Halfway up Cregg Hill, around L718 528 A (coordinates as they appear in Harvey's Connemara - not GPS), at the edge of a strip of forestry plantation and near a layby with space for 2 cars, there’s a marking-post depicting a walker with an arrow pointing into the bogland to the south and east, and a stile over a fence – this is the Sli Chonamara, a tourism initiative that was never properly developed, but has a legacy of signs and posts.

This sends you down along the forest edge, initially southsoutheast. A path is vaguely discernible (marked as an intermittent path in Harvey), and the ground is solid enough, but somewhat overgrown. At the edge of the forest, the marking-posts send you off slightly to the right, while Maumoght and Bencullagh are ahead and to the left. Still, it’s better to follow the vaguely defined path a while longer than to go across the tough, hummocky, potentially saturated ground. After the path crosses a narrow stream with a fence with stile just beyond it, it’s time to turn left onto open hillside (immediately crossing another fence), and begin the long, mostly fairly gentle climb to Maumoght SW. Harvey’s indicates marshy ground in the area, but this route seems to avoid it (but this was in summer, after a dry spell). From Maumoght SW, Maumoght and Bencullagh are straightforward.

If returning by this route, keep the TV mast on Cregg Hill to your right and try and head for the unnamed hillock at around L733 523 B. From here, try and spot the point where the aforementioned fences intersect to get back on the Sli Chonamara. A more direct exit to Cregg seems a natural line of descent but will involve tough or marshy ground.

Overall, Cregg isn’t the most convenient way to get into the Bens, but is doable. The Sli Chonamara from Cregg meets up with the road at Barnanoraun, so it’s possible to descend into the Owenglin valley and pick up the path to Cregg. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/608/comment/17531/