Climbing Moylussa | The surprisingly tough hike everyone gets wrong
If you are looking for some amazing high vantage points across Lough Derg, the highest peak in County Clare should be high on your Irish hiking bucket list.
Many people head for Moylussa with an idea of a forest walk but find they are being led through a series of quite different walking areas, sharp inclines in the forest, and a final approach over a boggy section that can catch you out.
This article explains what to look for along the trail, how to get through the tough sections, and where to relax locally once you reach the top. The trail is a tough hike but not impossible, so you can do it with the aid of these route markers and slippy sections.
Conquering the trail: Route markers and slippy sections
Starting at the Ballycuggaran trailhead
The main approach to Moylussa starts from the Ballycuggaran Car Park (also known as the Ballycuggaran walk starting point) at Twomilegate.
There’s good parking, and it is a good place to start a family hike, but it may be an idea to take a short break with the kids early on the path, as it gets your heart rate up right away.
Navigating the Coillte Forestry roads
The first section of the ascent is on wide, gravelly logging tracks of Coillte. Watch your Viewranger app or OS map and compass here, you are on wide access roads for timber lorry roads and multiple intersections that can easily lead you astray if you are not mindful.
The forestry road is initially level, then levels off and passes by a part of the East Clare Way.
Managing the loose crushed shale track
The middle section of the hike on Moylussa is perhaps its hardest, passing onto a steep track made of loose crushed shale stone.
The rocky areas become slippery and should be approached with caution and careful steps, especially when descending, as some of the stones can be loose and fall out of place.
Crossing the Bog Bridge to the summit
On the northern side of Feenlea Mountain, the rocky terrain gives way to wild open moorland.
You will be crossing a special railway sleeper boardwalk to get to the real summit (532 m). It is a twisting boardwalk that will ensure that you stay out of the soft, deep blanket of bogland and will take you straight to the stone cairn high-point marker.
Moylussa in history and lore
The Slieve Bernagh Frontier
But Moylussa is more than just a high point in Munster: it’s a viewpoint rich with early mediaeval history and local lore. The surrounding Slieve Bernagh range, which means ‘the Mountains of the Gap’, was a formidable natural barrier and wild borderland between the ancient Irish kingdoms.
The seat of the High King at Kincora
You are on top of the historic territory of Thomond, home of the renowned High King of Ireland for much of the 10th century, Brian Boru. He ruled from Kincora, which lay at the foot of the mountain where the present-day twin towns of Killaloe and Ballina are situated.
Historic timber and shannon views
It’s easy to understand why this was a strategic stronghold with the River Shannon (Sionann) flowing through to Lough Derg, the broad waters of which lay before them.
Local legend also tells of the massive feeling of the ancient oak forests that once covered Ballycuggaran more than two hundred years ago to produce special oak boats and to erect the great oak roof of Westminster Hall.
Local amenities and East Clare loop walks
Lake trails and local routes
A hike to tick off one of Ireland’s 32 peaks is a very rewarding experience, and the experience is enhanced by exploring the slow travel locations in the valleys below.
You have now arrived back at Ballycuggaran Forest Car Park, where you can explore the short walks at Killaloe or longer lakeshore walks along the East Clare Loop.
Organic dining at Scarriff Co-Op
If you seek a true taste of local community life, then head inland, just a short 10-minute drive from the lake to Scarriff and Feakle.
There’s a lot to do at the East Clare Community Co-op in Scarriff, and its attached Garden Cafe, Scarriff, is a very popular spot for a fresh, organic, and hearty meal after hours on the mountainside.
Eco-friendly base-camp to stay
If you’re thinking of a multi-day trek, a stay at the Clare Ecolodge in Feakle offers a tranquil, eco-friendly base camp in the midst of rolling countryside in East Clare.
