TRAVEL: WALK:In a brief brush with the 'Arderin' bug, Tony Doherty rises to the 500m challenge with a delightful stroll near Inchigeelagh
I WAS LAZILY PUTTING my boots on in a lay-by recently when a car zoomed up, screeched to a halt, disgorged three already kitted-out climbers who shot off up the track calling out to the driver, “See you on the other side around six”.
Upon inquiring of the motorist I discovered that these driven individuals were engaged in bagging “Arderins” – peaks whose summits are over 500m, of which there are 458 in Ireland. If you are well organised and fit, you can bag 15 or more in a day apparently. I imagine that I must have unwittingly bagged a good few over the years and when I got home I Googled the Arderin list to see if there were many I hadn’t summited.
There was one near Inchigeelagh, Shehy More (546m), which was only 50km away from Cork. It is unnamed on the Ordnance Survey map and is mistakenly called Carrigmount (a nearby peak) on the list which I had consulted.
When you turn off at Inchigeelagh you will see two steep conical peaks ahead. These are Shehy More and Douce. But this is an illusion and Shehy More, when you get to it, turns out to be a whale-backed ridge promising easy walking.
A sign by the gate at the start stated that this area is a wildlife sanctuary and it was a pleasure to walk across moorland alive with the sound of birds, a rare event these days. When you come to a fork in the track go left and though the track peters out, it is the most direct route to Lough Nambrackderg. Go to the shore to avoid having to cross fences. On the northwest side of the mountain a green road brings you up close to the crest. Leave the track and follow the fence to the peak on which there is no cairn.
A solitary fence post looked like it might be the summit indicator. It certainly marked the centre of a most splendid panorama. To the north lie the Boggeragh Mountains merging into the Paps and then your eye can follow the peaks of the Shehy and Caha Mountains.
I was lucky to be there on a sunny day so away to the west the snow-capped MacGillycuddys Reeks were clearly visible. To the south you’ll be looking straight down Bantry Bay bounded to the east by Sheep’s Head peninsula with Mizen Peak popping up behind it. To my surprise I could also see Cape Clear Island.
I strolled southwest for two kilometres dropping down to a col and back up to an unmarked peak at 440m and then retraced my steps back to the start.
Inevitably, the next time I was planning a walk I started to look up the list on my computer but quickly turned it off because for an addictive personality “therein lies madness”. I do hope I have not created any Arderin widows or widowers as a result of this article.
Shehy More, Co Cork
Map:OSI discovery series, sheet 85.
Start and finish:A track next to a sheep dip on a third-class road which links Inchigeelagh and Kealkill, 9.4km southwest of Inchigeelagh. Grid reference 153 620
How to get there:Turn off the N22 on to the R584, one kilometre east of Macroom. Turn left at the cross roads in Inchigeelagh and keep right until you pass the Mass Rock. Take a left at the fork beyond the Mass Rock and keep straight on for 7.2 km. There is only parking for two cars here as it is a narrow road frequently used by large forestry vehicles and you should park fully off the road. There is a lay-by about 700m further along the road on the right.
Time:Four hours
Distance:10km
Total ascent:330m
Suitability:Easy. Map, rain gear and walking boots needed.
Food & Accommodation:Macroom. Inchigeelagh