You’ll be forgiven for not knowing this about me just yet, dear reader, but… I am incredibly impressionable.
Which is why, when I saw a video doing the rounds on social media of a boardwalk in county Fermanagh that would take me winding gracefully through the beautiful country landscape to the peak of Cuilcagh Mountain – I immediately had to go.
So, donning my very best “I workout all the time and this is just a leisurely stroll” clothes, I hired a car and made my way to the Cuilcagh Legnabrocky Trail.
The walk all begins just fine enough. The first hour or so is a nice steady climb – a little steep in parts, but nothing a few little snacks and water breaks won’t fix. My legs were screaming at my on some of the inclines – but that’s maybe because I have zero endurance. You’ll spot a few little benches at the peak of some of the hills – I’ll be forever thankful to the person who strategically placed them there.
As you get further along the trail, make sure you look back from time to time. Especially at those points you feel a bit pooped. You’ll notice the world just seems to get further and further away – all you’ll see on the horizon is the boardwalk and a few sheep dotting the landscape. It’s so peaceful.
But let’s get back on track. At some point on your walk, you’ll notice the mountain is, well… a mountain. The biggest in Fermanagh, you know? And it certainly lives up to that.
Yeah, it’s pretty big.
From far away, it looks as though it will be fairly easy to climb. Until you get up close and see just how steep those stairs are.
There’s a reason they call it the ‘Stairway to Heaven’. It looks as though it goes on forever, and it is seriously unrelenting. A 666 metre summit, so they say… *gulp* how ominous.
At this point, your body will be screaming at you to give up and just sit down on a rock and eat some lunch. That’s certainly what I wanted to do. But, after a short break, some encouraging words from strangers on their way down, and an encouraging pep talk to myself, I decided to put my big girl pants on and just do it.
(Hey Nike, how about a sponsorship?!)
All I can say is, I am so, so glad I did. Believe me, I really wasn’t happy about it at that time. But in hindsight that final climb was so worth it.
Just LOOK at the views.
Plus, think of how much food you’ll be able to reward yourself with for the rest of the day (re: week)! Isn’t that why we’re here – to act all outdoorsy and fit so as we can consume all the food? No? Okay, maybe that’s just me.
Some handy (?) tips
Make sure you pack LOTS of water and snacks. It may seem like a short enough walk, but you’re pretty much walking uphill all the way – even if it doesn’t seem so at times.
I can tell you now, I definitely regretted leaving my gloves at home. We hiked the trail in early spring and it was still mighty cold, there was even a little snow on the ground towards the top. It can also get pretty windy, so make sure you take some warm clothing (beanies etc) if the weather is on the cool side.
There is a carpark at the head of the trail just beyond the Marble Arch Caves Geopark. They do charge £5 or €5 to park up – however, we didn’t have cash on us and they generously allowed us to park.
It’s also worth noting, there are no port-a-loos or anything here – at least when we visited. If you’ve had a bit of a drive (or just drinking a lot of coffee!) and need to use the facilities, the Marble Arch Caves Geopark centre has a toilet – and a lovely cafe!
