GO WALK:Clohernagh Mountain, in Glenmalure, Co Wicklow, is a rugged track to tackle, but two particular treasures make it worth the effort, writes Paddy Woodworth
THE BIGGEST is not always the best. Lugnaquillia, in Co Wicklow's majestic Glenmalure Valley, is the highest mountain in Ireland outside Co Kerry. This naturally attracts those who want to cut macho notches on their hiking boots. But Lug is a sprawling slob of a mountain, and its vast upper reaches can often be remarkably dull.
Some of its approach routes, however, are truly delightful. One option is Clohernagh. It is sometimes dismissed as a shoulder of Lug, but it is actually a noble 800m mountain in its own right. And two of the greatest treasures of this valley lie hidden in its ample skirts.
What's more, Mountain Meitheal has recently negotiated first-class access to Clohernagh with a local farm. It has also restored the drains and stonework of the landmark zig-zag path behind the farmhouse.
A boardwalk now runs around this white homestead at a decent distance. A new bridge gives a spectacular view up the Carrawaystick waterfall.
Then you are on the zigzags, a breathtaking - in more senses than one - avenue up the mountain slope. This path was originally a hunting trail used by the Parnell family, based in nearby Avondale.
You will see deer but little other wildlife on this route today, though a birding friend of mine found a dotterel, a very rare plover, nearby. But mostly you will have to be content with the shriek of a hunting peregrine or the acrobatics of exuberantly tumbling ravens.
The views of Glenmalure provide plenty of compensation, as the rapid ascent opens out the panorama of the great valley beneath you like a fan. This is the rugged heart of rebel Wicklow, where the O'Byrnes massacred Elizabethan soldiery at will and Michael Dwyer's guerrillas put manners on the redcoats for five heroic years after 1798. The terrain tells you why.
Spare a thought, too, for the less romantic miners who toiled under the scree on the slope opposite, reminding us that this "pristine" landscape was once industrialised.
At the top of the zigzags head straight on up to a fence and stile. Then make for a lone rowan tree to your right. It's a scramble to the top of the ridge above it, but then a clear but heavily eroded path leads west. Beware the craggy drops to your right.
Half the county comes into view as you rise, familiar summits popping up one by one. The path finally swings left, towards the close but still invisible cairn that marks Clohernagh's top. From here you can easily (in good weather) stride onwards to conquer Lug. But it is well worth lingering here to find the treasures mentioned earlier.
South of the summit lies the spear-shaped Kelly's Lough, one of the loveliest corrie lakes in the country. But there is an even lovelier one to the north-west.
Gaze down at Art's Lough from the cliffs above - careful now - under the midday sun, and its rocky bottom flares in gold and amber beneath its dancing silver surface. Wasn't it worth the climb?
Clohernagh, Co Wicklow
Starting pointSome 90 minutes from Dublin via the N11 and Rathdrum. You can't miss the zigzags to your left as you approach the head of Glenmalure. Park with care near the wooden hiking sign indicating a white farmhouse.
TimeThree to five hours, depending on fitness and your inclination to wander.
SuitabilityThe route is obvious for much of the way, but mist can obliterate it in seconds. The going is rough in the unmarked middle section, and the usual hazards - cliffs, hidden boulders, eroded bog with sudden drops - abound higher up. This trail requires average fitness.
MapPat Healy's excellent 1:25,000 "Glendalough- Glenmalur" (sic) map outshines the OS sheets here. Available from McCoy's in Laragh, Co Wicklow.
AccommodationGlenmalure Lodge (0404-46188) is a great pub and a popular BB.
Brook Lodge Wells Spa (0402-36444, www.brooklodge.com) is a luxury hotel with a great spa.