In rating Carnearny my scores did not lift it above the lowly 21%. Today to me it is not a place that is a great challenge, has wonderful views or is a wild and lonely place - but go back to my childhood and it is a very different story.

Living in Antrim on the shores of Lough Neagh, Carnearny rose to what seemed to be unimaginable heights and was often dusted with snow when we were soaked by rain. Many a Sunday was spent walking with family and pets through the wooded slopes. With age and independence i visited on my own to walk, cycle and run - as i still do today. At a time the wooded summit was clear and views abounded - to the Sperrins, the Mournes, Belfast hills and the whole of Lough Neagh - now it is glimpses here and there. To be there was like being on top of the world, everything was a marvel - a trig pillar! a communications mast! fire dams! looking into the big quarry!

The tracks through the forest will provide an hour of exercise and can easily be linked with nearby Tardree Mountain to prolong the experience. It doesn't grab my heart now in the way the cliffs of Slieve League or other big dramatic hills do but it does have a special place there and always will do - it is where i started walking in and wondering at the marvel of the hills in Ireland. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/933/comment/3360/