clear but deeply rutted track should have led up NW for some 450m to the top, or so it seemed from the map (East-West Mapping Wicklow Mt West 1:30,000 ). This showed the high point on or just off the ride to the left side. As I made my way up the track was wide and clear of any obstacles to progress. Only a few minutes to the top and the end of a most enjoyable day in the Wicklow Mts. Then things began to go pear shaped. When I came to the first fallen or felled tree across the path I thought it would be a simple matter of walking around it to get back on course. Not so, obstruction followed obstruction requiring me to abandon the track and try and walk or crawl along side it through the trees. Going to say the least was difficult. Evenually I got back to the track at it's high point just before it started to descend. what appeared to be a clear way down. But was this the topG The GPS reading based on the mv Grid Ref indicated that I was still some 30/40 metres from the top and that it lay somewhere in the mire of tangled forestry. Against my better judgement I went in search of the "true" top and, after a difficult ten minutes or so foraging in and out the dense thicket of fallen/felled trees and shrubs, my reading had me within one or two metres of the mv Grid. Ref K (O16551 04203)! Job done, head for home!! Walking back along the Wicklow Way, reflecting on this particular experience I had to ask the question, was this climb of Ballinafunshoge what hillwalking is really all about ? Very definitely for me the answer must be a resounding NO!! While hillwalking for me is about challenge it is also about enjoyment, this latter aspect was clearly lacking in my walk up Ballinafunshoge. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/516/comment/6840/

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csd on Ballinafunshoge

The summit of Ballinafunshogue is in the middle of a forest. Conveniently, a ride running East-West makes access from the Wicklow Way fairly straightforward. Just don't expect great views from the top! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/516/comment/2772/

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wicklore on Ballinafunshoge

I had passed close to this summit twice previously while on the Wicklow Way but had never bothered going up. Taking advantage of my close proximity to the Dublin/Wicklow hills I went up after work.
csd gives clear directions for those who want a quick summit. I chose to blunder about the forest instead, which wasn't helped by the fact that I forgot my boots. With all this rain I was half swimming through the trees. What I liked about this hill is that I had a sense of peace and isolation. The summit is buried in the forest, and I doubt many make the trip to find it. Or maybe my sense of solitude was because I was the only hillwalker out at that hour in terrible weather!
My photo shows Ballinafunshoge in the background with Lough Tay below and the cliffs of Luggala to the right Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/516/comment/3279/

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Scotch Village

It was an overcast Sunday afternoon and I was looking for a short stroll which I had not completed previously. I recently remembered reading an article in Walking World Ireland describing a short loop around Ballinafunshoge and Sleamaine, so out came the Sept/Oct 2010 edition of the magazine and off I set to follow the route described by Denis Gill.

Plenty of parking is available at L (O174 063) and more parking is available at grey gates and other new parking areas along the R759 which overlook Lough Tay. The route decribed in WWI takes you within striking distance of both Sleamaine and Ballinafunshoge, while all the time offering up lovely views across the Vartry Reservoirs, Lough Dan and Lough Tay. There is also plenty of history on offer with the route passing by the ruins of a number of old settlement villages. The attached photo shows the ruins of Scotch Village, as named on the EastWest map (not named or shown on OS sheet 56).

A grand stroll for a lazy Sunday afternoon or long summer evening. Two and a half hours should complete the loop of 9km. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/516/comment/6204/

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