A tough traverse of the Cooley Mountains was rewarded with memorable views of the Mournes, writes JOHN G O'DWYER
ARE SOME of your best memories from carefree days when, in the words of William Wordsworth, you “wandered lonely as a cloud” through swathes of beguiling countryside?
This was true of the famous lakeland walker and writer Alfred W Wainwright. AW so loved the solitude of the hills that he spoke on BBC radio of dodging behind a rock when he encountered other ramblers.
If you believe Wordsworth and Wainwright were right and that the outdoors is best sampled in solitude, then the Cooley Mountains probably aren’t for you.
Secreted within this range are some of Ireland’s most accessible and walker-friendly highlands with an enduring popularity that arises partly from their proximity to the Dublin/Belfast motorway. Mostly, however, these compact uplands are much visited because of sublime opportunities for rambling, fell-running and mountain biking.
To unlock the secrets of the deeply mythological Cooleys with a full traverse, I started from the Carrickdale Hotel by going left to a roundabout and then footing an amenable bike trail south to Curralhir Bridge. Here, I took a road left to join the Tain Way as it dived into forestry.
Now the sylvan, sun-dappled trail rose gently through a series of switchbacks to reach a mountain road. Tagging the road right for about 1km I took a right to the summit of Black Mountain, otherwise known as Clermont Cairn. This wonderful viewing point is, however, spoiled by the presence nearby of telecommunications masts.
So I struck out southeast along the gentle crest to Carnavaddy (cairn of the dog) identified as point 475m on Ordnance Survey maps and traditionally regarded as the burial place of Cuchulain’s hunting hound, Bran. The mythological echoes are further emphasised here for this is also the place of the annual Poc Fada competition that sets out to find the hurler with Ireland’s longest shot. The event originated from the ancient Táin Bó Cúalinge saga with Setanta travelling through the Cooleys to Emain Macha while hitting his hurling ball ahead and then running to catch it.
NEXT I DESCENDED eastwards to reach a roadway about 100m left of a junction and went right for the short stroll to the Windy Gap. Reputedly this contains the “Grave of the Tall Woman”, a 7ft Spanish noblewoman who rashly married a local chieftain but expired with shock when she encountered the bleak Cooley landscape.
From the gap I ascended steeply towards Foxes Rock from where occasional yellow markers pointed right and southeast past a small lake to Ravens Rock. Another leftwards change of direction and a traverse through the desolate White Bog brought me up a short ascent to Eagles Rock.
The sky was clear and the route-finding easy but I was reminded of taking a walking group through this area on a foggy day. Encountering a rocky tor that seemed suspiciously similar to one met earlier, a group member enquired if we were lost. I rose to the situation by pointing out that, far from being lost, we were “merely unaware of our exact location”. True walk leaders are never lost – but they can become locationally challenged sometimes. The group made it down but, be warned, in mist it is easy to become disorientated on these featureless uplands.
Now I proceeded along the dramatic spine of the Cooleys with visible land diminishing as the seascape multiplied into a presence on three sides. Traversing several stony outcrops and then upwards to Carlingford Mountain I soon arrived atop the rugged head of Slieve Foy (589m) – the highpoint of my outing.
My reward was memorable views of the breathtaking Mourne Mountains standing sentinel across the lough. Slieve Foy is guarded by steep flanks to the southeast and a direct descent to Carlingford is problematic. To enjoy less precipitous terrain, I descended roughly south towards Barnavave and then picked up a path that led downwards to rejoin the Tain Way. From here I followed the walking arrows into the heart of medieval Carlingford.
Route: Cooley Mountains traverse
StartThe Carrickdale Hotel, Carrickcarnan, Co Louth near the M1 next to the Border. To return to the Carrickdale at the finish of the walk in Carlingford, get a friend to pick you up or take a taxi.
SuitabilityEven in good weather this is a demanding outing. Carry a map and compass and, perhaps, a GPS, to aid route-finding in mist on the featureless Cooleys.
TimeAllow six to seven hours to complete the route.
MapsDiscovery Series, sheet 29.
AccommodationCarrickdale Hotel (042- 9380900, carrickdale.com) is a three-star hotel with a leisure centre.