GREAT ROADS:Taking the road less travelled around Cam Lough and Slieve Gullion with Bob Montgomery.
SOUTH ARMAGH, as we observed in our last series when we visited Slieve Gullion, is a rugged area of great natural beauty which today is beginning to enjoy the benefits of the Northern Ireland peace process. The area is once again opening up to exploration - which is good, because there is much to explore that will surprise and delight. For my second visit to the area to the west of Newry, I chose to explore the landscape around Cam Lough.
Recent extension of the M1 motorway has taken it as far as the roundabout just south of Newry. By continuing along its extension, the A1, and taking the next turn to the left, signposted for Berrish Lookout Point, you quickly enter - as so often happens in the Irish landscape - a world far removed from the busy M1/A1 road you have just left.
Berrish Lookout Point is a viewing point perched on the edge of Ballymacdermot Mountain looking across Newry towards an area of great natural beauty which is the Mourne and Cooley Mountains. A little further along the narrow road is the court tomb at Ballymacdermot, which has managed to survive many assaults, including that of a wayward tank during the second World War.
It had been my intention to explore the interesting road which the map shows winding its way from this road through Camlough Wood and over Camlough Mountain (423m) but the road was inexplicably barred, despite the map showing "parking" areas along its route. Instead, I continued on to where my road met the road from Meigh to Carnlough. From there, the lake - from which so many features in the area take their name - is visible.
Cam Lough is a long ribbon of a lake, carved out of the land during the period when the ice which covered this landscape created so many of the features we recognise today.
Despite its name, meaning "Crooked Lough", Cam Lough is a nearly straight ribbon of water running towards the northwest.
The road to Camlough skirts its eastern shore and a fine viewing and picnic area is provided.
From there it's just a short run into the town of Camlough where we join the A25 heading west and then, after a short distance, the B30, which touches the northern extremities of the lake before taking us in a southwest direction. Then it's a quick turn onto the B134 in a southerly direction which eventually leads us to Forkhill.
As an alternative, turn off the B134 just after its junction with the B30 at the signpost for Ballintemple Viewing Point. Be warned however, that this is a narrow road and at times its surface is poor. It climbs quickly along the northern edge of Slieve Gullion, and through a heavily forested part of Ballintemple Wood before reaching the viewing point.
Again, inexplicably, the entrance to this viewing point is barred, but it's easy to clamber over the barrier into the tarmac car park. Just beyond the car park is a small hill with a well-worn path to its top - no more than a minute's walk.
It's a walk well worth taking as the view that greets you from its top is magnificent; looking across Cam Lough toward Ballymacdermot Mountain from where we began our journey. It also serves to remind you of the rugged beauty of this South Armagh landscape which continuously surprises.
It's not surprising, given the area's recent history, that the few tourist facilities that do exist show a legacy of neglect, but surely there is someone in Armagh Tourist Authority who is right now planning to bring this area back to life for the many who will delight in exploring its surprising beauty. I certainly hope so.