An epic road to Clermont Carn in Ireland

An epic road to Clermont Carn in Ireland

Ireland, europe

Length

6.3 km

Elevation

495 m

Difficulty

hard

Best Season

Year-round

Okay, adventure-seekers, listen up! Have you heard of Clermont Carn, a peak straddling the border between County Louth in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland? This beauty, also called Black Mountain or Carnan Mhaighreid, tops out at 495m (1,624ft) in the Cooley Mountains.

The road to the summit? Paved, yes, but hold onto your hats – it’s super narrow! Think "squeeze-by" territory, so drive carefully and maybe say a little prayer that you don’t meet anyone coming the other way. Seriously, if you're not confident reversing, maybe skip this one.

Get ready for a serious climb! The road is STEEP, with gradients hitting 15% in places! You’ll start your 6.3km (3.91 miles) ascent from the R132 road, climbing a whopping 383 meters. That's an average gradient of over 6%. The views from the top are...well, slightly dominated by a massive TV mast and its associated gear, built back in '81. Still, worth the trek for the bragging rights, right?

Where is it?

An epic road to Clermont Carn in Ireland is located in Ireland (europe). Coordinates: 53.2997, -7.3572

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Road Details

Country
Ireland
Continent
europe
Length
6.3 km
Max Elevation
495 m
Difficulty
hard
Coordinates
53.2997, -7.3572

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