Mount Brandon - a review

Jimbob1977

My friend and I climbed Mount Brandon from the grotto outside the village of Cloghane (An Clochan) on August 6th 2016. We are hobby hillwalkers, rather than serious enthusiasts.

Upon driving through the village, turn left after the school and drive two miles to the Car Park.

Ordnance Survey Map 70 is in Irish, so Grotto is denoted as 'Fochla'.

Conditions at the base were OK. It was cloudy and mild at 17c.

The ascent begins from the car park and uphill beyond the guesthouse/hostel. You will encounter a gate almost immediately ('No Dogs Allowed' is written). Then there is a second gate that's locked by some twine.

The route through the fields is marked by tall white posts that have been conveniently hammered into the ground. There is a stony path that is hard to pick out in places, but the simple rule is to ascend to the brow of the hill. There's a few turnstiles to cross en route.

When you reach the brow of the hill, continue left to walk up the spine.

After about an hour of easy walking and following the white posts, we entered the valley. It is very picturesque, with a crystal clear lake and waterfalls far below. The rocks and cliffs are jagged and it's like Mordor from The Lord of the Rings.

The valley is shaped like an inverted horseshoe. Our path continued against the lip of the valley. Yellow arrows have been spray-painted on the rocks to assist climbers. After a while, the walk is tight against the base of the cliff. If you look upwards, it's a sheer rock face. The walk around the valley is straightforward.

At this point of our journey, visibility was moderate. However, the temperature had fallen back a little bit. As a result, we added a few layers.

After trundling along for another 40 minutes, we descended between two lakes and Mount Brandon towers overhead in the mist. On our visit, the mist had set in around 600 metres ASL.

At first glance, the final ascent appears impossible. The mountain seems too steep. However, there is an established path to the summit (albeit it doesn't seem obvious at the time).

The yellow spray-painted arrows have become faded over time, but it is still possible to pick them out.

This is the tricky bit. In three of four places, climbers need to scramble because the path has become eroded. It means gripping the rocks and hauling yourself up by hands and knees. This is the most dangerous part of the walk.

We weren't dangling off a cliff or anything terrifying... but people who don't like heights might be nervous.

After battling the zig-zag climb, we reached the col at 850 metres. This is the staging post for the final attack. One side of the col was calm, but when we stepped over the other side... the wind was gusting severely. I can only guess that it went from 10mph to about 70mph.

The mist was heavy now, but the path to the peak is quite wide. After walking fifteen minutes from the col, we reached the Cross that signified the summit. There was no reason to stick around because it was cold, windy and raining.

When we returned to the col, visibility had deteriorated significantly. The mist was down to about 400 metres. However, we could still make out the return route. It was a bit surreal to walk in the gloom and soupy air.

The basics:

o Duration (round trip): About 5 hours in total
o Don't start your climb late
o Mobile phone
o Ordnance Survey Map 70
o Compass
o Consider a GPS
o Warm clothing, even in summer
o Change of clothes
o Hat for the summit
o Proper boots. Runners are not a good idea
o Torch

Don't underestimate the mountain. If August was a bit dodgy, the spring and winter must be many times worse.

It is a great day out, but precautions are needed.

CardinalJ

Nice review. Like you were writing a description of the conditions we had around this exact time last year!

We had a lovely warm day and by the time we were on the final approach to the summit it was lashing rain, cold and there was a serious wind.

That route is great though.