Some of the most exciting walks in the British Isles can be found along the western seaboard of Ireland and for many years I had planned to climb Croaghaun and with a reasonable day in prospect I head out from my base in Westport for Achill Island to bag this mountain which lies at the western tip of Achill Island. On a previous visit here some thirty years earlier low cloud prevented me from making an ascent of this fine mountain.
My day begins with a drive via Newport and Mallaranny to get to Achill Island which is linked to the mainland by a modern road bridge spanning Achill Sound, and reaching the area the familiar road signs and place names give way to Irish Gaelic names with no translation. It’s a fascinating drive out to Keem Strand, a sandy secluded beach which lies at the end of the road and more than ten degrees west of the Greenwich Meridian. On the way the road is dotted with whitewashed houses and trees become increasingly a rare sight. I am one of the first to park but a few tourists have camped overnight at this idyllic spot.
The tide is in and I decide to venture down to the sandy beach to view the Atlantic surf before ascending to follow the road back eastwards which soon runs high above the Atlantic Ocean. I keep an eye open for any basking sharks in the sea far below me but nothing is sighted today. After around a mile and a half, I leave the road and take a minor lane up to Lough Acorrymore which is hidden in the shadows of Croaghaun itself. Crossing the small dam I head now over easy ground to the smaller Lough Corryntawy before making a steep ascent north then veering northwest at a lesser gradient. Thankfully the going underfoot is good and being this far west, the vegetation is short everywhere. The ascent is taking its time as I trek northwest making to a spot where the ground suddenly plunges away to Bunnafreva Lough West and this is where the first ‘wow-factor’ kicks it. It is an amazing sight with a amphitheatre broken craggy cliffs dropping to this hidden lough and below the lough itself there is a cliff which itself plummets a further three metres to the Atlantic Ocean. It is time to stop for my morning break close to the rim of this fine amphitheatre of rock and ahead the ‘wow-factor’ will soon kick in again as I will be walking along the top of some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The eastern satellite summit of Craoghaun doesn’t disappoint with a drop of 574 metres almost sheer to the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of tonnes of rock face including the summit itself is in the process of gradually moving away from the mountain top and perched ready for its sudden plunge to the ocean. Deep gullies ran parallel with the cliff face and it feels that all this lot could collapse at any time. At any safe points I venture to the of the cliff edge to view the massive cracks that are clearly visible in the fractured cliff face. I next head southwest along the cliff top with a further ascent to the summit of Craoghaun 688 metres with the Atlantic Ocean far below. Croaghaun southwest top which is a little lower gives an even better feel of height as it has quite an airy summit. It is a good spot to stop for lunch and here that cliffs plunge directly down to the Atlantic Ocean nearly a half mile below. Distance and height is deceptive as there is nothing to compare the scale as the area is totally devoid of anything man made.
I was now faced with a steep descent to a remote valley but at least with short vegetation it takes only about a half hour to descend with only a few crags to avoid on the way. I would like to explore towards Achill Head but a walk to the end of this arête today would have added on considerable time. I decide to contour along the hillside and gradually ascend to reach the cliff top path and continue to a point overlooking Achill Head. I now back track southeast along Benmore with cliffs plunging almost sheer one thousand feet to the Atlantic Ocean. I stop time and time again to take photographs before continuing down the ridge to near Moyteoge Head then taking a path down to the car park at a much busier Keem Strand and today a real suntrap.
Lough Adorrymore is hidden on the lower eastern slopes of Croughaun. Now the real climb begins.
The ‘wow-factor’ kicks in. Bunnafreva Lough West which itself lies above a further three metre drop to the Atlantic Ocean just beyond. This was my morning coffee stop.
The northeastern spur from Croaghaun displays some spectacular 600 metre high cliffs but some of it is going to end up in the Atlantic Ocean soon!
The western summit of Croaghaun and my lunch stop above a cliff nearly half a mile above the sea. I’m just glad its not windy.
The view towards Achill Head which itself forms an arete sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean. The next parish New York!
The view towards Croaghaun from the west which rises almost half a mile above the Atlantic Ocean but without any man made item you can’t really appreciate the scale.
The three hundred metre high cliffs on Benmore looking towards Achill Head makes for some very rewarding walking.
Following the cliff top back towards Keem Strand must rate as one of the best cliff top walks in the British Isles.
The final descent to Keem Strand and its fine sandy beach at the end of a most rewarding walk.