Eastern Bens

The Glencoaghan horseshoe walk is a popular but long & tough hill walk in the Twelve Bens or Pins as you prefer. Here’s a bit of a handier route that takes in the Eastern Bens. 14kms in length and c1000m ascent so still a decent hill walk but good progress can be made on the forest tracks. Even so, this is a route for the reasonably experienced as navigation and route finding over rocky ground is required.

You’ll need our classic Connemara Mountains 1:25,000 scale mapping, start at a forest entrance (parking for maybe 4 cars only) on the R344 that traverses the shores of Lough Inagh. The route then takes the forest roads that traverse the plantation on the western shores of the lake. The route follows the skyline of Gareth McCormack’s photo on the cover of our map.

The forest road exits easily onto the moorland where the stream from Coire Bhig could be troublesome to cross if in flood but normally handy. Cross the slopes of blanket bog to reach the steep and rocky spur that leads up to Binn a’ Choire Bhig. It’s better to walk the route this direction as it’s easier to pick a route going steeply uphill and in & around the crags.

It’s a pretty relentless climb to Binn a’ Choire Bhig but after that you’re on the ridge, picking a way up and down. The rocky lump of Binn a’ tSaighdiúra is gained where a 19thC Ordnance Survey sapper is said to have fallen to their death. This is followed by Binn Chorr which at 711m is the second highest of the Bens or Pins. You may drop then and regain much of the climb to reach Derryclare Mountain or Binn Doire Chláir. From here the route lies ENE down a long rocky spur and then SE downhill to reach a forest fence and path through to the outgoing forest roads. The descent requires a good bit of route finding down rocky slopes and slabs. A good day out.

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