Last Sunday, I journeyed with a few like-minded souls to Coumshingaun in the Comeragh Mountains in Co. Waterford. The centrepiece is a corrie lake caused by glaciation during the last Ice Age. The corrie has a classic “armchair” shape: two gently ascending narrow ridges with precipitous drops on all three sides.
The journey upwards was quite difficult, compared to Galteemore. It’s a more challenging ascent due to the preponderance of rock outcrops and winding, up/down paths.
It took us about 2 hours to reach the top. Here’s a view of the ridge by which we ascended.
The “summit” is pretty flat, owing to the fact that the Comeraghs are about 350 million years old. Significant weathering, not to mention a few Ice Ages thrown in for good measure, have reduced the mountains to a uniform boggy plateau around 700 metres high.
Coumshingaun lake is impressive – a mile long, dark, mysterious, fed by gently gurgling waterfalls. Strewn around it are tons of piled up debris from ancient landslides.
We completed the “armchair” circuit in good time, returning to the car park in just over four hours. Just the antidote for those Monday morning blues!
Sunny spells and scattered showers 
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June 13, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Reggie
Oh wow. You really live in a spectacular place. I am so enjoying looking at all your photos.
I realllly hope the weather will cooperate when we visit your country for the first time in Sept/Oct this year. I’m told it can be very unpredictable at that time of year.
Nonetheless, we’d love to get in some shorter hikes (2-4 hours max), pref not too steep and not involving any clambering over precipices. 🙂 How does one find out where these walks are? Is there a website to check out? Or is it best to ask at the B&B where one stays?
June 14, 2008 at 1:05 am
Colm
I’m possibly tempting fate here, but don’t let the weather deter you. We have an Atlantic climate here which means that we get bands of rain coming over the country on a regular basis, but in between we might get a few days of good weather. It rains a lot here but the rain is often quite light or showery. Warm clothing is just as important as rain gear, particularly if you intend to do some walking.
I would guess that the best place to go to get advice on local walks are the tourist offices. They will advise you on the best places to go. The website is http://www.discoverIreland.ie. If you are more adventurous you might check out “Best Irish Walks” by Joss Lynam on Amazon.
I hope it all works out for your trip! I hope you enjoy it.
June 14, 2008 at 11:30 am
Reggie
Thanks for all the tips, Colm! I’ll let you know how it all goes.
June 14, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Colm
No problem. If you need any more info, let me know. I’ll help as much as I can.