Top Things to do in County Galway
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Things to do in County Galway, Western Ireland: The Best Mountains
Discover the best top things to do in County Galway, Ireland including Maumturk Mountains, Twelve Bens of Connemara, Binn Chaonaigh, Devilsmother, Binn Idir an Dha Log, Tully Mountain.
Restaurants in County Galway
1. Maumturk Mountains
2. Twelve Bens of Connemara
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By johnmN5785EK - Lyon, France
We just simply enjoy the sense of calm and other-wordliness that descends while driving along by the Twelve Bens, which dominate the centre of Connemara - our days of serious mountaineering are long gone. Our last trip there was on an overcast day in Winter travelling from the Galway direction, on a narrow but empty road (apart from the occasional sheep) that ran through a unique boggy landscape with very sparse brown plant life, kaleidoscopically coloured clumps of heather and grass clinging to life by trickling streams. The mountains face south over blue-grey lakes and we enjoyed seeing the sharp quartzite peaks shrouded in mist. The Glencoaghan Horseshoe route, composed of nine peaks, encircles the south of the Bens, aligned in a star-shaped pattern, and takes in their highest peaks. This is some of the most strenuous but exhilarating mountaineering west of the Shannon; the northern summits are not as high but more physically demanding. Fortunately there is a mountain rescue team and potential walkers are advised to their number before starting out on the Beanna Beola (translated as Beola's peaks) which is the Gaelic name given to the Twelve Bens, by the local Irish speakers.
