Brief Description (Mweelrea Horseshoe)

Maol Reidh is the highest mountain in Connaught and has, in my opinion, the finest examples of corries and arrettes in the West.

This walk involves setting up a shuttle of two cars, one at the layby at Doo Lough and the other at along the road near the Delphi Adventure centre. This is one of the greatest walks in Ireland, albeit a long and demanding one. Maol Réidh dominates the fjord of Killary Harbour, and offers splendid views from the summit. This walk involves a steep ascent initially, and then a ridge walk to the summit of Ben Bury. Care should be taken along this ridge, particularly during bad weather. Breathtaking views of the Sheeffry Hills to the East, the paternoster lakes of Glencullin, Doo Lough, and Fin Lough below and the steep glaciated back walls of the corrie below the summit of Maol Réidh are some of the rewards along this ridge. Please note that this is a long walk- up to 7 hours. This includes a 1.5 hour time scale for getting from Maol Réidh to the second car. If you have only one car, complete the circuit along the Bundorragha river to the layby at Doo Lough. This will add another 40 minutes to your trek.

In snowy conditions this mountain is an excellent walk, as it is the highest mountain in Connaught, it tends to be get snow more regularly compared to any other mountain in the area.

Detailed Description (Mweelrea Horseshoe)

From the parking place, walk along the shore of Doo Lough towards the Owengarr river and cross the river at the small sluice located at L844670. Continue a little further south and start the ascent of the ridge. If you prefer a less steep ascent, walk further south for a few meters before commencing you ascent. I normally climb the gully at L844667. Once you have negotiated the ridge, continue walking northwest to point 760 and then point 803. Care should be taken along these high cliffs, particularly during bad weather. From point 803, continue northwest towards the cairn marking the summit of Ben Bury at L803683. Continue southwest down the flat saddle and up to the summit of Maol Réidh. Note that it is very easy to make navigational errors in this area during bad weather or low cloud and end up walking on the wrong ridge. Also, winds tend to accelerate along this saddle and can sometimes be powerfull enough to cause one to loose their footing and stumble. The climb to the summit is approx 165 meters from the low point of the saddle.

Note, that there is no trig point or cairn on the summit of Maol Réidh.

This is a good point to have a rest and a break for food. From the summit continue further south for 5 minutes and then turn a quick left onto a narrow grassy spur. Once again, care should be take here as this grassy spur has very high cliffs on the north side. This grassy spur marks the beginning of your walk out from the mountain. Please note that the walk out to the second car (parked along the road near the Delphi Adventure centre) can take up to 1.5 hours. Some walkers prefer to climb to points 495 and 379, however I must admit I find these hills quite boring and the terrain is often very wet and difficult to walk on. The best route, in my opinion is to follow the fence below Pat's hill and continue towards the forrestry road behind Delphi adventure centre.

Alternative Route (from East to West)

The ascent is the same as for the horseshoe walk, the descend from Maol Réidh is in a northwesterly direction towards Dadreen. This is an easier "walk out" than the one described above. However, it requires a second car parked along the road at Dadreen. (It takes up to 45 minutes to set up this shuttle at the start).

Alternative Route (the Ramp)

This is a more direct ascent. Your starting point is at the north end of Doo Lough lake. There is a small area where you can park your car not far from the Famine memorial. The walk begins with a walk across moorland along the north shore of Doo Lough lake and into the corrie below Ben Bury known locally by climbers as "the ramp".