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The Apple Farm is situated within easy reach of
four different mountain ranges which provide a great variety of
walking and climbing opportunities for the visitor.
The biggest of these ranges is the Galtees which extends for about
twenty four kilometres west of Cahir into County Limerick.
The highest point at 919 metres is Galteemore and there are
several other peaks above 800 metres. There are five lakes in the
Galtees, all on the northern side of the range, and the largest of
these, Lake Muskry, is a popular destination for walkers. The
southern side of the mountain has more gentle slopes than the
northern side and here you will find many opportunities for
walking in places such as Glengarra Wood and the Blackrock
Valley.
Just north of the Galtees is a long low hill known as the
Slievenamuck Ridge and the valley between is the well known Glen
of Aherlow. Here you will find a nature park with marked trails as
well as other woodland paths providing good views of the Galtees
and the surrounding countryside.
The Knockmealdown mountains lie on the Tipperary Waterford border.
The best known part of this range is 'The Vee', so called because
of the hairpin bend on the Clogheen to Lismore road which passes
over the mountain. There are a number of parking places on this
road which provide great views of the surrounding countryside as
well as a mountain lake known as Bay Lough. Because there are a
number of roads through the mountain access for walking is easy
and the Knockmeldowns also contain several waymarked walking
routes. The highest point is Knockmealdown mountain at 794 metres.
On the southern side of the mountain there's a Cistercian
monastery known as Mount Melleray.
Although the Comeragh range is in County Waterford it is still
only a short distance from The Apple Farm. It stretches from
Clonmel at the northern end to Dungarvan at the south and provides
a wide variety of terrain for the walker. To the north, near
Clonmel, there are rolling hills and forest trails. On the western
side is the well known and beautiful Nire Valley which is a popular
access point to the mountains. The eastern side has a number of
corrie lakes backed by high cliffs, the largest lake being
Coumshingaun. Farther south is a wonderful valley topped by a high
waterfall known as Mahon Falls. Access to the falls is easy and
this place is well worth a visit.
Slievenamon, or the 'Mountain of the Women' in Irish, is the only
nearby mountain completely within County Tipperary. It is located
north-east of Clonmel and is different to the other ranges in that
it doesn't have a large number of individual peaks and is much
rounder in appearance. The main walking trail on this mountain is
from just north of the village of Kilcash to the summit at 721
metres.
A local group, The Galtee Walking
Club, provide walks on all the local
mountain ranges on Sundays throughout the year and on Wednesday evenings
during the summer.
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