From the Connemara National Park Visitor Center, in County Galway, Ireland, there are several hikes you can take. One of the most rewarding is undoubtedly the high trail leading to Diamond Hill.

 

Trekking: Diamond Hill from Letterfrack — Connemara National Park, Ireland

 

The high trail leading to Diamond Hill (442 meters) is a must-see if you're passing through Letterfrack, home to the Connemara National Park visitor center in County Galway, Ireland.

The trail is simple, well-marked, and facilitated in many places by wooden walkways and rock steps. Only the last 100 meters before and after the summit are steep. In any case, it's accessible to anyone with a reasonable level of fitness and suitable hiking shoes.

Reviews online describing the route as a challenging climb are likely written by tourists unfamiliar with such hikes. Definitely try to avoid days with bad weather or poor visibility, as you'll miss the views you'll enjoy during the climb and from the summit.

 

 

 

 

The trail starts just behind the visitor center, where there's a children's play area. A sign points the way. Initially, you follow a wide, pebbled path.

After a short while, however, you turn onto a path that climbs southeast, quickly reaching the point where the upper and lower trails split. Take the left path, the upper trail.

The summit of Diamond Hill dominates the scene before you to the east, with no other nearby mountains. On the opposite side, toward the sea, you can admire the expanse of cultivated hills, or pastures, for the countless Irish sheep (well, a downside of the west coast of Ireland is the almost total lack of woodland). Further on, the ocean, which along this stretch of coast insinuates itself between the land in countless blue tongues (if, like us, you hike in the sun), which extend and recede depending on the tide.

The trail continues ENE with a moderate slope, then steepens, as mentioned, in the last 100 meters before the summit, which is reached from the west. It is advisable to follow the recommended direction of travel to avoid hindering other hikers, who can be numerous in summer.

 

 

 

The summit is spacious and truly panoramic. Added to what was described above are the views of Kylemore Abbey and the lake in front of it, and the summit of Benbaun, with the desolate yet intriguing valley below, seemingly lost in time, unchanged for centuries. Here, too, we enjoyed a tasty picnic lunch with delicacies from Sullivan's Grocer in Oughterard, which we highly recommend.

We then descend the eastern side of Diamond Hill, and with a wide loop to the south and then west, we return first to the junction between the upper and lower trails, and then back to the visitor center.

Enjoy your walk. Fabio

Click here for the slide gallery of the excursion