darrenf on Lugnagun

From Sorrel Hill a clear and wide track will take you directly down to spot height 427. Views over the reservoir will stay wit you the whole way. From this angle the outline of Sorrel Hill looks more impressive. The track will lead you right accross the shoulder to Lugnagun. The forest will be on your left hand side for most of this ridge and provides excellent shelter from the cutting wind.

The top itself is elusive. There are no cairns, mounds, or markers of any shape. I reckon my photo below was taken in much the same location as wicklores and I would have to agree with him that this is the most probable location of the summit. As you can see from the photo there is now a stile over the forest fence at this location which after 70-80m drops you onto the main forestery tracks indicated on sheet 56. It should be noted that on numerous occassions along these forest trackes I encountered large fallen trees blocking the track. In most cases you can push your way through the fallen trees or skirt around. Following this track will eventually take you back to the road and from here its a straightforward slog back to the carpark. Total distance 8.6km over 1hr 50 min. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/633/comment/4520/

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On the summit... I think!!

Climbed Lugnagun from small cul de sac road point D (O018 125) on 24-9-10. Relatively easy but boggy quick climb from car. Followed fencing to all the way to top.Quite confusing as to exact summit so celebrated the whole way along the ridge of trees! Not much else to comment on Lugnagun except for the fine views of Sorrel hill,mullaghcleevaun Kippure etc which dominate the horizon.Thank god this is off my list of to do's now! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/633/comment/6107/

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wicklore on Lugnagun

I just wanted to bag this hill as a part of a hill-bagging frenzy on Sunday. I found my way to D (O018 125) and parked in one of the many small cut-outs designed to allow cars to pass on this narrow road. I was feeling unsure about setting off uphill across farmland so I waved down a passing man in a tractor. He said that he didn't see a problem as long as I didn't damage fences or block the lane. He pointed out that he didn't own those fields. I crossed a number of fences on the way up and they are well maintained with none of the usual damage or easy crossing points. These hills are small but tough hauls. When I reached the forestry at the top and turned right to cross another fence, someone had thoughtfully insulated the barbed wire with cloth and padding. As with csd and Kaybee I had to guess the summit. I chose what I considered to be the highest point (by several millimetres) on the earth bank alonside the forest. My photo shows the view towards Sorrell Hill with my sticks marking the imagined 'summit'. I agree with csd that Lugnagun could be easily incorporated into a Sorrell Hill walk. Or else you could just spend the afternoon with a theodolite finding the elusive high point! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/633/comment/3217/

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All is changed, changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born!

Well not quite and I'm sure that Yeats himself would think that quote itself is a bit misplaced. However, there has been one very significant change to this area since all previous comments and it does have a significant affect on the view, access and the summit! The forest to the south and south west of the summit area has been harvested. A number of the trees that have not been cleared lie across the fence protruding into field and making a dance along the summit ridge as Dessie has done, a lot more cumbersome! The harvesting has also meant that the approach to the summit through the forestry is now clear, with no obstructions along the route. Finally, you now have 360 degree views from summit, looking over the battered remains of the forestry you can see the beautiful views to the south. (OK, maybe there is one tenuous parallel between this hill and Easter 1916).

I did Lugnagun very recently as part of a circuit that included Sorrell and the god forsaken Carrigleitrim. This meant that I was approaching Lugnagun from the forestry on the north east of Sorrell and heading for the 427M spot height in between the two summits. From here, as already mentioned, there is a clear and boggy track to Lugnagun. I did jump along the different humps of ground on the summit to make pretty sure that I had indeed stood on the highest point. From here I decided to follow the track on to the edge of the forest where I saw there was a cairn marked on the osi map. The cairn is the type that I have commonly found in this area, overgrown and unworthy of examination in it's own right, I could however see why it was located in this area, as it does provide probably the best view of any spot on this hill.

From here I retraced my steps to the stile near the summit and headed into the deforested area, as already mentioned by darrenf you will soon pick up a forest track at C (O01123 12327), turn left and follow it to a gate on the edge of the forestry at E (O02472 11578), from here it is straightforward farmers tracks down through the field to join the road at F (O03012 11152). For me it was just under 2km on this quiet road back to the car to complete my 14k walk for the day. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/633/comment/14928/

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A dash of colour on a dull day

Not being able to be at Newgrange (having never applied for a ticket in my life) I decided to celebrate the winter solstice by watching the sun rise from a Wicklow hill. I planned to welcome the sun and speak encouraging words to it and let it know that from here on in it got easier for the next 6 months until the summer solstice in 2015.

Timeanddate.com told me sunrise would be at 8:38am. I got up early and made my way to the car park between Black and Sorrel Hills in the Wicklow Mountains. A slow start meant that sunrise found me high on Sorrel Hill, and not Lugnagun as planned. At 8:38am the glorious first rays of the sun peeping over the eastern Wicklow hills were completely denied to me by a persistent and typical blanket of cloud that soaked me and prevented me seeing more than 50 feet in any direction. Instead of warm and friendly sunlight I was surrounded by a dull, grey cloud that sneaked beneath my layers and chilled me. There was no moment of sunrise – just a slight lightening of the dreary enveloping cloud. I trudged on nonetheless as I expected something interesting to happen as so often does on my forays into the hills.

The route up Sorrel is a well-worn scar of exposed black bog which is wet and slippy and ever expanding by the trample of endless feet. On the road at the start of the track someone has spray painted arrows and information for the participants of some ‘pro race’ or other, pointing the hordes up Sorrell Hill. But that was another time and this early in the morning only the cold wind made any sound to accompany my heavy breathing and sucking footsteps. The summit carn of jumbled rock and stones loomed through the cloud and after a brief, chilly stop I descended westwards to find the ridge to Lugnagun.

According to the date on a summit comment I had previously written, it was 6 years since I had visited Lugnagun. I was quite taken aback by this – it felt like only recently that I had clambered up the short slope from the road below. 6 years? As I walked along my reverie was broken by something white on the ground. On closer inspection it turned out to be a small Christmas teddy bear- the type that hangs on a Christmas tree. Then I found another one. And another one. They were scattered around the heather. There was tinsel too, and baubles. Lots of baubles. Perplexed I looked around and there it was! A Christmas tree! Someone had decorated a tree just where the forest stopped and deforestation started near the summit. But the deforestation meant that a steady wind blew through the area and had stripped most of the decorations off the tree. They were scattered about the nearby hillside. I rescued 4 teddy bears and 4 Santas in total and decided to give them a safe and permanent home back in Dublin. They now occupy a warm and wind-free place high up on an indoor tree! Something interesting usually happens when I get out on the hills, and today was no different! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/633/comment/17765/

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