Coumshingaun is a corrie lake – a glacial bowl gouged out of the Comeragh Mountains during the last Ice Age – and it is reckoned one of the finest examples of its kind in Europe. Cliffs wrap it on three sides, rising about 365 metres above the dark water, which is over 50 metres deep and roughly 700 metres long, the biggest tarn in the range. On a still day it sits like a mirror in the rock; coum is simply the Irish for this kind of mountain hollow. The whole area is a Special Area of Conservation.
The single most useful thing to know is that there are two completely different outings here, and you should decide which one you are doing before you leave the car. The short walk to the lakeshore is a steep but straightforward climb almost anyone can manage. The full horseshoe loop around the rim is a hard hill walk with genuine exposure, and it is not for inexperienced walkers on their own.
The two walks
The short walk to the lake is about 1.8 km each way (3.6 km there and back), climbing roughly 250 metres, and takes most people an hour to an hour and a half. From Kilclooney Wood you cross the road, go through a gate, pick your way over a wet patch by the river and follow a grassy path up to the shore. Children manage it fine. Sit by the water with the cliffs towering over you and turn back at your leisure – on a clear day this is reward enough.
The full loop is the bucket-list version: a roughly 6 to 7.5 km horseshoe with 600–700 metres of climbing, taking three to four hours. Do it clockwise, which gets the brutally steep climb – the first couple of kilometres are relentless – out of the way early. Once you are up, you walk the rim of the corrie, and this is where it earns its warnings: the ridge is narrow and exposed in places, with long drops to the lake, and there is a rocky scramble that needs hands and a head for heights. In cloud or wind it is genuinely dangerous. Several experienced walkers describe stopping ten times on the way up; do not underestimate it.
Folklore and the hermit
Local legend warns of irresistible currents and evil spirits in the lake – the sort of story that tends to grow around deep, cold mountain water. The more grounded tale belongs to Jim Fitzgerald (1891–1959), the ‘Hermit of Lackendarra’, a Waterford man who came home shell-shocked from the First World War, found he could not settle back into ordinary life, and went to live in a cave below the cliffs of Coumshingaun for much of the rest of his days.
Getting there and parking
Coumshingaun is about a 20-minute drive from Dungarvan, 30 minutes from Clonmel and 35 from Waterford city, near the village of Rathgormack. Park at the Kilclooney Wood car park on the R676 Dungarvan–Carrick-on-Suir road. It only holds around 30 to 35 cars and fills fast on a fine weekend, so come before 10am or after 3pm, and do not block the road or gates if it is full.
There is no public transport to the trailhead. Buses run as far as Carrick-on-Suir, leaving roughly 15 km to cover by taxi.
On the hill
Take this seriously and it is one of the best half-days in the south-east; take it lightly and it bites. There are no toilets, no shop, no water and no shelter at the car park or on the route, so carry your own. Mobile coverage is poor to non-existent on the ridge – bring a paper map or a downloaded offline one rather than relying on your phone – and waterproof boots with ankle support are not optional. If the cloud is down on the tops or it is blowing hard, do the short walk to the lake and save the loop for a clear day. In an emergency, dial 112 or 999 and ask for South Eastern Mountain Rescue.
The wildlife is part of the appeal: feral goats work the high slopes, otters turn up at the water’s edge, and peregrine, raven, buzzard and hen harrier all hunt the corrie. Among the rocks and bog grow rarities like mossy saxifrage and, in the lake itself, stonewort and bog pondweed – the reason for the conservation status.
Nearby
The natural pairing is Mahon Falls, an 80-metre waterfall a short drive away with a flat 20-minute walk in – the gentle counterweight to a hard morning on the ridge. The scenic Comeragh Drive links the two, and Dungarvan, with its Norman castle and seafood, is the obvious place to end the day.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Short walk | ~3.6 km return to the lakeshore, 1–1.5 hours, ~250m ascent |
| Full loop | ~6–7.5 km horseshoe, 3–4 hours, 600–700m ascent, hard and exposed |
| Direction | Walk the loop clockwise |
| Admission | Free |
| Opening | Open daily; go in good weather only |
| Parking | Kilclooney Wood car park, ~30–35 spaces, fills early |
| Facilities | None – no toilets, water or shelter |
| Emergency | 112 or 999, ask for South Eastern Mountain Rescue |
If you only have time and legs for one thing, walk the 1.8 km to the shore and stand under the cliffs – it is the picture everyone comes for, and you do not need the ridge to get it.