Overview
Slievemaan (Irish: Sliabh Meáin, ‘middle mountain’) is 759m (2,490ft), 54th on Ireland’s Arderin list and 70th on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale. Its prominence is only 54m, and that number tells you what to expect: this isn’t a mountain you climb for itself so much as a high shoulder of the much bigger Lugnaquilla, sitting at the southern end of the Glen of Imaal. Don’t confuse it with the lower Slieve Maan (548m) elsewhere in Wicklow – two different hills, near-identical names.
If you want a summit that earns a full day, this isn’t quite it on its own. Where Slievemaan comes into its own is as one link in a longer walk, and as a far quieter place to stand than the summit of Lugnaquilla an hour to the north-east.
The route from Ballineddan
The standard line up is the Ballineddan ridge. From the top of Ballineddan Mountain the pull onto Slievemaan is only about 1.6km along a clear grassy crest – short in isolation, which is exactly why almost nobody does it in isolation. Most walkers fold it into a longer loop taking in Ballineddan and often Lugnaquilla too, which runs to something like 12 to 18km and four to six hours depending on the exact circuit. Plan for the loop, not the 1.6km.
The path isn’t way-marked. Navigation is by map and ground rather than painted blazes, so you’re reading the landscape: keep the ridge line in view, check your position regularly, and carry OSi Discovery Series sheet 56. The going is mostly grass with the odd rocky step and a minor scramble near the crest. Underfoot it’s dark slate-schist, quartzite and coticule – the last a fine whetstone rock.
The Glen of Imaal below
The glen has a layered past. Its woods and rough ground made it a refuge for rebels in the 18th and 19th centuries, and later the British military took part of it as an artillery range – which, by keeping farmers out, quietly preserved a classic upland ecosystem. The slopes are a mosaic of blanket bog, purple heath and pockets of native scrub, with bilberry and carnivorous sundew in the damper hollows and the heather turning deep violet in late summer.
Note that the Glen of Imaal artillery range is still active. If your loop takes in Lugnaquilla, check the range firing notices before you set out – this is a genuine safety matter, not a formality.
From the summit
There’s no register box up here and no maintained monument – just open ground and, when the weather plays along, a serious view. Lugnaquilla’s bulk dominates the north-east; south-west, the Glen of Imaal falls away into a patchwork of valleys and ridges; and on a crisp day you can pick out the curve of the Irish Sea beyond the Dublin plain. It’s all weather-dependent, and in cloud the unmarked ridge is no place to be guessing.
Practical information
Access and parking Approach by car via the R115 through the Wicklow Gap and local roads to the Ballineddan trailhead. The lay-by is free but genuinely small, and it fills fast on dry weekends – one walker was asked to move on by a farmer over parking near sheep with dogs in the car. Arrive early, park considerately, and keep dogs under close control around livestock.
Public transport There’s no direct bus or train to the trailhead. The nearest bus stop is Baltinglass, about 10km off, and Rathdrum has a train from Dublin; most walkers without a car take a local taxi from either to the start and back.
Weather and safety Conditions here turn quickly – sudden cloud and wind in summer, snow and ice on the ridge in winter. Check the Met Éireann mountain forecast, carry waterproofs, boots, a map and compass (or a charged GPS with the route loaded), and enough food and water for the full loop. There are no bins or facilities: pack everything out, stay on the ridge to spare the bog, and close any gates behind you. In hard winter snow the ridge can need microspikes or an axe, so check recent conditions before an off-season attempt.