Cumber Hill

Rising on the northern edge of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, this modest 316-metre summit offers a quiet alternative to the busier forest trails. Primarily covered in commercial forestry and rough grazing, it provides a functional vantage point overlooking the flat midlands of County Offaly towards the Silver River valley.

• •The name likely derives from the Irish word 'comar', meaning a confluence or meeting of waters, referring to the various streams that drain these northern slopes into the Silver River.
• •While it lacks the stature of nearby Arderin, its status as a Hump (Hundred Metre Prominence) identifies it as a summit with significant local drop and character.
• •On a clear day, the summit area offers views north across the Great Heath and the midland bogs towards the isolated volcanic plug of Croghan Hill.
• •The hill is located near the village of Cadamstown, where the Silver River has cut a deep gorge through Old Red Sandstone, though the ascent of Cumber Hill itself is a gentler, forested affair.
• •With much of the summit given over to commercial timber, the primary challenge is often not the gradient, but rather finding a summit view that isn't framed by Sitka spruce.