Cookies. This website uses cookies, which are small text files that the website puts on your device to facilitate operation. Cookies help us provide a better service to you. They are used to track general user traffic information and to help the website function properly.

Click to hide this notice for 30 days.
Welcome to MountainViews
If you want to use the website often please enrol (quick and free) at top right.
Overview
Detail
Zoom: ??
For more map options click on any overview map area or any detail map feature.
Find Suggested Walks
Find hill, mountain, island, coastal feature.
Videos


Recent Contributions
Get Notifications

Costa Brava: Estartit to Torroella de Montgri

Cort-ma Law East Top: Do not climb in the rain !

Dunsink and Killegar

Lecket Hill: Short trek to summit of around 2 Km from Crow road

Great Knock: Short trek to summit

Lanzarote: Femés to Puerto Calero via Lomo del Pozo.

Brown Knowe: Straight forward track to the summit

Lake District: Grasmere Round

Lamb Knowe: Short trek from Tods Knowe

Lake District: Langdale South

Tods Knowe: Long and heather bash descent to summit

Broad Law: Do not approach on a misty day

Conditions and Info
Use of MountainViews is governed by conditions and a privacy policy.
Read general information about the site.
Opinions in material here are not necessarily endorsed by MountainViews.
Hillwalking is a risk sport. Information in comments, walks, shared GPS tracks or about starting places may not be accurate for example as regards safety or access permission. You are responsible for your safety and your permission to walk.
See the credits and list definitions.
Video display
markwallace: Track 4533 in area near Cnoc Bréanainn, Brandon Group (Ireland)
Brandon and Brandon Peak from Cloghane
Length: 21.7km, Creator time taken: 6h18m, Ascent: 1221m,
Descent: 1227m

Places: Start at Q5091711298, Cnoc Bréanainn, Faill na nDeamhan, Barr an Ghéaráin, An Géarán, end at Start
Logged as completed by 1

This is the classic middle section of the Brandon ridge, up from the coastal village of Cloghane (plenty of parking at the church) past the grotto at Faha, through the spectacular corries and paternoster lakes, over Brandon to Brandon Peak and Gearhane, then descent and a long road walk back to Cloghane. It is almost the same route as Colin Callanan's 4335, but this is the one-car version, which adds - a lot - to the length. I also included the short detour of a few minutes to Faill na nDeamhan's minor summit. Faill na nDeamhan is an impressive pinnacle, but is flanked by even more impressive pinnacles, so is not essential.
Looking east over the Faha Ridge:

The top of the Faha path snaking up the back of the corrie, as seen from Brandon:
This was undertaken in the middle of a heatwave, which meant the sea-to-952m-summit ascent was gruelling, but the views were spectacular. The fact the ascent passed by some lakes near the top also became important, as extra drinking water was needed. The sun blazed overhead, but some of the surrounding valleys were filled with cloud. There were fewer people on the hills. Once I left the main summit and started towards Brandon Peak and Gearhane, there was not a soul around. The walking got easier, too, with the 190m to Brandon Peak the only substantial ascent. Brandon Peak is a stunning spot, its summit cairn perched over a massive precipice and with endless hill, coastal and island views.
Approaching Brandon Peak:

One thing I might change if I did this again would be to descend from Gearhane to shorten the walk out. Looking at the map while standing at Gearhane, I noticed a steep but apparently feasible descent by going down the (roughly) east ridge to Lough Avoonane. That was confirmed by the view from the road later. Instead of doing that, I was following the route in Lonely Planet Hiking Ireland and met a good track marked on OSI 70 to descend gently past Loch na mBan through Mullaghveal, getting more water from the Owenmore River around where the track becomes road. It is a simple route without the proximity to dangerous ground that Gearhane has so is the safest option. Still, the shorter walk out from Gearhane is tempting, at least in good visibility when the descent line should be clear. A mistake here, though, could be serious. As it was, I had 6.5 km of road to get back to Cloghane.
The two-car version version would omit that 6.5 plus the 2km at the start from Cloghane to the Faha car park (which is small and fills up early in summer) so instead of 21.7 km would be something like 13.7.
Cloud covering the lower ground to the west:

Uploaded on: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 (09:38:18)
Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/track/4533/  
To download GPS tracks you must be enrolled and logged in. See "Login or enrol", top right - quick and easy.


COMMENTS
No comments uploaded yet.

NOTE: ALL information such as Ascent, Length and Creator time taken etc should be regarded as approximate. The creator's comments are opinions and may not be accurate or still correct.
Your time to complete will depend on your speed plus break time and your mode of transport. For walkers: Naismith's rule, an approximate though often inaccurate estimate, suggests a time of 6h 22m + time stopped for breaks
NOTE: It is up to you to ensure that your route is appropriate for you and your party to follow bearing in mind all factors such as safety, weather conditions, experience and access permission.

* Note: A GPS Height in the elevation profile is sourced from the device that recorded the track. An "SRTM" height is derived from a model of elevations for parts of the earth. More detail

Main mapping:
Open Street Map
(Main supplier OpenTopoMap)
Height layer: © MapTiler
MapTiler Logo
British summit data courtesy:
Database of British & Irish Hills
(Creative Commons Licence)
MountainViews.ie, a Hill-walking Website for the island of Ireland. 2500 Summiteers, 1480 Contributors, maintainer of lists such as: Arderins, Vandeleur-Lynams, Highest Hundred, County Highpoints etc