Harry Goodman on Carntogher

On the first occasion I climbed this hill I did so as part of a linear walk from the top of the Glenshane Pass along the ridge of hills to Benbradagh above Dungiven. On the second occasion, 9 February 2010, I decided to include it as part of a walk around the Carntogher Way starting from the Car Park at A (C81845 04530) which is reached by taking theTirkane Road out of Maghera. Having walked NW along the road for some 800 metres I turned left across a stile ( B (C81197 05002) ) and followed the red waymarks up a good green road to the open hillside. While the track at times became a little less distinct it was easy to follow. Further up at a post marking Altkeeran Glen, E (C80420 04723), the path turned to the right and continued up, over a stile, to a T junction at a much more defined stoney track. From here I turned left and followed the track along to its highpoint at F (C79581 05814) marked by "The Emigrants Cairn" a large cairn of small stones said to have been built by emigrants travelling to the port of Derry, who having reached the high point on this ancient road, left a stone at the spot which gave them a last look back at home before leaving for the new world. From here I climbed up the short rocky face to the flat top of Carntogher with its summit clearly marked by a large wooden post and small plaque (see photo). From the top the views around 360 degrees were splendid and encompassed the Donegal Hills, Sperrins, Mournes, Belfast and Antrim Hills. While I deciced to go out to Moneyoran Hill and back before continuing around the Carntogher Way it is possible to go back to the "Emigrants Cairn" and pick up the waymarked trail at G (C79639 05824) and follow it along the N flank of Carntogher to meet a well made stone track at approximately H (C801 063). From here turn right and follow down to a T junction and minor road. I joined the same track on my return from Moneyoran Hill and followed it down as described. At the minor road I turned right I (C82186 05651) and followed it back to the car park. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/567/comment/4468/

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gerrym on Carntogher

Carntogher is litte more than a bump on the long line hills stretching down from the north coast - before the Sperrins turn east-west to follow the Glenelly valley and gain significantly in height. This probably explains why i have left it so long to pay a visit BUT i have to say the visit was well worth it.

Access is from Cotter Row carpark (J (C819 045)) just outside Maghera, where there is an impressively large information board. A short and pleasant road walk crosses rivers and gives views of the steep northern side of Slieve Gallion through the hedgerow. Just as the minor road loses it tar a large stone pillar heralds the crossing of a stile and a green track (old coach road) along Altkeeran Glen. Height is gained gradually and markers show the way. A stout marker post is a good place to stop and savour the view over Lough Neagh, the clear jagged line of the Mournes, Belfast Hills and the Antrim Hills - the eastern half of the North. The view only being interrupted by the black curtains of heavy showers sweeping across.

Follow alongside the river, where supermodel skinny thistles show off thier purple clothes range, to reach a stile and wall. Continue to follow the remains of this wall uphill. A little plaque has been placed just off to commemorate the crash of a cessna in 1943, where Commodore James Logan (US Navy), David Grimes (Vice-President Philco Radio) and Capt. Loren Miles (USAAF) died. I caught the sound of voices on the wind and saw some people ahead, thinking it was a group of walkers. It turned out to be 50+ people taking part in the provincial Poc Fada hurling competition. This involves hitting a sliotar (ball) over a course of 2.5 miles marked out over the mountain - the least number of strikes taken winning and going on to the All Ireland final in the Cooley Mtns. Fantastic sight and another for the list of uses for the Irish mountainside. It did mean i did have to detour off the track to avoid fast moving flying objects.

The summit has a large marker post on the summit cairn and with it the views open out to the other half of the North - Lough Foyle visible between Donalds Hill and Benbradgh, the big Sperrin hills heading west where i could clearly make out Muckish, Aglas, Errigal and Slieve Snaght. Reached in i hour and 2.5 miles. As i sat at the summit with a warm cup of tea an ominously dark cloud appraoched from Donegal and soon large raindrops were splattering into my cup before turning to hail which machine gunned into my back. It soon passed to join the other dark sweeps of rain which obsured and then revealed distant hills over the north. I continued on to Moneyoran Hill before contouring back over Carntoghter and following the track back to the minor road and the carpark.

An undemanding walk for an afternoon or evening, with a fair bit of history and some stunning views in the mix. Much more detail can be found at: http://www.walkni.com/d/walks/320/Carntogher_History_Trail.pdf Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/567/comment/3967/

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Sperrin outlier wth long views

Carntogher is a hill I had been meaning to climb for a very long time as I can see it on my daily commute. It doesn't look like much from afar but as others have suggested, it punches well above its weight in terms of views. I parked at the car park on the Tirkane road from Maghera (J (C819 045)). From here the stony track ascends all the way up to the Emigrant's Cairn and is well signposted by waymarkers. The track became somewhat muddier above 350m due to the recent wet weather which made the going tougher. It was however a beautiful day with excellent visibility. On reaching the Emigrant's cairn you turn right to ascend the last steep rocky section up to the 464m summit. This part of the hill is known locally as 'the Snout'. Beware of hidden drainage ditches on the summit, one of which I managed to fall into but no damage done luckily. It was incredibly windy on the summit but the long views held my attention. Carntogher's position on the outskirts of the Sperrins gives it an unrestricted 360 degree panorama. I won't go into massive detail but just say that most of Northern Ireland is visible - the Antrim hills, Lough Neagh, the Belfast hills, the Mournes, the Donegal hills and the higher Sperrins. Sawel in particular looked incredibly high from here. I was surprised to be able to clearly make out the distinctive profiles of Muckish, Errigal and the Aghlas to the NW. The hills of Islay were just visible across the North Channel to the left of Knocklayd. I drank in the views for some time enjoying the sunshine before returning via the track back to the car. A wonderful walk and a hill I'm sure I will return to in the future. Total trip - about 1 and a half hours. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/567/comment/6037/

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eflanaga on Carntogher

Carntogher punches much more than its weight in terms of view and scenery available from its broad grassy top. Breathtaking views SE over the Lough Neagh basin and onwards to the Mournes, NE towards the Antrim Hills, North beyond Binevenagh & Lough Foyle towards the Innishowen hills in distant view, NW Donegal's western peaks beckon invitingly, while immediately west the Sperrins await your footsteps. Their is a 9k waymarked route (and a shorter one) called 'The Carntogher Way' which has a number of interesting, and rather helpfully signed, historical artefacts on its route. Carntogher is translated on an information board (at a layby near a bridge over the Pollan Water river) as 'burial mound of the raised pathway' which is more or less as Paul translates it above. Much of the Stone Age summit cairn named 'Carn Mullaigh ón Chlochaois' (? 'summit cairn of the aged/old stone) is dated circa 3000-4000 BC on the summit signpost. My translation is probably wrong but Paul Tempan will put me right I'm sure. Apart from the summit cairn, which is mostly covered by the abundant grass there is another cairn called the 'Immigrant's Cairn' below the summit and further down the route there is a bronze age 'cist grave' at the side of the track. A relatively easy walk which should only take a couple of hours dependent upon how long you spend viewing the artefacts or taking in the splendid views. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/567/comment/2874/

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Finally made it to Carntogher

Having commented in 2007 that I must get around to climbing Carntogher, I finally made it today. As I'm focussing on completing my local 100, it had to be done. I knew from reading that there was a pretty good network of paths on the hill, but I was expecting more desolate countryside. That came eventually when we continued on to Moneyoran Hill as our second peak of the day, but the walk started in quite lush farmland at Cotter's Row and Carntogher itself was easily and quickly climbed. With a whole range of ancient monuments on this hill, you get a real sense that many pairs of feet have trod these paths before. Oddly though, the burial cairn at the summit, which dates back to the Neolithic era and which gives the hill its name, is not marked on the OSNI Discoverer map, whereas the 19th century emigrants' cairn a little south of the summit is shown. Nor is it possible to pick out Gob an Chairn / The Snout of the Cairn on the map, the most noticeable landform visible during the ascent. The view from the summit was excellent on this windy autumn day and we could not only see Knocklayd but also Islay and the mountains of Arran beyond in Scotland. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/567/comment/23288/

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