Brandon Hill West

 

 Ordnance Survey: Discovery Series 68.

Distance: 16  kilometres. Time: 4½ hours, including 15 minutes for lunch. 

Degree of difficulty: Moderate/Difficult. Crushed-stone tracks, well maintained narrow trails and 800 metres difficult, rough path.

Total ascent: 220 metres.

Trailhead: Grid Reference S 677 423. From the village of Inistioge, take the R700 towards New Ross. Shortly after crossing the bridge, take the first turn left (the L 4210, signposted Graiguenamagh 10). Proceed for 6.5 kilometres, and the approach to the mountain is an unpaved lane on the right between two houses. There is parking for 3/4 cars at the metal barrier 1 kilometre up the lane.

Cross the barrier, and  after a few hundred metres, ignore a turn-off on the right before passing through some evergreen trees interspersed with the odd mountain ash. The track rises and falls again, and 1.4 kilometres after the barrier you will arrive at a second turn-off to your right signposted with a "yellow man" sign and a Ϯ sign. Take this turn-off, and after 800 metres, arrive at a wide clearing where you will ignore the signs inviting you to proceed straight on. Instead, turn right, up a muddy track, and after a few metres, as the trail swings left, turn right again along a grassy path bordered by rhododendrons and evergreen trees. Ignore all paths leading upwards to your left and down to the forest on your right to emerge onto a wide stone path marked by a concrete stile. Turn right.

After a few moments you will see the road leading to the cross at the summit. Ignore this and carry straight on. After a few hundred metres, as the road begins to descend sharply, leave the trail and proceed across open mountain in a westerly direction to the top of the hill (407 metres) which is marked by 2 low standing stones.

From the top of the hill, proceed slightly west of south to a rocky outcrop, which on closer inspection appears to be the remains of a megalithic burial chamber. To the southwest you may see Tory Hill, above the village of Mullinavat, and some wind-turbines. You, however, will go west, to once again pick up the roadway below you to your right. Turn left along this roadway.

After a couple of hundred metres, a fainter path leads across the heather to your left. By taking this in the direction of the forest you will avoid a right-angle bend in the trail. In wet weather, stick with the trail as is passes along by the forest. Again, in the distance, you will see Tory Hill straight ahead. 

The road now descends towards another section of forest. Pass a turn-off to your right as the road swings to the left to reach a T-junction where we will turn left. Keeping the stone wall on your left, head roughly east. The trail eventually descends steeply toward a forest to another T-junction where we will swing left, back up toward the hill. The trail winds its' way along the lower slopes of the mountain as we come to a point where a stream crosses your path. It is possible to avoid getting your feet wet by taking the faint pathway on the left to rejoin the road on the far side of the stream.

Continue on for a kilometre or so to come to a Y-fork. There is a flat rock on your left here, which may be a suitable spot for lunch, as you are almost at the half-way point of your walk.

Suitably refreshed, swing left, keeping the forest on the right. Again, the roadway twists and turns, always heading upward along the lower slopes. Six hundred metres after the flat rock where you had lunch, pass a purple arrow pointing to the cross at the summit of Brandon Hill. Ignore this, and carry straight on as the trail narrows and descends quite steeply, becoming rough and rocky in places. Some care is needed along this section as the going is difficult in places.

After approximately one kilometre of rough going, you emerge finally onto a narrow path at a T-junction. The track to you right looks green and inviting after the previous kilometre of hardship, so take it. After a little while, catch glimpses of a wider stone roadway through the trees on your left, and emerge onto this roadway after 500 metres. Turn left: you are now heading for home.

After 3.8 kilometers, having ignored several pathways to the left and right, pass a turn-off on the right, marked by a "BW" sign, leading toward Graiguenamanagh, and carry straight on. Pass Freney's Well on the left before the road switches back on itself in a kind of elongated S-bend, and pass the turn-off on your left where we departed the present roadway several hours previously. You are now 1400 meters from the metal barrier.

Four facts concerning Brandon Hill:

>>>  On August 7, 1888, three men were hunting illegally on Brandon Hill with three trained gun dogs. They were Patrick Byrne (St Mullins), Pierce Dreelin (Ballycrinigan) and James Doran (Borris). A gamekeeper working for Lord Clifden, Gowran followed the men and an argument ensued, after which the gamekeeper, Michael Walsh fired a shot which killed the dog belonging to Patrick Byrne. Byrne then shot at Walsh, and Byrne himself was also fatally injured. Walsh was later tried for manslaughter, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but he died before it could be executed.

>>>  Brandon Hill in the Irish language is Cnoc Bhréanail. This is believed to refer to Saint Brendan, the same saint associated with Mount Brandon in Kerry.

>>>  Many songs have been written about Brandon Hill. Among them are "Farewell to Brandon", "Moonshine over Brandon" and "Beneath Mt. Brandon's' Shade"

>>>  The heather from the slopes of Brandon Hill was once cut and carried from the hill to be sold in the centre of the town of Graiguenamanagh as animal bedding or fuel.