A circuit above Gougane’s glaciated valley provides an easy introduction to the Shehy Mountains, writes TONY DOHERTY
GOUGANE BARRA is beloved of Cork people. It is the source of the River Lee, at the mouth of which the city and port of Cork are located. It was from here that St Finbarr emerged from his monastic solitude to found the first settlement in what is now Cork City. It is also a favoured location for weddings – and, for an older generation, honeymoons.
For the hillwalker, a circuit above Gougane’s glaciated valley provides an easy introduction to the Shehy Mountains, which link mid-Cork with the Beara Peninsula.