Preban Hill Loop Walk
We were off on another ramble chasing our local 100 summit list from Mountainviews.ie and as it was a Sunday this summit and route choice ment we had no parking issues and had the trails to ourselves. Parking outside the church in Annacurragh village just outside Aughrim provides plenty of free parking. Head NE past the church and playground to the Roddenagh Woods entrance. There is a lovely loop walk in the woods here and more information can be found at the following link: https://www.coillte.ie/site/roddenagh-wood/ which also has a downloadable map.

We followed this mark way for a short while however our aim was to cut through Roddenagh woods to join the road at grid reference T 11383 79042 and then follow a selection of roads to a forest entrance on the hillside of Preban at grid reference T 10202 79693. From this point we had an easy ramble up to the summit following the forest tracks. There are several options here and the EastWest Mapping (Wicklow South) has all the different forest tracks marked for your pleasure, so it's a handy map to have.

Now, how does one say positive things about a summit which is pretty much a spot to the side of a forest track crossroads? It's an easy summit! The views are somewhat less than great, yet at the same time you do have a good view. However a grassy hump affords the feelings of "summiting" an otherwise plain summit. The return journey has options, the forest tracks or a narrow overgrown trail, we took the latter. At grid reference T 09084 79212 you leave a forest track and enter said overgrown trail, mind you, never too overgrown. There is evidence of horse trekkers and walkers on the trail but the sighting of a buzzard and a fox make it all worthwhile.

The narrow trail rejoins the forest track not long after and getting lost here would be very hard. After two bends in the forest track keep a good eye out for a track to your right which will leave the main forest track and take you down to the main road and links nicely back into Roddenagh woods at grid reference T 10597 78757. Shortly after you will find yourself back on the marked way of Roddenagh woods and then the car park.