Members and Supporters, the MountainViews Committee requests your help to meet the costs of the website and of other activities such as insured events or publications.
mcrtchly: Track/2668 in area near Carrignagower, Comeragh Mountains (Ireland)
A circuit of the Comeraghs
Ascent: 858m,
Length: 24.9km,
Creator time taken: 9h31m
Descent: 888m,
Time predicted from Naismith's rule: 6h 25m + breaks
Click here to rate track
PlacesStart at Nire Valley CP (Nire) S27828 12914, Carrignagower, Curraghduff, Coumfea, Seefin, Milk Hill, end at Start
Track Rating ..
[RWD version 1 ]
This route takes in some of the outlying summits of the Comeraghs (Carrignagower, Seefin and Milk Hill) but can easily be modified to take in the main summits which we bypassed on this route having previously climbed them. Although there is not too much ascent overall on this route, and most of it is completed with the steep pull up from The Gap to Carrignagower, the terrain is for the most part challenging, comprised of squelching bog (in places heavily eroded into hags), interspersed with bilberry, heather and tussocky grass, making progress slow. Care should be taken approaching the summit cairn on Carrignagower, as the ground is literally peppered with fragments of conglomerate rock that is uneven underfoot and partially concealed by moss. Atop the broad plateau, judging distance across an endless expanse of bog and heath is difficult. We seemed to walk forever to reach the concrete building on Seefin which appeared and disappeared from view with depressing regularity as we wove our way across the featureless, undulating bog. After pausing for much needed food and refreshment at a chaotic jumble of rocks fashioned into a crude bivy, but that was obviously once a prehistoric monument, we struck out for Milk Hill via the Carrigbrack ridge. We watched the sun sink low in the western sky from its unremarkable summit, finally exploding on the horizon in a crimson orb which tainted the summer clouds a Baroque riot of violet, marshmallow pink and apricot. We deliberately started this walk late in the day so as to complete the end of it by the light of the super moon. As twilight fell silently over the landscape, we descended a narrow tract of land sandwiched between forestry. Initially hand-railing an area of clear felled forestry on our left, the ground got progressively rougher, boggier and the grass higher, until it resembled something from the Okavango after the rains: waist high and almost impenetrable! Eventually we crossed a small stream, skirting forestry and onto a track that joined a road running almost parallel to the River Nier. By now the super moon had risen from behind a bank of smoky grey cloud. Hanging majestically in the night sky above the broad plateau of the Comeraghs like a giant Chinese lantern, it looked surreal as we passed along the country lanes, the dewy air heavy with the intense fragrance of dog roses, honeysuckle and meadow sweet. We eventually descended to the valley bottom through a field of bracken which was up to our oxters, and without difficulty picked our way across the tops of boulders of a Nier tributary to reach a footpath on the other side. This track led to a bridge over the Nier River and onto the asphalted road to the car park which lay around 350 metres uphill.
Editing Details for track/2668
NOTE: ALL information such as Ascent, Length and Creator time taken etc should be regarded as approximate. The creator's comments are opinions and may not be accurate or still correct.
Your time to complete will depend on the speed of the slowest plus break time and your mode of transport.
NOTE: It is up to you to ensure that your route is appropriate for you and your party to follow bearing in mind all factors such as safety, weather conditions, experience and access permission.
Uploaded on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 (21:52:49), Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/track/2668/
* Note: A GPS Height in the elevation profile is sourced from the device that recorded the track. An "SRTM" height is derived from a model of elevations for parts of the earth. More detail
Use of MountainViews is governed by conditions and a privacy policy.
Read general information about the site. Opinions in material here are not necessarily endorsed by MountainViews.
Hillwalking is a risk sport. Information in comments, walks, shared GPS tracks or about starting places may
not be accurate for example as regards safety or access permission. You are responsible for your safety and your permission to walk.
See the credits and list definitions.