A walk on Ireland's most northerly hill

I went in search of this hill on 4 Aug 2011 as one of five remaining tops which I have yet to climb on Inishowen. What a surprise lay in store. As well as being the most northerly listed hill in the mv list it is a fine place for viewing the Inishowen peninsula and beyond. I parked at Doh Dún (C44809 57669) (mentioned by gerrym in his comments) and from there opted for a more direct ascent. I continued E along the rough track passing through a couple of fence sections with secured openings. The track soon swung around to the S as it gently made its way up hill. At A (C45374 57238) some 800m along it became less distinct but could be followed up to the W shoulder of the hill some 200m further along B (C45255 57056). From here I turned left (E) more steeply up the heather and stone covered slope and made directly for the top with the summit area and its hard to miss "golf ball dome" gradually coming into view. The trig pillar marking the high point is at C (C46054 56740). As others have already affirmed this is a splendid viewpoint N out over Irelands most northerly point at Malin Head and then, in spite of the "dome", S and W to many of the high hills of the North of Ireland. Unfortunately for me the views were short lived as a thick mist rolled quickly in from the sea blanking out any visability. My original intention had been to follow gerrym's ascent route for my descent but the mist changed my plans and I simply retraced my route back to the car. However now that I have been there and encouraged by gerrym's informative write up, this small hill, unlike many others I have visited over the years, is one that I would, weather permitting, re-visit. In all a walk of 3.86km completed in 1hr. 15min. Given the size of the moorland covered by this hill and its knobbly surface I would commend the need for accurate route finding should mist intervene, as happened when I was there. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/970/comment/6482/

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gerrym on Crockalough

A small hill at the most northern reaches of the isle - surely not worth bothering about? Think again as i have. It provided a fantastic environment for walking and exploration, with religion, technology, stunning scenery and isolation as companions.

Access is from the R242 out of Malin, turning on to a minor road, taking a lane off this at D (C436 574) and parking at its end where there is room for several cars ( Doh Dún (C448 577)). This is at a height of several hundred feet and looks out over Malin and the ocean to the north.

Cross fence and drop down to the dramatic coastline. The tide was out and the cluster of the Garvan isles just off the coast were fully visible, further out i could make out the lighthouse and abandoned dwellings on the island of Inishtrahull. Gulls perched on the cliffs and a solitary fishing boat braved the waters. A sheep track sticks faithfully to the cliff edges, passing storm beaches (one with a splash of sand which looked like a murder scene marked out for some large aquatic animal), small streams before they tumbled below and the large stack of Stookanuddan. Contour around an inlet, which has 2 streams falling at its back to jumbled slabs of rock below, to reach above the small stack of Reaghillan (E (C458 579)). The ground rises steadily from here and the cliffs get higher, giving fantastic views over the immediate coastline and to Knocklayd in the Antrim hills further afield.

My GPS gave the cliffs a height of 623 ft before i turned inland towards the summit. The hillside was covered in blooms of pink heather, with bees and butterflies visiting. A number of old tracks were visible to the east and a burnt out car - though had to look hard to spot it!
The final pull is steep. The trig pillar and small cairn are reached in an hour and 2 miles. It is somewhat lost among masts and a large 'golfball' dome housing radar. The views are not lost though and stretch along the north coast to the antrim hills, west to Malin head and down over the hills of Inishowen to the Sperrin mtns. A strong breeze was blowing and i sat with my back against the trig pillar gazing over the Atlantic.

Follow the access road downhill for a short distance to reach the lough which has been a site of religious pilgrimage. A walk around its shores reveals numerous personal and religious artefacts left by pilgrims. I took a direct route in returning to my starting point NW off the top - this picks up some old tracks which lead back to the start. In all 4 miles and 2 hours. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/970/comment/4114/

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Another quick ascent.

Parked at the end of the lane, mentioned by gerrym, at around Doh Dún (C448 576). Climbed over the new looking fence on our left, and followed this east to another fence at around Doh Dún (C451 576), stepped over and turned immediately right and followed a track up hill. There are many tracks criss crossing this hillside, use them to gain height before striking up hill through the heather, to the summit and trig point. We startled a fox, as it was trying to sneak up on some sheep, just where we left the track.

As we approached the summit and its strange golf ball installation, a loud roll of thunder echoed all around us, so there was no hanging around to admire the views, just a quick return to the car. 50 min all in. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/970/comment/5909/

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cjdonaghey on Crockalough

The views and the wildlife make this a must for all hillwalkers Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/970/comment/4457/

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