I have to confess to missing the Wicklow hills on occasion. The mountains of Connemara are truly spectacular, but it's the proximity I miss! Last weekend, we climbed Diamond Hill, which is a great mountain with a great view, but it's a good hour and a half drive from Galway, which seems a bit much.
So I'm very happy to report finding a great mountain with amazing views 45 minutes' drive from Galway. The mountain is Cnoc Mordain, in south Connemara, between Maam Cross and Casla (more or less). The quickest way to get there is to go up to Maam Cross and take a left, following signs to Kilkieran. The water tower on the northern flank is a good landmark from which to start the climb - you will see it from the road. Don't take the first right turn off the road, but the second, where there is a crossroads, and a sign for a B&B to the left - you turn right. Drive up until you reach the path up to the water tower- there is a place to park.
From here, it's a gorgeous, gradual scramble up the slopes to the ridge - maybe an hour to the summit. Orientation is easy, as you see the lakes and sea laid out like a map below. But make sure to go towards the western side to see the full panorama - the Maamturks behind, with the lakes in between, and sea on the other three sides. From there, you keep along the ridge to the south, until you get to the saddle. Another time, I think I might try to descend the saddle, and find the path between Loch Conaortha and Flannery Bridge. As it was, I continued on but instead of climbing to the second peak, I scrambled down the eastern flank - boggy and a bit too steep, then picked my way across the bog to the forestry road beyond Flannery Bridge. I should have gone up the peak, and continued on down to where the ridge descends again, meeting the forestry road there, but I was impatient!
Once you reach the forestry road, it's a good 1.5 hours back to the car, mostly on the main road. The road isn't busy though, and the views of the lakes and seas are gorgeous. About 4.5 hours in all.
