'They've got a spider baby...'

You know how there usually isn't a stile where you really need one? And have you noticed the advice on MV that one should always use a stile when one is available? Well, make haste to Knockullane because Mr Jackill's large parking space has one...all nice and green and (kinda) shiny. It even has instructions as to how to use it, instructions that put me in mind of 'The Ladder' at Funland in the first episode of 'Father Ted'. So if you feel the need to brush up on your stile climbing technique, this hill is for you: all you need is the ability to overlook the fact that the stile spans and is within about four yards of the end of a fence that you could easily step over anyway.

For anyone who's actually come to do Knockullane, well...it's hard to imagine anyone following a route up other than the one Jackill mentions, but I'd like to add that a) the forest ride is one of those ones that conceals some mightily squishy sections under a facade of benign-looking vegetation b) the top is tussocky tough going, and c) it wasn't easy to conclusively identify the highest point amongst several plausible swellings even with the assistance of DBloke's GPS. I plumped for the one over the fence on the edge of the forest (just about visible on the right of the photo), and most of Cork's insect life seemed to agree with me.

These shenanigans were enough for us as the rain began to persist more persistently, so we retreated to the car without doing the East Top which looked worse. I know I may lay on my deathbed unable to shake the nagging sense of disappointment that probably goes with not having done Knockullane East Top, but for now that's a chance I'm willing to take. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/574/comment/5953/

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A tale of much Comploration !

After Knockacommeen, the current Mrs three5four0 declined the offer of a walk up Knockullane and instead settled into reading the latest book in the Game of Thrones series and await my return to the car.

I will not mention the ground, as it has been well described by both Jackill and Peter, but only describe the search for the summit, amongst the swellings mentioned by Peter Walker. If you look at Peters photo of DBloke approaching an area of higher ground, this and Peters point , just over the fence in the middle ground of the photo, both break the 460 contour, according to the map.

But heres the thing, both are still a distance away from the mountains spot height of 462, so from Peters (which you access by crossing the fence at A (W224 799) ) I continued on along this firebreak, to where it arrives at the next contour, I then turned left into a slight clearing, checking the GPS it informed me that I had gone right past the spot height. So back along the way I came, till I spied a place where I thought I might get through the dense trees and went for it. Found another slight rise, then managed to pop back out where I was earlier, with the gps confirming that. Not one to admit defeat, it was back into the trees, this time mostly on my hands and knees, only to pop back out at the fire break again near Peters highest point, back into the trees again, over another slight rise, then again this might have been the one I found earlier! Eventually arriving what looked like an old in grown firebreak, a quick scout to another point, convinced me it was time to make for the fence, dually arriving out on the hillside, a short distance from where I entered the forest.

I suspect one of these rises, in the trees, is the spot height and summit, for 2 reasons. 1. even though the GPS only had my route brushing close to the spot height, I could see no other high ground near me, when I was on one of the rises. 2 Giving the high rate of summit spot heights in the wrong place, in this area, I suspect this will be the case with Knockullane as well.

My GPS track looks a right mess for this summit, and more interestingly it also gave a high point of 472!

So it was onto Knockullane next, picking bits of foliage off my rucksack and clothing on the way there. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/574/comment/6569/

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jackill on Knockullane

I know what you are thinking.You are looking at the photo saying " isn't that a lovely view from the summit, so close to the road at Kn'ulane (W22369 80417). Why theres even a large clearing to park my car.I could follow Jackill up the forest ride from the car park and bag those two summits in an hour or so!" Well at the risk of beginning to sound like an old misery guts this was again very very very unpleasent walking made tolerable by a clear evening and an excellent unexpected view. So at the end of it I would like to curse/congratulate MViews for making me so miserably happy every weekend, Enjoy! thats an order! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/574/comment/4280/

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Not as bad as I thought

Not much fun I'll admit, but not as bad as I thought: if you bag this and head back down the way you cam and bag Knockullane the easy way (see my post there), you'll be on your way to more pleasant summits in no time. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/574/comment/14932/

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