A V-shaped hairpin pass on the R668 that hauls up over the Knockmealdown Mountains, rewarding drivers with one of Ireland's widest panoramas across the Golden Vale. Free, open year-round and a gateway to lakeside and hill trails.
On a clear day the view runs across the Golden Vale to Clonmel, Cahir, Ardfinnan, Clogheen, Ballyporeen and even Cashel. Park in the summit lay-by and walk the few minutes up to the monument for the best angle back over the valley.
The climb from Clogheen is about 8 km at a steady 3-4 per cent; the Waterford approach is shorter and slightly sharper. Expect steep pitches, sudden fog and a narrow road shared with walkers and slow traffic.
The R668 climbs from Clogheen over the Knockmealdowns to Lismore in Waterford, doubling back at the V-shaped bend that gives the Vee its name. The road was engineered in 1847 as famine relief work and its line has changed little since.
A short walk from the road, the beehive cairn of Samuel Grubb (d. 1921) stands on the slope of Sugarloaf Hill. Grubb, a local landowner, asked to be buried upright so his eyes could stay fixed on the Vee valley below.
The corrie lake of Bay Lough sits below the hairpin, cupped by the shoulder of Knockaunabulloga. Folklore places the ghost of Petticoat Loose, the witch of Bay Lough, in its waters.
In late May and early June the slopes wash magenta and pink with rhododendron, set against the green of the valley. The exact timing shifts with the weather, so a cold spring pushes it back.
The Vee Gap is the start of the 56 km Tipperary Heritage Way north to Cashel, and hikers can join St. Declan's Way or climb Sugarloaf Hill and Knockshanahullion. Kilballyboy Wood below the pass has a 3 km forest trail.
The drive pairs easily with the Cistercian Mount Melleray Abbey, Cappoquin and Lismore in Waterford, or, back on the Tipperary side, medieval Cahir Castle.
Load the interactive map to explore this place location.