Peter Walker on Knockaunanattin West Top

Given the number of visits the main top has had I find it hard to believe that the English invasion (all two of us) of Knockaunanattin W Top constituted its first MV ascent, but never mind. Having sat in the car at Ballaghisheen under copiously lachrymose skies and buffeted by an impressive south-westerly, the quick trot north up from Ballaghbeama ( BallBeam (V755 781) ) (taking about 45 minutes for the round trip) saved something from the day. The gap itself is a very impressive defile well worth the visit even if you don't climb anything, but the ascent of the W Top puts up little resistance save for a few of the benches typical of the Irish South-West running at right angles to the very blunt ridgeline. The GPS-toting half of the party concluded that the top to the right of the little lake on the summit was highest even if other candidates look just as likely to the naked eye, but all of them have excellent views for such a minor effort. Mullaghanattin looks quite imposing even by its own standards, and the pictured view along the ridge to the main top and Stumpa Duloigh would have been rather inspiring on a less wild sort of day... Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/557/comment/3769/

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Little Known but Handy Jaunt in Wild Country

Makes a handy 2.5-3 hour walk along with Knockaunattin and Stumpa Duloigh SW. Great views. Just climb north from Ballaghbeama as described above and follow the ridge from Knockaunanattin W Top to Knockaunanattin itself and from there to Stumpa Duloigh SW Top. The return route from the latter can be shortened by following an obvious straight 'passage' to the south of the main ridge, thereby bypassing the first two summits. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/557/comment/16000/

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Big Little Lake?

I arrived at the Ballaghbeama Gap about 4.30am in the pitch black of the night, I planned to hike to the top and take some photos of the Reeks from the ridge. The weather had other plans though, as fog and low cloud completely blotted out the sky above me, reducing my visibility to less than 50 metres. I waited some time for light to creep into the gap and started the hike with my head torch at about 5.10am.

No maps I viewed describe how craggy the outcrops are on the West Top, it was actually quite dangerous in reduced visibility, there are plenty of 10-20 foot drops behind the crags as you ascend this mountain. I thought I'd make this comment just to let anyone eyeing up this mountain, that it is in fact a mountain and quite dangerous despite how low its summit lies. Speaking of the summit, when you reach it, there is what I can only describe as a Big Little Lake, which seems to be for lakes what pitch and putt is to golf. The lake is very long and looks like a grand lake in miniature. Sadly I was completely whited out in cloud and fog so I took no photos, but I attach a shot of the Dunkerron mountains from Stumpa Duloigh, which was my target, Knockaunanattin W Top is visible in the right of the image minnowed by the other mountains in the shot. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/557/comment/20513/

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View from the summit

My view from Knockaunattin W Top. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/557/comment/18674/

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