Overview
From the cairn on Carrigatuke you can pick out all six counties of Northern Ireland on a clear day, along with the Mournes, the Sperrins, the silver sheet of Lough Neagh and the Cooley Mountains to the south. The good news for most visitors: you barely have to work for it. A tarmac car park sits close to the top off the Keady Road (A28), so the view is a few minutes’ walk rather than a climb.
Carrigatuke (Irish: Carraig an tSeabhaic, ‘rock of the hawk’) rises to 365 m (1,198 ft) with a prominence of 210 m. It is the third-highest hill in the Gullion area and the third-highest point in County Armagh, which makes it a County Top and a Marilyn for the hill-baggers – but for everyone else it is simply the best roadside view in south Armagh.
One honest word of warning
The car park has a long-running problem with fly-tipping. Over the years it has been used to dump household rubbish, fuel-laundering waste, and – on more than one occasion – abandoned animals, including a litter of kittens. Councillors have repeatedly called for CCTV. It does not spoil the view, which looks outward and upward, but you should know before you go that the ground around the parking area is not always the pristine spot the vista suggests. Take your own litter home.
The view and the landscape
From the cairn the country unfolds in layers. North, the wide basin of Lough Neagh catches the light and the twin spires of Armagh’s cathedrals stand out on the city skyline. South, the volcanic peaks of the Ring of Gullion and the Cooley Mountains close off the horizon. Nearer at hand, the summit looks over the Armagh drumlins – a belt of low, rounded hills left by retreating ice sheets, the same soft green swell that earns the county its ‘Orchard County’ name. The contrast between the rocky top and the rolling drumlins below is what makes this such a photographer’s spot.
Walking
The signed trail here is the Carrickatuke Circular, a 7.6 km loop listed on AllTrails that runs largely along public roads, taking in St Patrick’s Chair and the viewpoint. It is a road-and-lane walk rather than a mountain route, so it needs no scrambling, but it does need care where it shares the tarmac with traffic. The hill sits within the Sliabh Fuait uplands, and the Friends of Sliabh Fuait have put together a bilingual driving tour covering the region’s pre-Christian, Christian and industrial heritage.
Weather turns fast up here, so carry layers and waterproofs; fog or low cloud can drop visibility to almost nothing. The cairn is easy to find in good conditions, but bring a map or GPS as waymarking is minimal.
Cycling
Carrigatuke is a favourite mid-ride stop for touring and gravel cyclists, reached on quiet rural roads, and several loops mapped on Komoot – including routes out of Dundrum and Newtownhamilton – take it in. The final approach to the car park is a narrow lane, so take it steady on the descent. Don’t expect any shelter or facilities at the top: it is an open tarmac area and nothing more.
Practical information
- Access and parking: a small, free, unrestricted car park sits at Carrickaness, reached by a narrow lane (Viewpoint Road) off the Keady Road (A28). Grid reference H90356 32107. Open access, no fees or set hours.
- Navigation: covered on OSNI Discoverer sheet 28. GPS for the cairn is 54.229221, -6.615582.
- Facilities: none at the summit or car park. The nearest cafés, pubs and toilets are in Keady, Newtownhamilton or Armagh city.
- Safety: boggy patches waterlog after rain and loose stones appear on the steeper paths; carry a charged phone and check the forecast. Winter can bring ice or snow to the upper slopes.
- Best time: late spring to early autumn for the most settled weather and longest days. Autumn mornings often bring mist rolling through the drumlins, which is when the light is at its best.
Nearby
- Keady – the closest town, known for the traditional sport of road bowls and the Tommy Makem Arts Centre, named for the Keady-born folk singer.
- Seagahan Reservoir – a trout fishery a short drive off, with quiet waterside walking, near the Fews Forest.
- Armagh city – Georgian streets, the two cathedrals and the Armagh Observatory & Planetarium.
- Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha) – the earthwork remains of the ancient Ulster capital, just outside Armagh city.
For the six-county view at its best, pick a clear day and get up before midday, while the light is still moving across the drumlins and the city skyline.