The Climbers Inn
A traditional walkers’ inn in Glencar serving food and drinks, with a long connection to the surrounding mountains. Check Instagram for current kitchen times.
Lyranes Upper, Glencar, Co. Kerry, V93 RX23HardGully · Iveragh · recorded
Bruach na Binne
from the Bridia Valley.
A steep Dunkerron mountain circuit from the Bridia Valley, passing the rock art at Leaba na Bó before climbing the gully to Bruach na Binne’s 743 m recorded high point.
Also known as Broaghnabinnia.
DISTANCE
9.63km
ASCENT
659m
HIGH POINT
743m
Rob’s recorded time 5 hr 10 · steep gully and scrambling · 517 recorded track points · reconstructed outward access shown in yellow GRADE GUIDE ↗
Reading the map…
INTERACTIVE TERRAIN · ACTUAL GPX TRACKACTUAL GPX TRACK
A recorded time is not a planning estimate. Build your own from pace, ascent, ground, weather and daylight.
ONE · BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Is this your day?
The grade, the hazards, the forecast and the ground the route actually crosses. Everything you need to decide whether to go at all.
WEATHER AT A GLANCE
Forecast for around 700 m
Approx. 700 mNOWReading the forecast
WINDReading the forecast
TODAY’S PEAK RAIN CHANCEReading the forecast
Forecast. This is a modelled estimate for this route’s high ground; conditions can differ sharply across the mountain. Detailed planning guidance follows. Derived from Open-Meteo forecast data ↗.
RECORDED ELEVATION
A steep 659 m climb to 743 m.
The repaired circuit adds the reconstructed outward access to the recorded mountain track, producing equal ascent and descent from the Bridia Valley.
743 m92 m
Reading the forecast
0 km659 m ascent · 659 m descent9.63 km
THE LINE
Cup and ring, cut into the valley head.
The complete route starts in the Bridia Valley and follows a reconstructed outward access leg to the beginning of Rob’s recording. Leaba na Bó and its rock art lie just below the gully.
There is more rock art than that. On the south-west side of Broaghnabinnia, at Coumreagh at the head of the valley, a flat-topped boulder carries one of the more elaborate carved surfaces in Kerry. Counted up it comes to six cup-and-ring motifs, one of them a cup with three rings around it, and sixteen cupmarks. From one of the rings a groove runs off across the rock and wanders, throwing out loops, one of which ends in a cup of its own. A large oval encloses most of the eastern side of the surface. It is all extremely weathered now, and it looks west down the line of the Caragh river, which is presumably not an accident.
From there the route climbs steeply towards Bruach na Binne, Broaghnabinnia in English, reaching open summit ground with views across the Reeks, the Dunkerrons and the surrounding valleys before returning to the same trailhead.
- 01Bridia ValleyThe repaired circuit begins and ends at approximately 100 m in the valley.
- 02Mapped outward accessA yellow mapped section reverses the recorded return to reach the beginning of the original GPS track.
- 03Leaba na BóRock art lies just below the ascent gully. Observe it carefully without touching or tracing the stone.
- 04Ascent gullyThe route climbs steep, rocky ground towards the upper mountain.
- 05Bruach na BinneThe recording reaches 743 m, with an extensive view of the Reeks, Dunkerrons and surrounding valleys in clear weather.
- 06Return to BridiaThe recorded descent closes the circuit at the same valley trailhead.
The carved boulder is Archaeological Survey site KE073-040 at Coumreagh, described in A. O’Sullivan and J. Sheehan, The Iveragh Peninsula: An Archaeological Survey of South Kerry (1996), and re-examined in 2017. The description records six cup-and-ring motifs and sixteen cupmarks. The broad prehistoric dating applies to this rock-art tradition; the motifs have no established interpretation. View or photograph the worn surface without touching, tracing or uncovering it.
Reading the forecast
WIND NOWReading the forecast
—cloud
—humidity
—km/h peak gust
Strongest wind today—
Peak gust—
RECENT RAINFALL · LIKELY GROUND
Reading the forecast
RAIN, GUST & VISIBILITY WINDOW
Reading the forecast
BEST HIKING WINDOW
Reading the forecast
DAYLIGHT PLAN
Reading the forecast
MET ÉIREANN · KERRY
Reading the forecast
NEXT SIX HOURS · swipe
Reading the forecast
HAZARDS & OPTIONSKnow the commitment.
The mountain is steep and rough, with scrambling and loose or broken rock in and around the gully.
The reconstructed outward access leg is mapped from the reverse of the recorded return and includes an approximately 80 m join to the first recorded point.
There may be no continuous path or waymarking on the open mountain.
Wet grass and rock can become extremely slippery, particularly in the gully.
Cloud can remove the summit view and obscure the correct descent into the Bridia Valley.
Leaba na Bó is an archaeological feature. Do not touch, mark or alter the rock surface.
Before entering the steep gully, retreat along the known approach if conditions or visibility are poor. Once committed to steeper ground, avoid improvised descents onto unseen slopes. Reverse the known line early rather than continuing towards the summit in deteriorating weather.
ABOVE THE BRIDIA VALLEY
Rob’s photographs.
TWO · YOU’VE DECIDED
Getting there.
Where it starts, the recorded file, and the checks worth making before you leave the house.
PLAN THE GROUND
Start well.
RECORDED STARTBridia Valley
Select coordinates to copy
The route starts and finishes in the Bridia Valley. Confirm a suitable legal place to park locally without blocking the narrow road, homes, farms, gates or emergency access. Respect all signs, livestock and private property. The rock art is vulnerable: view and photograph it without touching, wetting, chalking or tracing the surface.
ROUTE FILE
Take the recorded route with you.
The downloadable route combines Rob’s recording with a disclosed reconstructed outward access leg based on the reverse of his recorded return.
The recorded geometry, time and elevations come from Rob’s supplied files. The missing outward access is reconstructed from the reverse of the recorded return and is shown in yellow. Access and conditions must be checked independently.
Download completed GPXbruach-na-binne.gpx · recorded + mapped accessGeoJSONKML
Onto a watch: import the GPX into Garmin Connect, Komoot or Strava and send it to the device from there. On a phone, the Garmin Explore and OS Maps apps take the file straight from the share sheet.
BEFORE YOU GO
A steep gully above a remote valley.
Treat the scrambling, navigation and descent as the measure of this route—not its distance.
Bruach na Binne is steep on its mountain sides and the route enters rough gully ground. Good visibility, dry rock and an early retreat decision provide valuable margin.
Your quick checksOptional and saved only in this browser.
0/5 checkedThese checks support your planning; they do not confirm that the route is safe.
- 01Check the mountain forecastReview cloud base, wind, rainfall and warnings for the Dunkerrons before entering the valley.
- 02Navigate independentlyCarry suitable mapping and know how to follow the correct line in cloud.
- 03Protect the rock artLook and photograph only; never touch, wet, chalk or trace the carvings.
- 04Share your planLeave the route and expected return time with someone.
Leave a plan.
Tell someone your route and return time. For emergencies in Ireland call 112 or 999 and ask for Mountain Rescue.
More in Iveragh.
All 29 recorded routes →AFTER THE WALK
Post-hike picks.
A small, personal shortlist around Bridia Valley and Glencar. Check current opening times before making the journey.