The Vee
About 17km each way to the viewpoint ·
About
The R668 north out of Lismore climbs the Knockmealdown Mountains to a V-shaped gap and drops down the far side to Clogheen. The viewpoint at the top, about 17km from town by road, is just over the county line in Tipperary, and from the wall there the Golden Vale opens out below with the Galty Mountains beyond it on a clear day. Bay Lough sits in a hollow below the road on the Tipperary side, and a beehive-shaped stone tomb on the slope of Sugarloaf Hill marks the grave of Samuel Grubb of Castle Grace, who asked to be buried standing up so he could keep an eye on his land; the Geograph record of the monument says the request was carried out after his death in 1921. On the way up you pass the turn for Mount Melleray, which is no longer a monastery and is closed to the public: the Cistercians left in January 2025.
Highlights
- ✓The Vee gap and viewpoint over the Golden Vale
- ✓Bay Lough below the road
- ✓Grubb's grave on the slope of Sugarloaf Hill
Tips
- →The road is narrow with hairpins near the top; take it slowly and use the lay-bys to stop.
- →Low cloud often sits on the gap even when Lismore is clear. Check before you go.
- →No public transport crosses the Vee.