Mullaghcleevaun

About Mullaghcleevaun

As the second-highest peak in the Wicklow Mountains, this broad, peat-covered summit offers a true sense of isolation. Its expansive plateau is famous for the heart-shaped Cleevaun Lough nestled just below the eastern cliffs. Expect heavy ground and remote terrain that demands navigation skills, especially when cloud descends over the high moorland.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Mullach Cliabháin, which translates to 'Summit of the Cradle'. This likely refers to the deep, cradle-like corrie on its eastern side that holds the mountain’s lake.
• •Standing at 846.7m, it is the highest point in the northern Wicklow Mountains and the second highest in the entire county, surpassed only by Lugnaquilla.
• •From the summit, walkers are treated to a clear view across the Wicklow Gap to the massive granite domes of Tonelagee and the distant, dark waters of Lough Tay nestled beneath Luggala.
• •The summit plateau is notorious for its complex system of peat hags and black bogs; it is a place where a compass is far more useful than a pair of clean boots.
• •Cleevaun Lough, located just below the summit, is one of the highest lakes in Ireland and sits in a dramatic glacial cirque that contrasts sharply with the rounded, heathery slopes found elsewhere on the mountain.
• •Given the deep, sucking nature of the peat hags that guard the plateau, a traverse of this summit is less of a walk and more of a tactical exercise in avoiding a slow descent into the Irish mud.