I had signed up to do a walk today with the Club but only two of us and the organiser were going so it was cancelled last night. I guess it’s too close to Xmas for most people but it will be run again in 2026.
The weather was looking good and I had myself geared up for the hills so I decided to go myself instead. First time walking solo since January!
With limited daylight I wanted something relatively easy and not too long so after a trawl through my saved routes I found one that fit the bill in the Bluestack Mountains taking in two summits I haven’t been on before and at 10.5km manageable in about 4 hours.
The first section is along access tracks for the windfarm that sits on the lower slopes between Silver Hill and Carnaween. It’s simple walking but steeper than I expected as it rises steeply from 200m along the Eany Beg Water to the Anarget Reservoir at just under 400m in just under 3km.
It was on this very first section that I realised I had made a bad assumption about sheep. I figured there wouldn’t be many about the hills this late in the year but I was wrong. Especially wrong here as it looks like the windfarm company have leased the land from a local sheep farmer! Also with the land sitting in a valley it’s very sheltered and a perfect location to over-winter a flock.
This was Cooper’s first experience of sheep “in the wild” and he really struggled to cope. He’s hardwired to chase when something runs so it became a constant challenge to keep him under control. Thankfully I’d decided to bring my 10m long lead that allowed him to explore but also gave me the ability to restrain his exuberance!
The steep track, heavy boots that are better on hill than road and the constant stress of keeping Cooper under control meant I was glad to reach the reservoir and the main hill.
The reservoir appears to be a small lough that has been dammed at one end to create both a larger lough and a controllable stream that has a small hydro plant close to where we started. From the map I wasn’t sure how to cross the outflow end but there’s a large concrete wall that acts like a ford. I’m not sure how deep this gets but it was only a few inches deep today and easily crossed.
Across the lough and it was straight into open hillside. I should know better by now but I had expected better ground than what was in front of me. The Bluestacks are renowned for heavy, wet and boggy terrain but above a certain height it tends to be drier and rockier making for really nice walking. Today I had about 100m to go to get onto the good ground and in between it was some of the most difficult I’ve crossed. A constant mix of peat hags, boggy sections and cut by small steep ravines that knocked my legs for six! I was still hyper alert for wandering sheep so I’d kept Cooper on the long lead and it was a constant challenge to keep it from getting tangled in my legs and from getting caught on rocks and clumps. He had his own ideas about the best way to navigate this terrain and at 10 times the speed I was moving!
Once I made it to the drier ground it was pretty clear that I was going to need more daylight than I expected to get the full route completed. The day was quite dull with patchy low cloud rolling across from about 500m and above. Combined with my slow pace I made the decision to skip Carnaween for today and just focus on Silver Hill and getting home safe.
The downside of hitting the drier ground is that it’s also steeper! Legs that were tired from the boggy bits were now complaining about the power being demanded to scramble up the rocky slope 🥵
Silver Hill is a really nice mix of rocky outcrops on this side. It was a challenge to pick the best route through but it made for interesting walking and very atmospheric as wispy clouds were blowing in and out.
After the inevitable false summit at 550m 🙈 I got sight of the summit with a distinctive rocky cairn built on a small crag. A very regular shaped rock has been inserted into the cairn. Covered in moss, it has obviously been there for many years but gave a strong impression that it was a man made mini trig.
Rather than head back the way I came I decided to drop off the summit staying above the route in and heading for the highest of the windmills. This brought me roughly parallel to the planned route across to Carnaween but at a lower elevation and with an easy finish back along the windfarm tracks.
Despite improving visibility I was happy with my decision to do the shorter walk as I was once again in the same kind of ground I’d experienced just above the reservoir. Descending though was a bit easier than climbing up through it.
Descending the first section off the summit with Cooper was a challenge for the two of us. Still on the long lead Cooper was bombing on ahead in full 4×4 mode. He was happily picking his own route that usually didn’t suit me and once again at 10 times the speed I was moving. I had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t go over too steep a drop, hit the limit of the lead and jerk me off my feet. Poles were once again, unmanageable due to the lead so I was already feeling less stable than normal and was very wary of taking a tumble on slippery, steep terrain.
Finally reaching the windfarm again the afternoon decided to brighten up. The clouds had mostly blown away and the sun came out to give me fantastic views of Carnaween and its craggy summit. Despite this I was happy with my shorter walk and I’m looking forward to reaching Carnaween’s summit via a different approach, hopefully in the Spring.
Running the final sheep gauntlet with a tired and therefore, better behaved Cooper, I was back at the car just under 3hrs after starting. I finally took the chance to have lunch and sat in pleasantly warm sunshine. You wouldn’t think it’s Xmas in 4 days!
⛰️ Silver Hill, Bluestack Mountains, Co. Donegal. 600m which qualifies it as an Arderin and also the smallest of the Vandeleur-Lynams, just sneaking over the line. Also on my Local 100 and 50 Highest in Ulster lists.
📈 Total Distance: 8.9km
⬆️ Total Ascent: 453m
Silver Hill is definitely a summit I’d like to go back and revisit in a different season. Gerry McVeigh has a video of a wild camp on the summit as part of a longer two day hike in May this year. It’s a bit adventurous for me but I think the loop taking in Lavagh Beg and Lavagh More from Silver Hill would be manageable.
niall harran 