Descending the north face

I had wanted to climb Bencorrbeg for some time as the final summit of a Bencollaghduff/Binn an tSaighdiúra/Bencorrbeg trio. These summits had eluded me on two previous outings – once because I ran out of time and once because when I reached Maumina col from the sheltered Gleninagh Valley I was nearly blown over by strong winds and had to abandon the walk

I had spent some time reading the comments of others about these summits – in particular I wanted to know if I could complete a circuit that involved descending Bencorrbeg to bring me back to the farmhouse at A (L81600 55500). (The family here are always willing to let folk park in their yard and if you walk alone like me it’s a good idea to ‘check in’ and ‘check out’ with them – on this occasion the lady of the house told me she had begun looking out for me as it was past 7pm). Reading previous posts by Captain Vertigo, csd, aidand & smcbr I realised that such a descent would require care & some light scrambling.

So it was that I parked at the farmhouse and set off just after noon. There is a track that leads for 3.5kms from the farm right up to Maumina col, and this long gradual climb warms up the muscles nicely. A steady breeze in the valley had me concerned that I might be thwarted by stronger winds further up, but when I finally hauled up onto the shoulder of Bencollaghduff I was relieved to find that it was relatively calm. Not being much of one for scrambling I found the final approach to Bencollaghduff a little awkward but it was manageable. A steady descent brought me to col below the Bencorr/ Binn an tSaighdiúra ridge. From Bencollaghduff the climb up to the ridge looked imposing but I could see scree tracks winding their way up, carved out by countless boots. With a touch of the old ‘one step forward, two steps back’ as well as some light scrambling I made it up to the ridge. (by light I mean having to use hands to pull myself up a few times but only one rock at a time and not ‘climbing’)

After Binn an tSaighdiúra it is a small haul of 50m up to the summit of Bencorrbeg. However the full 581m of Bencorrbeg’s height falls away to the north to where I was parked. It was with trepidation that I began the descent north. I decided to go as slow as possible as I had 3.5 hours of good light left at 5:30pm. It took me 2 hours of slow descent that involved several sections of light scrambling – on one occasion I took off my rucksack and dropped it down ahead of me a couple of metres. For the most part it was steep rock and stones that could be walked with care. As I descended, the steep slope turned to wet bog and grass interspersed with stone that created its own challenge. Later, as I drove away along Gleninagh Valley and glanced across at Bencorrbeg, I marvelled that I had really descended that slope. But of course such slopes always look more impressive when viewed head on, and the reality is that an experienced walker will manage it if they use common sense. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/316/comment/15078/

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CaptainVertigo on Bencorrbeg

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable August day (2003) in the company of my wife's brother in law and our four teenage children ascending Derryclare, walking along the ridge to BenCorr and finally coming down off BenCorrBeg. A comic prelude was the fact that we spent the "night before" in flimsy tents in the forest at Derryclare's base. The early part of the evening involved all six of us being feasted upon by midges...to the point where we lit a fire, piled on green grass, and stood in the smoke. Our tent seemed to float on a mossy bed and I lay awake all night long, damp and uncomfortable. I learned that my eldest son snores in the normal way while his brother does so from his derriere! It was a great relief to get up and begin the climb. Unfortunately, the cousins were made up of hares and tortoises and it was difficult to kept the platoon together. But the views from Derryclare were stunning and peace broke out and we relished the ridge walking, and the moonscape vistas. A WORD OF WARNING !! We were badly caught out on the descent of BenCorrBeg. We found ourselves half way down a very steep aspect with what looked like a cliff below us. We eventually managed to move across to a safer slope and I was greatly relieved to get all down safely. I really thought we were in serious difficulties. We had checked out our proposed descent the evening before but that didn't save us. I have always believed that "coming down" is far more dangerous than "going up". Take care folks. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/316/comment/1556/

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pdtempan on Bencorrbeg

A view of Binn Choire Bhig from Gleninagh. The Carrot Ridge is visible as the steep sliver of rock in the centre of the picture that appears whiter than the rest of the mountain. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/316/comment/723/

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csd on Bencorrbeg

Bencorrbeg was the first stop on our Gleninagh horseshoe. We parked at an abandoned house on the laneway that leads off the R344 at the 25 metre spot height marked on the Harvey map, then followed the lane into the valley towards the point marked Stone Row. Crossing the river at B (L816 550), we headed directly south towards Bencorrbeg.
The northern approach to the summit is steep but manageable, with some gentle scrambling as you near the summit. Magnificent views await, as well as a nice sheltered area near the cairn, which makes a nice spot for lunch.
Next stop on the horseshoe route was Binn an tSaighdura. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/316/comment/2534/

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aidand on Bencorrbeg

We did the Gleninagh Circuit on a fine October day. We finished with Binncorrbeg and descended down the north side to the valley below. In good weather it was okay but time consuming at the end of a long day. David Herman suggests the circuit should take 6.25 hours, it took us 8.5. Definitely a route for a fine summers day when you won't be under time pressure. Views are excellent, route is well worth doing but make sure you have no inexperienced/unfit people with you. Avoid in bad weather - the route finding will be very tricky and you will miss the wonderful views. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/316/comment/3380/

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