Overview
Camaderry (Irish: Camar Daighre) is the 699m (2,290ft) mountain that forms the western arm of the horseshoe around the glacial valley of Glendalough in County Wicklow. Most people who come to Glendalough walk the Spinc, the boardwalk circuit above the Upper Lake, and never look up at the long ridge on the other side. That ridge is Camaderry, and it carries a fraction of the foot traffic for a summit view that is arguably better: a 360° sweep over the twin lakes, the Wicklow Mountains and, on a clear day, out to the Irish Sea.
It ranks 90th on the Arderin list of Irish peaks, with neighbours including Conavalla, Lugduff and the pumped-storage station at Turlough Hill. If you have one good walk in you on a Glendalough trip and you’ve already done the lakes at ground level, this is the one to make it.
History
The climb is also a walk through an industrial site. Camaderry holds the Luganure mineral vein, a body of galena – lead ore, carrying traces of silver – that was worked here for well over a century. In 1859 the Glendasan and Glendalough mines were connected by a series of adits cut clean through the mountain; they are largely flooded now. Extraction carried on, on and off, until the last commercial mining stopped in 1957. The remains of the miners’ village still stand in the valley, and the spoil and ruins you pass on the way up are the real thing, not a reconstruction.
Below the north face sits Lough Nahanagan, a corrie lake gouged out by the last ice age in the gap between Camaderry and Turlough Hill. Its steep cliffs hold single-pitch rock-climbing routes graded up to VS 4c.
The walks
There are three ways to take this on, depending on how much you’ve got in the legs.
| Route | Distance | Approx. time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camaderry loop (from Lower Lake car park) | 11km | 4h | Moderate |
| St Kevin’s Way / Camaderry short walk | 1.5km loop | 1.5h | Easy |
| Camaderry and Turlough Hill loop (extended) | 13km | 5h | Moderate |
The 11km loop is the proper outing. It starts at the Lower Lake car park, follows St Kevin’s Way along the Glendassan River, picks up the Miner’s Way, and climbs through a short stretch of forest before breaking out onto open mountain. It crosses the Southeast Top (677m) – a false summit that catches a lot of walkers out – before the true top of Camaderry. The summit dome has a natural wind-break, which you’ll want, and the view back takes in the monastic village, Trooperstown Hill and the sea.
The short walk from the Upper Lake car park isn’t really a climb at all. After a brief forest section, a wooden post with a grey dot drops you onto a low path that rejoins St Kevin’s Way, loops through the monastic city and returns to the car park. It’s a flat 1.5km, fine for a quick leg-stretch, but it skips the mountain entirely – don’t expect the summit view from it.
Climbing and the lake
The north-facing cliffs above Lough Nahanagan are a small, serious climbing spot – single-pitch routes on a deep glacial corrie, with the lake at the bottom. It’s a niche destination rather than a busy crag, and the setting does a lot of the work.
Practical information
- Start points: Lower Lake car park for the 11km loop; Upper Lake car park for the short walk. Both are free.
- Parking: No charge, but both car parks fill quickly on summer weekends – come early or you’ll be circling. The Lower Lake is the access point for the summit loop.
- Waymarking: Trails are marked by the National Park Service. The main ascent follows St Kevin’s Way and the Miner’s Way, both signposted.
- Dogs: Not allowed on the Camaderry routes, because of the protected status of the habitat.
- Children: This is open mountain with steep, muddy ground in places, especially on the saddle between Camaderry and Turlough Hill in winter. Not one for small children.
- Underfoot: The saddle gets genuinely boggy in winter. Bring boots with good grip; trainers will not do.
- Facilities: None on the summit. The car parks have litter bins; water and toilets are at the Glendalough visitor centre.
- Admission: Free. The mountain is part of Wicklow Mountains National Park.
- Maps and guides: Route maps from the Glendalough visitor centre, the Hiiker app, and the Wicklow Walks website. A GPX file for the extended Turlough Hill loop is on GPS-Routes.co.uk.
Combine with other attractions
If you’ve still time after the descent, Avondale Forest Park and House (Avondale) is a short drive south – the former home of Charles Stewart Parnell, with woodland walks, a walled garden and the restored 19th-century house. And if you only want one thing from the day on Camaderry, time your descent so you reach the summit dome with the light low over the Upper Lake; that’s the view people remember.