Magnificent Views

I've often gazed across at Croughaun while making my way up Coumshingaun and wondered if it might be worth checking out some day. That day came in a hot mid-July when a few of us needed something a lot less strenuous than our usual hikes and which would afford us some pleasant cool walking along forest paths. And so it proved. The starting point was the Croughaun Hill Car Park and we followed the forestry road from there.We walked to the end of that road and then cut through the forestry until we emerged into the open and ascended to the summit from the eastern side. We had been expecting a clearly defined path leading off the forestry road but if it exists we couldn't find it. Forestry growth over the last few years may have done for it.

The view west from the summit is magnificent - the Comeraghs in all their glory: Coumshingaun, Crotty's Rock, the Knockanaffrin Ridge.

We made our way back the same way and our very leisurely stroll took us just over a couple of hours. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/851/comment/23587/

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Good views after a fairly short walk.

This fine little hill offers great views of the Comeraghs from the east. Park as jackill suggests at the forestry entrance. Walk to the end of the forest road at around E (S3809 1128) and then through trees for around 160m at around 120 degrees when you will emerge at the side of the forest. Then walk uphill around 300m to arrive at the top.
Fine views await you. The picture is of the Comeraghs centred on Coumshingaun around 6km away. There are also views towards the Knockanaffrin ridge, Slievenamon, some of the smaller hills such as Carricktriss Gorse and even some of the coastline. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/851/comment/4660/

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Croughan Hill, simple but good

The forestry entrance at Croghaun (S36451 10191) marks the start of this 6.5km walk. There are good views as you rise of the looming bulk of the Comeraghs behind you to the west. After coming to a gate next to a sheep fold at A (S37063 11231) do not go through the gate but turn to your right and hop the broken gate/wire you see. There is a rough track which skirts the foresty to your left follow this track to B (S37725 11270) then continue on the track skirting around the summit to the right until you finally meet a grassy ramp on the east of the mountain just after the track starts to descend, follow this to the summit.
The detailed instructions are because the areas off this track seem to be covered with conglomerate rocks concealed by high heather, not the best surface to walk on as I found!.
From the summit you have a great view of the Comeraghs particularly the Coumshingaun corrie which is one of the best examples of a glacial corrie in Ireland. Some geologists have speculated that the area around Croghaun Hill ,which is made up of a different conglomerate sandstone to the Comeragh plateau could in fact be older than the plateau itself. Also of note are two outporings of green/red vesicular lava at Carrigduff and Coolnahorna which are to the north of the fork in the Ire river at Kilclooney bridge. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/851/comment/3440/

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Bee careful!

I followed jackill's instructions, but impatient to get up to the summit, I ignored the bit about meeting a grassy ramp and headed straight for the summit after his third point. Unless you're trying to get back into shape for a ski holiday, this probably isn't what you want to do, as you'll spend the next 20 minutes lifting the legs high over heather and ferns.

The mist was down, so no views from the summit for me: just the trig pillar and what appear to be the remains of a set of level crossing gates. Here instead is a picture of a group of bee hives, which are located just off the track near the parking spot noted by jackill. Might be a good idea to keep kids and dogs away from this spot -- you'll know it by the old radiator visible as a bridge across the drainage ditch on the track! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/851/comment/6096/

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Much better views than you'd expect.

Followed Jackhill's instructions and got to the summit fairly easily, having about an hour before darkness, we decided to try the variety option. Heading down a fairly steep track east from the summit along a forestry fence, we never found the clearing to allow us to cut across to E (S3809 1128).
With darkness looming we bailed out onto the road at F (S3890 1130) and had a long dark damp 6/7km walk back to the car at Croghaun (S36451 10191). Despite all that, I'll be back, the views on a fine day would be second to none. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/851/comment/6668/

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