Walk Guide 21 for
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The Maamturks Walk
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Maintainer: simon3
 (Guide rating: 3.98) |
Overview
Walk length: 25.0km Ascent: 2300m Duration (without stops): 11:00 h:mm
A classic ridge route. Walked mostly on hard whitish quartzite, this route is physically tough and usually navigationally difficult in the very common mist. The rewards include completion of a great challenge and extensive views of Connemara. Starting from near Maam Cross the route runs most of the tortuous Maamturks ridge finishing in Leenane. The maximum height is a modest 700m but the successive steep slopes are very demanding. Under no circumstances attempt this walk unless you are an experienced fit hillwalker. Read the fuller safety guide later.
Points visited: Start = L969 496 - Turn = L964 489 - Corcóg - Turn = L947 496 - Mullach Glas - Binn Mhór - Patrickswell = L902 504 - Binn Chaonaigh - Binn idir an dá Log - L883 530 - L Mham Ochóige = L879 535 - Cnoc na hUilleann - Binn Bhriocáin - Top = L861 554 - Maam Turk = L857 564 - Top = L855 568 - Top = L856 576 - Col Despondency = L856 582 - Ridge = L864 594 - Meall Cheo = L861 598 - Western Way = L854 621 - Finish = L873 618 (Guide last changed: 2007-01-09)
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Approaches
Take the N59 from Galway through Oughterard. At Maam Cross turn right onto the R336. Start the walk from its highest point which is around 3.5k from Maam Cross. Public transport. This is problematical because although there are buses from Galway passing through Maam Cross, they don't go early enough given that most people attempting this walk start at around 6am. You would probably need to plan accomodation or camping near the start and probably at Leenane also.
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Preparations and Start
Although the initial 500-700m is wet and boggy this isn't the characteristic of most of the walk. Equip yourself with a route card and/or GPS waypoints as well as a map - the Harvey map of Connemara is the best - the OSI maps have an unfortunate map join. There is also OSI Trailmaster of course. Best to do your own routecard/ GPS route however both of these are available from www.simonstewart.ie. The initial pull up represents 20% of the walks climbing and needs some thought to minimise effort. My advice is to head south from the road to pick up a fence that runs most of the way towards the summit. (It's shown on the Harvey map and on the routecard mentioned above.)
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Highlights by section.
There are four main sections to the walk. (Mám anglicised to Maam or Maum is a pass):
Start to Mám Ean (the first lake of the walk)
Mám Ean to Mám Ochoige (the second lake)
Mám Ochoige to Mám Tuirc
Mám Tuirc to Leenane
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Start to Mám Ean
In the first section, look back as you climb Corcóg - it's the most southerly and easterly of the Turks and so has views to savour, assuming you can see anything. You can see Lackavrea 396m in front of the waters of a western spur of Lough Corrib. Further north there's the gorgeous rounded summits of Joyce's Country such as part of the horseshoe joining Lugnabrick and Bunnacunneen - a great but little walked circuit. On a good day you can see the Sheefry's, Maumtrasna, the Ben Gorms, Mweelrea and even the pull up the Col of Despondency later on this walk to Meall Cheo.
In the second section.
After Corcóg there's a classic little navigation problem in mist. How far do you walk down the ridge until you turn off for Mullagh Glas?
The ridge from Mullach Glas is strewn with glacial debris and small lakes. There's a trig pillar, the only one on the walk, at Binn Mhór and one of the first difficult descents. If you aren't so sure of the way down, tend towards the left, SW since this will help you avoid the cliffs.
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Mám Ean to Mám Ochoige
It's very steep up to Binn Chaónaigh but when you get there you've done half the climbing of the route. There's an unusual white quartzite chip covered ridge from here to Binn idir an dá Log SE Top (659m) - like walking in a graveyard. Look down to the right at the huge high level corrie. In the first organised walk in 1975 many people ended up in here because of an inaccuracy in the available map (half inch).
The tortuous almost bare rock here leads over the highest point of the Turks Binn idir an dá Log and then to the tricky descent to the second lake, Mám Ochoige - described later.
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Mám Ochoige to Mám Tuirc
There's a ferocious pull up Knocknahillion followed by more bare rock walking. It's possible to avoid going over each of the intermediate summits north of Knocknahillion by some judicious shortcuts, but as I learnt in 2006 you can overdo this and find you waste time route finding.
The ridge to Letterbreckaun is further classic Turks terrain - the sort you can't walk too fast on because if you do you can slide.
The summit of Letterbreckaun has further brilliant views down the Failmore River valley and north and west to the Bens. It also has an some most interesting pink quartzite crystals as well as another classic navigational trap for the unwary. You depart the ragged summit plateau at a hairpin angle to where you come onto it. Prepare well or you may go round in circles.
Eventually you come to the grassy Mám Tuirc.
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Mám Tuirc to Leenane
There's a series of relatively easier ridges to surmount eventually leading to the Col of Despondency, the final pull up of around 320m. There is an escape route here incidentally to the left (NW) which takes you S of Búcán and onto the Western Way - however it's a long walk.
Take a look at the fence that runs for part of the way beside the route up - the wire has been pulled back by successive walkers!
There's great views in almost all directions from Meall Cheo 578m. You can see quite a lot of the route and then to Killary Harbour and the coast etc. The finish is described below.
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Safety
This is not a walk for beginners. If you haven't done walks with about 1500m climbing (5000 ft) in the last two months, or if you haven't done walks that take over 10 hours you aren't ready for it. Try doing the county tops or a shorter challenge walk such as the Galtees or the Blackstairs. Work up to it with a club.
Apart from the physical challenge there is the difficulty of navigation and route finding. At least 6 days out of 10 there is mist on some of the route and sometimes on all of it. There is a local weather system on the Bens and the Turks which makes things even more variable than elsewhere. A day starting out in bright sunshine may change to rain/ mist with high winds. Get instruction from a club or course on navigation and practice in bad weather before you try here. My routecard, GPS data, this site or guidebooks don't replace your effort. And get the gear.
Even on the organised walks there have been serious accidents including a fatality in 1999. Don't go without first aid gear, bivvy bags etc. Be prepared to look after yourself and this does not mean relying on a mobile phone and expecting that will solve a problem - in fact mobile coverage varies with the operator and is often non-existent in the Maamturks. On many days on the higher ground it is unlikely that a helicopter could reach you in the mist. The nearest mountain rescue team could easily take half a day to reach you. Study the escape routes. You cannot leave this ridge just anywhere.
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Warnings.
All hillwalking has risks. There are extra risks on the Maamturks walk including slipping on the greasy wet quartzite which is a particular danger for roughly the first three quarters. There is a distinct risk of getting lost. Do not mindlessly follow fences - some do not lead to where you want to go. There are many dangerous descents - study the map to be aware of them.
Of particular note is the descent to each of the first two lakes (Mám Ean and Mám Ochoige). Study the map and suggested routes carefully. There is a diagram for Mám Ochoige with this guide. All routes down are dangerous in bad weather - the suggested route is tricky to find but in my opinion slightly safer. Going straight down the nose towards the lake leads you to an area of steep cliff (there was an accident here in the 90's requiring helicopter evacuation.)
Several other descents are dangerous including the one to Mám Tuirc and the final descent particularly if you go straight into Leenane (this was where the fatality was in 1999).
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Finish
From Meall Cheo (861 598 (Point A) (Point A), shown as height 578m) there is a choice. The safest way is to head to head towards the col leading to Búcán. Don't climb Búcán but drop into the valley north of the col, along the Laghyfahaghaun River. The path beside the river crosses the Western Way, turn right and walk along the Way and then the road to Leenane. The alternative way is to head north of Meall Cheo to a sizeable pond at which you turn NE towards Leenane over a slope marked as Leacan on the Harvey Map. It's steepness is a challenge right to the end.
Leenane has various pubs, a local interpretative centre and assorted restaurants/ cafes.
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| Point A: L861 598 |
(turn area map On) |
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