paddyhillsbagger on Cappaghabaun Mountain East

I'm surprised this fine little top hasn't been scaled before. There are a series of bog roads which take you to within 15 minutes of the top (in an ordinary car, off-roaders have left their muddy ruts near the top) after following a minor road out of Mountshannon as far as you are happy to travel! I stopped a couple out walking who said it is possible to drive over the pass following the East Clare Way but I declined this advice. Anyway it is a simple walk up the bog roads where turf is still cut until you can view the small cairn off to the NW. Cutting across the open and desolate bog makes you feel as if you are in wild country and fine views over Lough Derg soon open up. On gaining the cairn the trig is nearby and there are panoramic views all round including the other 2 Slieve Aughtys I also bagged earlier in the day as well as other tops yet to be climbed. You can hang around here hill spotting all day but I took some photos and descended as clouds were forming and it was getting late. A lovely little hill with a big view and wild terrain. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/870/comment/4364/

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A walk to restore your faith in the "little tops"

On entering Mountshannon from Scarriff I turned left at a house with large white pillars GR A (R70792 86973). Continuing uphill for approx 5km there is roadside parking just after a rusted little sign for a Dolmen GR B (R67553 89807). Following the road north from here on foot it soon becomes an unpaved track leading you into a beautiful if desolate bog landscape.
Approx 2km from the car watch out for an overgrown track on your right leading into the bog cuttings GR C (R67018 91762). This rough track peters out after a short time. Continue ENE across the bog towards the high ground, first reaching a cairn and shortly after the summit trig point sitting on a slight grassy mound.
The visibility wasn't the best on the day but nonetheless I had good views of Tountinna and Lough Derg and the company of skylarks and a lone cuckoo. A good to be alive moment!

Upon retracing my steps to the car I was intrigued by the battered sign and went in search of the Dolmen. Following the direction it pointed I went along a bog road for almost 1km to find the dolmen just slighly off the track to the left at Gr D (R67749 90610). This is a great little track with extensive views of Lough Derg and Holy Island. With a little bog trotting it could be incorporated into a loop taking in both the dolmen and Cappaghabaun.

Map 9 of the East Clare Way on www.irishtrails.ie shows all the tracks and roads very accurately. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/870/comment/14978/

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Far vistas reward, wild bog abounds.

Cappaghabaun Mountain East, CME, has an interesting distant view but its flatness makes for boggy near ground at the top. There's a few places in Ireland while not surrounded by water nevertheless have water in much of the panorama. Teevenabinnia in the Mweelrea Mountains is surrounded by an arc of Killary Fjord. CME has a 140 degree of the Shannon, in particular Lough Derg.
Like acorn we could see the summits on the other side such as Tountinna. TV masts were visible on Keeper Hill and Maghera.
You might wonder about "Cappaghabaun" as opposed to CME. The situation appears to be that the long partially wooded ridge extending SW from CME is Cappaghabaun and it rises no higher than about 340m. Lacking prominence it is not included in MountainViews lists.
Other commentators arrived at the summit from the south via Mountshannon. This would be the quickest route certainly but, as of 2014, it is also possible in an ordinary car to slowly get to the start from the north and west. For example you can drive, somewhat circuitously from Cashlaundrumlahan to near CME. If you do so you will sample some of the unique but uncelebrated landscape of the Slieve Aughtys, too high for much conventional agriculture, too low to have spectacular peaks, covered in trees and lonely roads.

More on the Slieve Aughtys http://www.aughty.org/heritage.htm Amongst much else is a description of the depopulation of this area after being hard hit in the Famine. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/870/comment/17579/

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Where's the Dolmen?

A road leads north west out of the lovely village of Mountshannon. The road does deteriorate quite badly so after about 5 kilometers I found a place to park at E (R67044 90615). From here follow the track north east for about 500 meters before having to head on a bog slog north for about 1.5 kilometers to the lonely trig point on this boggy plateau. There are nice views out over Lough Derg.

I had passed a sign for a Dolmen on my drive to the start point which was in the general vicinity so I took a detour south to try and find it. I didn't have any luck so I made my way back out to the road. The futile search for the dolmen added about 2 kilometers to the walk but hey, it was a nice day out! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/870/comment/20098/

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Easy, pleasant walk in a remote area

Cappaghabaun East, as others have described, is a little bit off the beaten track - having said that, the East Clare Way crosses the route several times! Again, as others have written, the views are likely to be impressive for such a small hill and yet I also saw more cloud and fog than views.
Yet, something about the place lends itself to grey cloud and hazy views - the bleakness of the landscape comes into its own. I recommend taking the route this direction as its easier to locate the dolmen (see photo) and descending to the road from the summit is easier than ascending, due to the long grass and bog cuttings. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/870/comment/19721/

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