Cruach na Miol [Croaghnameal]

Rising from the rugged moorland of southern Donegal, this rounded Hump offers a characteristically damp and heathery ascent. From its summit trig pillar, you are rewarded with an expansive view south toward the waters of Lough Derg and north into the wilder, rocky heart of the Bluestack Mountains.

• •The name derives from the Irish Cruach na Míol, which translates as ‘Hill of the Louse’ or ‘Hill of the Mites’—a likely nod to the midges that populate the surrounding peat bogs.
• •Located between the Bluestack Mountains and the Pettigo Plateau, the summit provides an excellent vantage point for observing the pilgrim boats traversing Lough Derg to Station Island.
• •The terrain is typical of the Donegal uplands, dominated by thick purple moor grass and blanket bog that requires careful footwork even in the height of summer.
• •Looking west, walkers can often pick out the distinctive flat-topped silhouette of Benbulbin across the sea in County Sligo.
• •Naming a hill after an itchy parasite suggests the original surveyors were either very honest about the local insect life or having a particularly bad day in the field.