This 1.5-2 hour walk brings you right through Macreddin Woods to the very top of Cushbawn Mountain and offers absolutely stunning views over three counties.
It requires a reasonable level of fitness, but although some of the slopes are quite severe, no actual climbing is required, only walking! Please ensure you bring water and your mobile phone with you.
Walk and pass by Acton’s pub and go over the road into the golf course car park where you see a red gate (says private property).
After a short walk in the forest path, you will come to a golf course, be very careful of golfers and golf balls.
At the end of this golf fairway, continue straight onto the next golf fairway and cross it, again being careful of golfers and golf balls.
You have now come to Macreddin Woods (there is not so much forest left), and this is where the walk really starts.
There is not so much forest left, but it is still worthwhile to walk to the top of the mountain to see a great view!
Follow the main path you are on, up you go about 5 or 10 minutes until you come to a large circular clearing (crossroad).
Before you continue straight across this clearing you can stop a moment and look around you to see a view like this.
Straight across from that clearing you follow the narrow path a few minutes and you meet a T junction. Take the right-hand path which starts downhill and then it is basically easy to walk about 5-10 minutes until you see crossroad that is U shaped.
When you come to U shaped crossroad you follow the left road to uphill. To the top is around a half-hour or more, depending on how often you pause and admire views.
You see again crossroad, go left (uphill) and this leads the top of the mountain.
Go straight up (arrow in the picture) where you can stop again to see amazing views.
Then continue to the higher, where you will be amazed at how far you can see and how high you are.
You’ll know you’re at the top when the trees have receded on either side and it’s obvious that the path ahead of you starts to decline.
Stand up on the rocks and, if weather permitted, marvel at the 360-degree view of nothing but valleys, mountains and beautiful scenery all the shades of green that you experience in Ireland.
Now the descent: Pictures coming soon!
Continue another thirty or so paces along the same path, and you will find 2 small rocky pathways on your left side, take 2nd one. Follow this path downhill (it turns soon less rocky) for about 5-10 minutes ignoring all lesser paths off it. The path leads you into the forest. You will come to a clearing with some off-road driving tracks but stay left and shortly you will come to a sort of T junction with a number of options. In front of you should be a field, and you want to take the option that has the field on your right side and the woods on your left side. Follow this downhill; taking care as it’s quite steep in parts until after approximately 5-10 minutes you come to a fork in the path. Take the more travelled left fork, back in the woods and continue along this flat path for about 5-10 minutes until you reach the same large circular clearing that you were in earlier. Take the right-hand path that is the same where you come up here and you should see the golf field that you can cross again and return to a hotel parking place.