Benbrack is the quiet one. At 582 m it is only the tenth-tallest of the core Twelve Bens, and it sits off on its own small massif to the north of the main range, which is exactly why it is worth climbing: from the top you look straight down on Kylemore Abbey and its lough, you can see clear to the Atlantic and the Aran Islands on a good day, and you will very likely have the summit to yourself. This is not Diamond Hill, the park’s busy waymarked favourite a few kilometres west. There is no boardwalk and no handrail. The ground is bog and bare quartzite, the route is real hillwalking, and you should be confident with a map before you start.
The name comes from the rock. Binn Bhreac means ‘speckled peak’, after the lumps of pale Dalradian quartzite strewn across the top – mottled with grey lichen and dark heather, it looks broken-coloured from a distance. The summit itself is in Connemara National Park, and the wider massif lies within the Twelve Bens/Garraun Complex Special Area of Conservation, which protects the blanket bog and heath you cross to reach it.
The walk
All the usual routes start from the Kylemore Abbey car park off the N59. If you only want Benbrack, the short out-and-back over its subsidiary top is the one to do; the horseshoes are for a full day on the tops.
| Route | Distance | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benbrack via the subsidiary Benbaun (out and back) | 5 km | 2.5 h | The direct line to the summit and back |
| Mweelin Horseshoe | 7 km | 3.5 h | Takes in Knockbrack (442 m) around the Mweelin valley |
| Glencorbet Horseshoe | 14 km | 6–7 h | The big circuit, over the main Benbaun (729 m) and on to Muckanaght and Benfree |
One naming trap worth knowing: Benbrack’s own subsidiary top is also called Benbaun (Irish Maolán, ‘knoll’) and stands at just 447 m – not to be confused with the main Benbaun, the highest of the Twelve Bens at 729 m, which you only reach on the long Glencorbet round. The quartzite slabs near the summit get genuinely slippery in the wet, and the whole hill is exposed, so wind chill bites even in summer.
Wildlife and the park
Benbrack’s slopes are blanket bog, heather and purple moor-grass, and the quartzite outcrops carry their own specialised lichens and mosses. Connemara National Park, opened in 1980 and covering about 2,000 hectares, keeps a herd of native Connemara ponies among its heritage breeds; you are more likely to meet them on the lower park ground than on the summit. The park was stitched together from former Kylemore Abbey estate land, the old Letterfrack Industrial School, and the property of Richard ‘Humanity Dick’ Martin, who helped found what became the RSPCA.
Practical information
- Admission and hours: Free, year-round. The Connemara National Park Visitor Centre near Letterfrack is open 9.00am–5.30pm daily, with a tearoom, exhibition, toilets and free parking; dogs must be kept on a lead.
- Parking: Free at the Kylemore Abbey car park, the usual trailhead. There is no dedicated Benbrack car park.
- Nearest village: Letterfrack, about 2 km from the visitor centre, has the closest food and beds; Clifden is further on with a fuller range of shops and pubs.
- Public transport: Bus Éireann runs to Letterfrack from both Galway and Clifden, which puts you nearer the hill than Clifden does.
- Navigation: Carry OSi Discovery sheet 37 (or a charged GPS). The MountainViews Benbrack page and TrailTrack have GPS tracks.
Go on a clear morning if you can – the whole point of Benbrack is the view down onto Kylemore, and a low cloud base takes it away.