Overview
Knockmealdown, the range’s highest peak at 794m, is the county top of Waterford – but the feature most people actually come for is a road. The Vee is a sharp, V-shaped pass carrying the old Lismore-to-Clogheen mail-coach route over the ridge, and it doubles as one of the best short drives in Munster. The mountains run east to west along the Tipperary–Waterford border, a line of heather-covered sandstone summits with no visitor centre, no turnstile and no admission fee: open upland, a few lay-bys, and a lot of weather.
If you have only an afternoon, do this. Drive the Vee up from Clogheen, stop at the viewpoint above Bay Lough, then walk Sugarloaf Hill from the Vee car park. The last pull to Sugarloaf’s summit is steep and rocky, but the run of the ridge from there to Knockmealdown itself is the finest panorama the range gives for the effort.
The Vee and the drive
The Vee Scenic Drive runs about 16 miles between Lismore and Clogheen, and the climb to the pass is the part to linger over. From the viewpoint near the top you look out over the Golden Vale and across to the Galtee Mountains, with Clonmel, Cahir, Ardfinnan and Ballyporeen laid out below and, on a clear day, Cashel away to the north. Directly under the pass sits Bay Lough, a small dark corrie lake with a quiet shore path. In late spring and early summer the rhododendron that has colonised these slopes turns the roadsides solid purple for a few weeks – a genuine spectacle, even if the plant itself is an invasive headache for the people managing the hill.
Near the head of the pass is Grubb’s Grave, a stone cairn marking the resting place of Samuel Grubb, whose family had long ties to the land below. A little further into the hills lies the grave of Henry Eeles, an eccentric remembered as much in local story as in fact; hikers tend to seek out both. St Declan’s Way, the waymarked pilgrim route revived between Cashel and Ardmore, crosses the range at the Vee, following much the same line as the centuries-old mail road.
One honest caveat: the road over the pass is narrow and twisting, and the Vee car park is a small lay-by that holds only a handful of cars. On a fine summer weekend it fills early, and cars parked carelessly on the bends make the drive harder for everyone. Come on a weekday morning if you can – it is genuinely quiet then.
Walking the tops
Sugarloaf Hill (663m) is the usual first objective from the Vee car park, and most walkers carry on along the ridge to Knockmealdown summit, a round trip of roughly four hours. The ground is rough heather and bog rather than built path, with relatively gentle gradients between the steep bits. From the top of Knockmealdown the view reaches Dungarvan and Youghal harbours and the River Blackwater; in very clear conditions you can pick out the high Kerry mountains far to the west.
For something less exposed, the Lough Mohra Loop (7.5km, moderate) keeps to the lower ground. The serious challenge here is the Knockmealdown Mountains Challenge, which asks walkers to bag all seven of the range’s summits above 610m in a single self-guided round – one for people who already know what a long day on Irish hills feels like.
Be ready for the conditions underfoot. Walkers regularly describe the descents as boggy and slippery; the summits hold cloud, waymarkers are sparse, and mobile reception drops away once you leave the main valleys. Carry the EastWest 1:25,000 Knockmealdown map or an offline GPS track, bring waterproofs whatever the forecast, and don’t rely on the phone to navigate you off the hill in fog.
Wildlife
The heather slopes and boggy hollows are a designated breeding ground for two protected and declining birds, the red grouse and the hen harrier – both need a wide, quiet berth, particularly through the spring and early-summer nesting season. Keep dogs on a short lead for the same reason. Birdwatchers also record cuckoo, nightjar, crossbill, buzzard and grasshopper warbler across the range through the year.
Heritage on the hill
In 2023 the volunteer group Knockmealdown Active, working with the Irish Uplands Forum and funded by the Heritage Council, completed a digital Heritage StoryMap of the range, gathering written histories, drone footage and mapping into one place. It’s a good thing to browse before a visit – the group also keeps trail updates and event news on its social media, worth a look for current ground conditions.
Getting there and parking
The usual approach is from Clogheen in County Tipperary, climbing into the Vee on the R668. Parking is informal and free throughout:
- The Vee car park – a small lay-by near the top of the pass, the most direct start for the Sugarloaf and Knockmealdown ridge.
- Lower car parks – a couple of pull-ins beneath the mountain near the road’s Y-junction give a shorter, steeper start straight up Knockmealdown.
- Clogheen village – more reliable parking if the lay-bys are full, and a sensible base for combining the hills with the village itself.
There are no toilets, cafés or bins anywhere on the mountains, so bring your own water and food and take all rubbish home. If you can only time one visit, aim for late spring when the rhododendron is out along the Vee and the longer evenings give you room to wait out the cloud on the tops.