A popular attraction for quite a long time

Thomas Wright (1711 – 1786) the noted English astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker, architect and garden designer was the first to describe the shape of the Milky Way and to speculate that faint nebulae were distant galaxies. He visited Ireland in 1746 and travelled to Donegal where he "din'd upon ye mountains of Lock Salt in full view of Aragle and Muckish" Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/553/comment/20693/

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Contender For Best Views In Ireland?

What a display this fantastic mountain put on for me today, in conjunction with the weather. I had snow and hail storms alternating with sunshine to create dramatic skies, and I have to agree with the other comments that Loughsalt Mountain is a contender for providing the best views in Donegal, which, for me, means potentially in Ireland too! I started from the southern end and in no time at all was enjoying dramatic views down over Lough Salt and Lough Greenan. Beyond that were the Derryveagh Mountains and the Bluetacks. At the summit, the entire north coast of Donegal was spread out below me from Horn Head and taking in all the northern peninsulas including the entirety of Inishowen. Absolutely breathtaking, and almost overwhelming when taking photographs. It was difficult to chose which view to include here, but in the end I went for the same one as Simon3 and slemish. I'll do a separate post to show the view towards the Urris Hills. If you get a decent day, I don't think anyone would be disappointed by this hill. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/553/comment/17952/

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simon3 on Loughsalt Mountain

After returning from this summit we were assured by our hosts that it was the finest view in Donegal something strongly suggested by "slemish" in his recent comment. From a somewhat similar viewpoint to his or hers but a better day I got this picture.

Isn't it amazing? From Muckish to the Derryveagh Slieve Snaght in one clear shot. Incidentally the summits of Inishowen such as the Urris Hills were also very visible.

On another note: Lough Salt's depth has been given as around 74m which just may make it the deepest in Ireland, however there are other contenders such as Lough Leane. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/553/comment/4106/

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Vikinghar first climb

Slieve Lough Salt was the very first mountain I climbed as an aspiring hill-walker. Me and a mate bought a book on walking in the Donegal mountains and chose Lough Salt as our first venture and, you guessed it, we were hooked from then on, so it has a special place in my heart. Lough Salt is a name that derives from the Irish/English mix of “Lough’s Alt”, meaning the high Loughs. It stands as the highest point in a “relatively” flat surrounding area and commands great views most day and heavenly views some days. From Lough Salt you can see the full glory of Donegal, from Malin Head to the Derryveagh Mountains to the Bluestacks.

Lough Salt is mostly grassy and boggy with some well trodden paths to the top on one side and steep banks lush with 4ft heather on the other. It is a circular walk from a conveniently placed car park. From there, the top can be reached in 45 mins without stopping. I prefer a more relaxed pace and do the whole walk in about three hours. The only dangers are the cliffs above the lake, especially in a sudden mist, and a few pot holes.

Getting there is very easy. OSI Sheet 2 is the map to use. From Letterkenny take the road to Kilmacrennan and you will be able to see the characteristic saddle-top twin peaks very prominent on the horizon. Go through Kilmacrennan and about half a mile on the other side there is a turn to the right, signposted as the Lough Salt Drive. Follow this for about 3 miles until you pass a pump house at the head of the Lough itself and then come to a car park and viewing point beyond (D (C12200 26200)).

From the car park, walking, retrace the road back past the pump house and you will see a style in the fence to your left. Climb this and look out for the style in the fence above. Follow the sheep path to go over the right hand side of the rocky knoll before you. The path will take you down past an old grotto used by sheep for shelter. If you look up to the top of the mountain from here you will see a patch of scree. Ascend the rise just to the left of the scree. Don’t go too far to the right at this point as you will reach the cliff. After the scree you will soon reach the first peak. Then follow the path to the second peak where the trig pillar is and don’t forget to enjoy the views.

From the trig pillar you can choose your decent. You can choose to stay along the ridge that will take you around the top of Lough Reenan, or you can choose to descend further down the ridge. The second option is a bit more adventurous and this is where grabbing onto the 4ft heather is really useful, but no real danger with either route.

Once you are down to Lough Reenan, follow the lane out to the road. Turn left and you’ll be back to the car park in no time. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/553/comment/3064/

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slemish on Loughsalt Mountain

Having holidayed in this part of Donegal for many years I had always longed to climb the magnificent Loughsalt Mountain. Today in glorious weather I finally got the chance. I parked at a little lay-by on the road between Kilmacrenan and Glen, just to the north of the lough (E (C129 269)) and proceeded up the mountain from there. Very steep indeed for much of the ascent. I found grabbing on to the deep heather was a useful support. Although it was only half ten in the morning it was very warm and the breeze was most welcome, which got stronger as I climbed. Loughsalt Mountain has three distinct summit areas. The central one is the highest reaching 469m and it's this summit that is marked by the trig pillar and a small cross. However the western summit commands the most spectacular views - especially the vertiginous sheer drop into Lough Salt itself. In fact, practically the whole of Donegal is laid out before your eyes - from Slieve Snaght in Inishowen, all the way round past Muckish and Errigal to the distant Blue Stacks. Even today with a slight haze in the air the views were incredible - on a crystal clear day they must be absolutely mind-blowing. I descended by the same route, taking care as there are extensive patches of scree on the way down and the last section really is frighteningly steep. Soon enough I was back at the car - mission accomplished! Total trip - about 1 hr. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/553/comment/3790/

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