Although not the tallest of peaks Ben Gorm is by far the one I have felt most passionately about and enjoyed the most. Narrow ridges sweeping upwards into the deep blue sky, an immense open plateau atop the mountain and the stunning views from the top of killary harbour, Mwelrea Doo Lough and out across a vast expanse of mountain ranges and valleys a truly stunning mountain.
I left for the mountain at half 7 in the morning it was a cold crisp morning but the skies were clear and the sun was making an appearance. Maam cross has thus far always represented to me the gateway to the mountains and as soon as I reach this point on any of my ventures I begin to feel differently, suddenly these large beasts rise up on either side of you, to the left the twelve pins and the maamturk straight on the maamturk also and into the territory of Killary fjord and Mwelrea. I made my way straight for the Ashleigh falls on the outskirts of Leenaun, a small village on the easternmost point of Killary fjord. I reached the falls and the foot of the mountin at 9 that morning and prepared to set off waiting to allow some dark clouds to pass.
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| Ashleigh falls |
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| View of ridge leading to Ben Gorm |
Having crossed three gates and followed a fence upwards from the car park I eventually cleared the final gate and was on to open terraced hillside. The beginning of the walk is extremely marshy and wet, from here I made my zig-zag approach up towards the ridge which rose and curved towards the plateau upon which stood the peak of Ben Gorm. Having maneuvered my way up the wet terraced lower hillside I eventually reached the top of the ridge and began making my way up along it. The sun was piercing through and the conditions were perfect for climbing along the ridge. The valley below was stunning small forests and waterfalls the fjord and much more and the weather was improving the whole time. Various rock walls dotted the ridge as I ascended and so I had a chance to climb along these small faces . The right hand side of the ridge was much more exposed then the left hand side. The mountain gave way to a large drop into the basin shaped valley floor some 400 meters below, this made for quiet an exciting climb. As I neared the top of the ridge the wind began to pick up and hailstones began raining downwards. I found shelter for a time as the hailstones were crashing against my face and making it impossible to keep going, at this point I stopped for some food giving me time to take in my surroundings.
To my right in the glacier carved valley lay Killary fjord many lakes rivers and the stunning ashleigh waterfall. The slow curving movement the glacier had made thousands and thousands of years ago as it made its way to sea, carving these monstrous mountains out as it crashed through the surface of the earth crumpling the surrounding landscape and giving it it's magnificent look, could be seen. Then to my left lay A basin shaped valley Surrounded by mountain ridges and peaks. tendrils of water could be seen making their way down along the steep incline of the mountain towards the valley floor below in the same way water moves along skin, erratically changing direction looping and swaying across raised areas along the way in its solemn winding dance towards the bottom, the graceful unpredictability of its movement had me mesmerized. Finally having eaten and drank my fill the hail cleared and the wind died down and so I continued on out onto the plateau atop the mountain in search of its highest point.
It was glorious on top of the mountain to my left I could see Killary fjord stretching into the distance glimmering in the sun as boats carved their way along its surface, to my right was Ben Creggan a beautiful peak surrounded by deep valleys I thought of making my way towards it but decided against it. And then straight ahead of me was Mwelrea, still shrouded in clouds, the tallest mountain in all of Connacht and one which I have grown more and more fond of as time has passed, and beyond that lay open sea and out until the blue of the sea met the blue of the sky and they became one. As I sat and ate the clouds atop mwelrea began to clear giving way to the peak with the sun bearing down on it casting it in a beautiful glow and emanating off the waters of Doo lough below. I finished up eating and began to make my ascent towards the car, I am sure that some day soon I will climb that mountain again as it was a climb I enjoyed immensely.
"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there
are many more hills to climb." — Nelson Mandela (1918-).
