Last but by no means least in my list of Donegal NW tops.

I climbed this hill on 25 Oct 2012 as my final top in the MV list for Donegal NW. I parked at a large pull in area on the right (S) side of the minor road B (C07443 01200) and then went NE along the road for 600m to where a gate crossed it. Once past the gate I initially followed the line of a fence left (N) up the rough grassy slope but soon abandoned it and headed NE directly for the top. Although from the map the high point seems to lie on or immediately S of a fence crossing the summit area I found that the fence actually crosses along a small trough with two rocky upcrops on either side of it vying to be the high point of the hill. The difference in height appears minimal but in my view the higher point lies on the upcrop to the N side of the fence. However given the very close proximity of the two tops to each other it is very easy to visit both. As Garmin has already commented in the short summary this small hill is a marvellous vantage point for a sweep around the main hills of NW Donegal and even further afield to the Sperrins and Dartry Mts. However the view SW is perhaps the best uninterupted view of the Bluestacks I have experienced in Donegal extending from Barnesmore Gap NW across the main ridge, past Gaugin Mt to Agla Mt. and the small rocky profile of Scraigs. Nearer at hand directly in front of the ridge was the distinctive small hill of Altnapaste. Indeed this panorama is the only uninterupted view from Culliagh SE Top. What I did not anticipate or expect was the extent of wind turbine coverage in this small compact group of tops. They total in excess of 60 and there are signs of more to come. As a consequence any views other than SW are restricted by this large wind farm. As a walk up and down can be done in an hour I decided not to return by way of ascent but rather extend my walk by following the fence line down NW over relatively easy ground and then SW over a patch of boggy peat hags to Pt. 358 (Three Tops ) C (C07003 01730) and a couple of nearby lower but distinctive satellite tops which I assume give the higher top it's name. I then dropped down SE past a small copse of trees on the righjt to join the road D (C07365 01140) where I turned left and back to the car a mere 100m along. A most enjoyable ramble of some 4.5k over gentle slopes comprising a mix of grass, some boggy areas and a few unexpected rocky tops. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/879/comment/14847/

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Excellent Views Of The Bluestacks

This was my third small hill of the day after nearby Ballystrang and Cark Mountain, and this was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. All three are short walks, but this one was marginally more difficult as the walking was on heathery open hillside, rather than stretches of wind farm access road, but the walk is so short it was no hardship. The reward was really excellent views into the Bluestacks. This would have been a worthy hill even if it wasn't in my local 100. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/879/comment/18510/

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Short but Rewarding.

Really enjoyed this walk and followed Track 2094 by Garmin. Plenty of parking at the start, easy navigation along a farm track and then grazed grass and heather with good ground underfoot. There is no summit marker and a number of possible candidates. My favourite candidate was the rocky outcrop across the fence but the views made it more than worth crossing the fence twice. Great views towards the Bluestack Mountains and Errigal and Muckish were also visible today. The return is on a slightly different route than the ascent and makes a nice little loop walk. Great rewards for very little effort.

Blog post and photos for the trip: https://idlecyclist.wordpress.com/2021/10/20/hike-cuilagh-se-top-and-cark-mountain/
. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/879/comment/23311/

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