It's been a while since anyone has waxed, lyrical or otherwise, about the brief (but full-on) experience that Castleconor offers, but there are some things about which the community should be periodically reminded.

Given its adjacency to the road I thought I'd give it a sporting chance by attempting the ascent during the torrential rain that swept Ireland on 7th June and so it was I sallied forth using the same route as everyone else. The peat bank commented upon by others was a nightmare of oozing slime of which HP Lovecraft would have been enamoured, conquered (it's not too strong a word...I've done boulder problems that were much less strenuous) by swarming up a handily-placed tree root at its left-hand end. A quick traverse right gained the forest ride, which was followed upwards until it gave out in a tangle of trees, stumps and trenches that could only appeal to the location scout for 'Troll Hunter II'. More by luck than judgement I emerged, gopping and battered, onto the vague clearing of the summit, before an even greater supply of luck allowed me to roughly retrace my steps to the top of the ride. And so it was that 25 minutes of waving AND drowning delivered me back to the car.

My usual tactic following experiences like this is to use glass-half-full thinking and consider them as 'character building'. On this occasion I just shook my head at the ridiculous fact that I've climbed Castleconor but I haven't climbed Mweelrea. Somebody should stop me. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/796/comment/6856/