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Letterfrack and Connemara in February

Replies: 2 - Last Post: Jan 16, 2013 9:22 PM Last Post By: snowflakes100

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snowflakes100

snowflakes100 avatar

Jan 6, 2013 1:13 AM
Posts:  92

Letterfrack and Connemara in February

I plan to visit Letterfrack and Connemara National Park for a few days in the end of February. When I am there I would like to do some hikes and I wonder how easy it is to find good hiking trails walking out of Letterfrack.

So far I have found out that Diamond Hill is a good hike to do from Letterfrack, but then I don’t know. Are there any other good hikes starting in Letterfrack?

Kylemore Abbey is situated a few kilometers from Letterfrack. Is there a trail between Letterfrack and Kylemore Abbey?

One day it would be nice to walk along the coast, but then it must at a place I can reach by bus. Maybe the Sky Road out of Clifden. Any suggestions?

iviehoff

iviehoff avatar

Jan 6, 2013 2:40 AM
Posts:  1,755

1

The Diamond Hill hiking trail at Letterfrack is a modern constructed and paved trail, which you will walk around in a hour or two. There aren't any other trails at Letterfrack, which is a visitor centre, etc. It caters to the requirements of the Irish population, most of whom consider going for a walk in the hills a strange thing to do. It isn't a suitable place to start any of the classic hikes in the Twelve Pins. You'll find the parking/entrance fee quite expensive, if the place is even open in Feb.

The sad truth is that there are sadly few official hiking trails in the entire country of Ireland, and those that do exist, such as long distance footpaths, make extensive use of roads and other vehicular tracks. The ability to exclude people from your land is a jealously felt matter in Ireland, arising from past political unpleasantness under British rule. So Ireland does not have the expansive public footpath network crossing private land in the way Britain does. Creating a public footpath often requires the state to pay the land-owner, which is a severe dampener on the state's willingness to do it. So many classic walking routes in the Twelve Pins, and elsewhere, involve informal footpaths, a complete absence of way-marking, fence climbing and trespass, which varies in its level of toleration. The best way to find out what options are available is to buy an up-to-date book about hiking in the area, because maps won't show much more than topography and vehicle tracks. Of course, you still need the map to find your way. MacGillicuddy's Reeks near Killarney are unusual in Ireland in having quite extensive walking opportunities without the need for fence-climbing, etc.

snowflakes100

snowflakes100 avatar

Jan 16, 2013 9:22 PM
Posts:  92

2

Thank you for the information iviehoff!
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