This hill receives faint praise because it's just crossed in transit, into or out of the Pins. Well it's a fine hill in its own right but if you're heading out where are you going? I've seen two suggestions and neither are appealing. The route to the radio mast road looks messy and what in god's name are you going to do if your lift's not there? Equally going out to Kylemore doesn't tempt and you arrive at Kylemore, surely Ireland's least attractive rip-off and not a beer in sight and your lift forgotten. I've dismissed the idea that you'd walk in and out of either of these and still have some energy left for a walk in between.

Looking for a circuit last week that wasn't just Glencoaghan, we got a lift to the road by Benglenisky and then circled via Binn Gabhar and Binn Bhan back to Maumonght. Beautiful weather, and only saw one other walker a hill away, paradise. From the last summit the north west ridge descends towards the edge of an area of woodland. From there the trip descends beyond anticlimax. Following the wood round north then west, I'd guess you're normally wallowing through wetlands. It had been a long dry spell so we were merely stumbling through dry grassy hummocks. At the west corner of the wood the National Park fence crosses a bridge (more of a concreted pipe, really.) Cross it and the fence (why don't they have occasional stiles?) Go WNW about three penitential kilometres paralleling about 300 metres north of the fence. We were out of water and this was definitely Ice Cold in Alex. Join the National Park track and gratefully walk out.

You're now at the crux of the route. The pub. You can have a couple of pints and decide to call your lift, or a taxi, or get wellied and stay in the pub which advertises beds at 15 Euros. The route 's no better than the two alternatives but the result's a lot better. And it's only moments until the last three miles are forgotten and the magic of the Pins reasserts itself. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/269/comment/2670/