jackill on Beennabrack

Coming down from the Brandon ridge at Fallaghnamara , A (Q459 078) ,623m.
Looking down the valley you can see Loch Dubh, Loch Geal, Loch Tarbh cut into the hillside above,Loch Ui Fhiannachta and the corner of Loch Neil Phadraig.The Summit of Ballysitteragh is just out of shot on the extreme right , Beenabracks summit is in the centre of the shot over Loch Geal with the Connor pass over the right hand corner of Loch Ui Fhiannachta ,behind the pass is Slievanea.You can make out where the tarred road ends at the farm at the end of the Pilgrims Route in the area of green fields between Loch Ui Fhiannachta and Loch Geal. There is plenty of room to park a few cars by the side of the road just before you get to the farmyard. The dwellings in the farmyard are uninhabited except for a few dogs the farmer working the land keeps there for rounding up his sheep, these dogs are locked in when the farmer is not there. After the farm there is a bridge over the stream and a gate with a stile , the road has changed to a rough track that leads over the gap to the Dingle side of the Mountains to Na Gleanna Thuaidh. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/273/comment/1110/

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padodes on Beennabrack

This view northwards, from the top of Beennabrack, shows the full extent of the valley leading to the sea at Cloghane. A tongue of Loch Tarbh is sticking out at the foot of the cliffs. After that the ground falls away steeply to the valley floor, with Loch Ui Fhiannachta and Loch Neil Phadraig beyond. To the left of the photo, the white thread of the Pilgrims' Route is just visible, skirting the end of a ridge leading up to Gearhane. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/273/comment/2941/

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padodes on Beennabrack

Looking across a stretch of Loch Ui Fhiannachta (Clogharee Lough), one can see the dark form of Beennabrack rising up behind. What is not visible is the little corry lake she holds in her lap: Loch Tarbh (Lough Coumeenoughter). Nearly all the lakes and mountain tops in this area seem to have both an Irish name and a very different anglicised alternative. Further back, to the right of Beennabrack, is Ballysitteragh Mountain (An Scraig). Coming from Cloghane, one can walk into this valley along the "Pilgrims' Route", as it's called in the OS 70 map, and up to the saddle on the right. From there, a fine walk can be had by skirting the north-facing cliffs of Ballysitteragh, Beennabrack and An Bhinn Dubh, right across to the Connor Pass. After that, a few hundred yards down the Connor Hill Road, it is easy to cross the fence to the left and circle back over the valley beneath the same brooding mountains, passing between Loch Ui Fhiannachta and Loch Neil Phadraig and then onto the Pilgrims' Route again. My own photo was taken at this stage of the walk. I have never experienced any access problem here. There is much to explore at the head of this valley, with the ruins of a good deal of human habitation gradually merging back into nature. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/273/comment/2940/

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Great round to Brandon Peak.

Visited in September 2021 on the way round to Brandon Peak, enjoyed the walk very much on a partly cloudy day but got away with it. Easy Climb up from the Conor Pass and great round of hills. Came back the hard way via the valley and river crossing was tricky - probably best avoid that. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/273/comment/23378/

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Steep Cliffs to the North

It's a shame that I've only summitted this particular top in thick mist but on a subsequent fair weather hike to Gearhane to the north I captured this image which gives a fair impression of the cliffs above Loch Duff.

It also highlights the low prominence of Beenabrack (relative to Ballysitteragh), just 23 metres drop according to the stats in the MV detail.

If I remember it well, it's boggy, and there's a fence along the cliffs with a path almost the whole way from the Conor Pass. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/273/comment/23226/

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