Spinans Hill, only 409 metres above sea level. A forest track to take you most of the way to the summit. How hard could it be?
I parked at the bottom of the track shown on Sheet 56 at S92519 93199 A and followed the track south towards the summit. The track peters out as it passes through some grazing fields, but you can pick it up again as it enters the forest. However, any thoughts of it taking me almost all the way to the top with an easy push through some mature conifers towards the end were soon shattered. From the end of the forest track to the open ground near the summit it's a nasty half hour of crouching on all fours, pushing through gorse bushes, and getting covered in pine needles. Do not try approaching through the forest to the south! The summit itself is fairly nondescript: a fence bisecting a collection of rocks that probably once formed a wall. The views over to the western Wicklow Mountains are nice, however, and Blackstairs is visible to the south. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/787/comment/2779/

One way of getting along the ridge between the two Spinans is to follow the route suggested by wicklore through the forest. This route is some 250m long and is easy to use, once you know it it there! From the Spinans Hill SE Top goto S92669 91082 B, a corner of the forest, shown below. Walk approx west along a fence through the trees and emerge right beside the "grey hut" at S92409 91095 C. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/787/comment/4393/

I climbed Spinian after Spinian SE Top. For those doing the same and following my route they would have arrived at a hut beside a forest. (see Spinian SE Top) To reach this hut directly without climbing SE Top simply park off the road at the gate and track at S924 907 D. Head through the gate and head north on the track. The track reaches a forest. Stay on the track and keep the forest on your right. After 10 minutes of hugging the forest you will reach the aforementioned hut and a fence blocking your path. (ignore an earlier roofed structure on the track with no sides) The forest turns west at the hut, so head west alongside the forest, with the trees on your right. A few minutes brought me to a gate at the end of the forest. I went through the gate and a few minutes north uphill along a track brought me over a fence to the broad summit area. In the poor visibility I continued north until I found the fence at the summit recorded by csd. From the car I would reckon it’s a 25 minute walk to the summit. I could see nothing whatsoever due to the weather but was happy to have found an easy route up. I can empathize with csd and all those who have been forced to crawl and eat pine needles in their quest to find routes up our hills. The compass brought me back through the cloud to the track and I followed the forest down to my car. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/787/comment/3371/

This is a view of Spinans Hill from the north. Trackback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/787/comment/18314/