Climbed Temple Hill for the first time on Sunday 10.10.10 during a week-end walking in the Galtees. The walk was part of a circuit which also included Knockaterrif Beg, Lyracappul,Carrignabinnia and Monabrack (also climbed for the first time). Unfortunately the low mist experienced the previous day on a horseshoe walk around Glen Cush still persisted. We parked at
C (R86800 19700) and having walked N along the access road for about 400m we followed a track going off to the left
F (R86900 19900). This led along and then down through thick woodland, past an old ruined farm house and then SW, through three small fields, to a track
G (R86100 19900) where we turned right (N) and followed it along to cross a bridge. We then walked in a westerly direction for about 1km, with the Pidgeonrock River on the left, before swinging N, still along the river, into the Pidgeonrock Glen. About 600m along
H (R84500 21000) we crossed the river and headed steeply up to gain the crest of the Temple Hill ridge. Now in mist we headed NNW along the moorland top following a bearing for the summit some 900m further away. By chance (later rather than sooner!) we came across a good track heading for the summit, but not marked on our map, which eased our dreary trudge. This led to a large stony area which we crossed to the summit cairn and Trig Pillar
I (R83335 21830). Here we had ample room to settle in, out of the wind, for a short break. While on the summit we came across something unusual on an Irish hill, a piece of wood sticking up from a small pile of rocks with the the words "Sign Book" written on it (see photo). Under the rocks we found a tin box containing a book in which to write your name and date of climbing the mountain. We duly obliged and carefully replaced the tin for the next walker(s). From the top we headed down E with a touch of N to the coll
J (R83900 22000) before climbing Knockaterrif Beg the next hill on our circuit. Had we wished to return to the start we could have headed S down the Pidgeonrock Glen to pick up our approach route to Temple Hill.
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