[RWD version 1 ] This was rewarding only in the sense that I bagged 3 Carns and there was some pleasant scenery. Other than that, to say it was not a pleasant walk is an understatement. At times it was brutal, at times a slog though very wet ground, and at times boring and energy-sapping.
I parked at the Cargan Dam carpark, crossed the dam and headed east along the reservoir for a while before striking out towards Collin Top. From this point almost all the way to the summit (2km), it was a dog-rough slog through knee-high grass or heather and very uneven ground – expect to fall multiple times. It finally eased to short grass about 100m SW of Collin. To emphasise how rough it was, it took me 1 hour 40 minutes to walk this 2km.
From there I made a beeline SE towards Mid Hill, following the edge of the forest. It was a passable, but the barely visible track was sodden (and that after a long dry spell) and the narrow track vanished frequently. I didn’t go up Mid Hill however, but opted to head for Soarns first, turning SE at the corner of the forest. The next 1km was ok, until I reached the edge of the forest and had to drag myself up a forest ride covered in more long grass and heather. A turn off to the SW after about 800m and then a further slog up another forest ride took me to the totally forgettable high point. I retraced my steps to return me to Mid Hill, whose high point is a simple heathery mound before descending north back towards dam. This part was another brutal exercise in energy-sapping slogging through very high grass, reeds and long heather, the only compensation being the view of Dungonnell Lough in the valley below. When I finally reached my car, I fell upon it like it was a long lost friend. Not a day to remember!