Overview
Bencorr (Irish: Binn Chorr, ‘pointed peak’) stands at 711 m, the second-highest mountain in the Twelve Bens after Benbaun. Its double-summit profile – the main top and Bencorr North Top at 690 m – is a familiar shape across Connemara, and its eastern spur, Carrot Ridge, draws climbers from across Europe. The mountain is quartzite, not limestone: pale quartzites, grits and a graphitic cap, the rock that gives the whole range its bright, scoured look. It sits within Connemara National Park, where the weather rearranges the landscape by the hour.
If you walk one route here, make it the Glencoaghan Horseshoe – it is the reason serious hillwalkers come to the Bens at all.
Getting there and trailheads
Bencorr is reached from the valleys on the eastern side of the range, where parking at the trailheads is limited, so arrive early on summer weekends and holidays. There are no public transport links to the start: the nearest practical option is a bus from Galway city to Letterfrack, then a 6 km walk or a taxi to the trailhead. Most visitors drive from Clifden or Galway.
The Irish grid reference for the summit is L81166 52200, and the relevant map is the OSi Discovery 37, both worth having once you leave the valley floor.
Walking routes
All routes need good footwear and real navigation skills. The main circuits are:
- Direct ascent via the Maumina Pass: A straightforward 9 km route climbing through the Gleninagh valley, with around 700 m of ascent over 4–5 hours. The most efficient way up and back.
- Derryclare–Bencorr Horseshoe: An 11–14 km loop, 5–7 hours, dropping into the spur between the mountain’s two eastern corries before climbing back out, with close views of the glacial terrain.
- Glencoaghan Horseshoe: A 16 km, 8–9 hour circuit widely regarded as one of Ireland’s finest ridge walks, linking several peaks of the Twelve Bens with continuous views over Lough Inagh.
- Gleninagh Horseshoe: A 15 km loop of 8–9 hours, following the Gleninagh River before climbing toward Bencorrbeg.
Rock climbing on Carrot Ridge
The eastern spur is an established climbing venue, with multi-pitch quartzite routes graded from Difficult to Very Severe and lines from 150 m to 330 m. Carrot Ridge (275 m, D) and Seventh Heaven (330 m, HS) are the most climbed, while the eastern corries hold shorter, sharper routes like The Knave (VD, 225 m) and Corner Climb (VS 4c, 30 m).
The quartzite gives reliable holds but rewards careful gear placement on the steeper sections, and it turns slippery when wet. The ridge was first climbed by Cambridge students in 1933, though the name ‘Carrot Ridge’ only entered the guidebooks after Joss Lynam’s ascent in 1949.
History and local lore
The official name Binn Chorr means ‘pointed peak’. The mountain also carries the alternative Binn an Choire Mhóir, ‘peak of the big corrie’, after the large hollow gouged into its eastern face. A third name, Binn an tSaighdiúra (‘peak of the soldier’), remembers a fatal accident: a military sapper fell to his death on the summit while mapping the area during the original Ordnance Survey of Ireland, and the loss stuck in local memory.
Practical tips and safety
Connemara’s mountain weather is unpredictable. Even in summer, temperatures at 711 m can drop sharply and visibility can close in within minutes. Carry waterproofs, warm clothing, a map, a compass and a charged GPS, and do not rely on your phone – reception in the corries and along the ridge is unreliable.
Start early to give yourself daylight for route-finding, and turn back if conditions worsen. The mountain is free to access as part of the national park, but stick to established lines to protect the peatlands and ground-nesting birds. Dogs are allowed but must be kept under close control. Pack out all waste, and check the mountain forecast before you set out: Bencorr rewards preparation with one of Connemara’s best days on the hill.