Hiking Benbulbin

“It would be fun to go hiking,” she said, and the wheels began to turn.

Where to go, previously unexplored, yet accessible by public transit?

The famous Benbulbin, overlooking Sligo Town, eventually came out as top choice for a January adventure. Plans were set and some of us arrived in Sligo from Athlone via Longford, others from Ennis via Galway.

From the Bus Éireann station in Sligo, we took the 64 towards Donegal. The driver was kind enough to drop us at the junction on the N15 from which we could walk up a quiet road to the Gortarowey Forest car park. Passing by evergreens and surprisingly large rabbits, overshadowed by Benbulbin’s cloud-draped ridge, we came to a fence at the far end of the forest. We climbed over and began to make our way towards the summit.

Heading towards the gully from the far corner of the Gortarowey Forest

The maps I had found online indicated we could go straight to the top through a gully in the ridge, but as we approached the base of the rock face, still wet from the morning rain, we decided against it - without ropes, a single misstep could be disastrous.

Turning towards the northeast, beyond the ridge face, where the steep terrain grew even steeper and the sheep glared at us for interrupting their bucolic day, we continued upwards.

Despite the smooth, grassy, even terrain, even this part of the journey seemed increasingly dangerous. A misplaced step could lead to a long and painful roll many meters down the mountain slope.

This was intentional. No lads or sheep were harmed.

Half of us made it up above the ridge, where the wind began to howl ferociously. Celebrating victory, we looked northeast towards Benwiskin, then turned back south to find Benbulbin’s summit. There, at 526 meters above sea level, we found a simple pillar, and took photographs.

Delighted to reach another summit!

We attempted to hide from the wind, sheltered by the bank of a crater in the bog, but the cold soon got the better of us. Abandoning plans to walk out along the plates to Ben Bulben’s western point, we began to make our way down the southwestern slope - the terrain more difficult, but far less steep than our ascent. For you future explorers - we recommend this route!

From the ridgeline looking towards Benwiskin

Following a stream, we came to a gap in the fence and found ourselves once again on a country road, passing farms and holiday homes. Rejoining the rest of our party, we decided to walk the ten kilometers back to Sligo, as no bus was due to pass through for another 2.5 hours.

Exhausted, we celebrated with pizza at Bistro Bianconi, happy to have had the adventure.

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Planning your Hike to Benbulbin

There are very few clear trails on the mountain, and you will likely have to make your own way, dodging sheep droppings and ankle-twisting holes hidden by bog grasses.

Wear sturdy waterproof shoes!

Budget approximately 4 to 5 hours to hike to the summit, wander the plateau, and return.

Bring lots of water and even an emergency blanket in case of hypothermia-inducing conditions.

It can be very windy, and weather can change quickly.

If taking public transit (Bus Eireann 64 towards Derry), ask the driver to drop you here. Check the schedule so you know when pickup will be! We discovered there are few buses during midday.

If driving, you can part at the Gortarowey Forest car park.

I suggest walking along the road to the gap in the fence and walking up along the stream as seen in the map below. This hill has the gentler ascent of the two, with no need for rock climbing gear.

1. Junction on the N15 for dropoff from Public Transit. 2. Gortarowey Forest Car Park. 3. Turn off the road here and follow a dirt road and then a stream up the mountain for the least steep ascent.

Remember, it may be very windy on the plateau, and the weather changes fast! Bring appropriate wind and raingear.

Leave no trace: pack any rubbish with you back to town.

Enjoy your hike and the beautiful views!

Photographing on the southwestern slope, Sligo in the distance beneath the setting sun.

See more of my Ireland photography at this link. Prints available for purchase!

Castle Dome

The alarm goes off at 3:57 AM.

I grab my backpack, some water from the fridge, and head out the door.  Alex is waiting outside, ready for the trip to the mountains.  His Altima, we anticipate, will have trouble on the unpaved roads, so we take my Sorento.  The roads quickly empty as we leave town. Rumbling tires and the drone of the air conditioning are the only sounds.  The desert is silent.

We turn off the highway after many miles, approaching the trailhead.  Eight miles of dusty dirt road brings us to a mining museum on the left and a big gate - quite deliberately padlocked - on the right.  A red light blinks on and off: whoever recently built this fortress is keen to discourage trespassing.  Alex mutters in frustration, as no one had mentioned such security in all his internet researching the day before.  The sun still sleeps, so we cannot see Castle Dome, yet we know it looms not far to the north.

Back on the main road, we decide to head north.  The sky lightens and others silently pass us by in their journey through the desert.  We come to a border checkpoint (strangely far from any border) and ask the two guards where to go hiking.  They point us to King Road, just a few miles north, and mention loads of trails back in the wildlife refuge.  The road closure we had discovered previously was news to them as well; however, they said, we could still get to Castle Dome the long way around.

So we try it. A sharp right onto King Road, then a sudden right up an embankment on to a narrow dirt road. We stop to catch the sunrise and the drive for nearly an hour and a half through the wilderness, trees scratching the windows with Alfred Hitchcock musicality as we bounce up and down through the washes and the rocks. I thank God that I was given an SUV as a rental car this time around.

Finally, we come to the trailhead.  Walking up the wash as the temperature climbs into the 90s, we find the first cairn: a pile of stones marking the trail to Castle Dome.  Alex's internet research says to follow the wash into the canyon, then there's a clear path up to the right and we would be on our way to Castle Dome.

There is no clear path.  The first cairn is the only cairn that we ever do find.  So, we blaze a trail, scrambling up rocky hills and hoping there are no angry coyotes in the caves that we pass.  Up on the ridge, we finally see Castle Dome, some distance away.  It's clear now why the internet says the hike is a six-hour trip.

We traipse around, conversing about storytelling and work and vacations as we try and find the least dangerous routes through the mountains.  A variety of cacti cling to the hills; small lizards and what might be roadrunners dart around.

Soon, we need to head back to the car, so we walk down into the wash, where the occasional rains unleash torrents of water that carve deep pools in the rocks.  The whole way back, we try to see where we went wrong, but never do find another cairn or anything resembling the online trail description.

Three hours driving follows, most of it off-road.  Safe home.

"Next time, Castle Dome," says Alex, ruefully.  "Next time, we'll defeat you."