Contents

Benlettery

Benlettery
Binn Leitrí
Benlettery behind the Ballynahinch Castle fishery
Highest point
Elevation	577 m (1,893 ft)[1]
Prominence	62 m (203 ft)[1]
Listing	Arderin
Coordinates	53°28′55″N 9°50′43″W / 53.481824°N 9.845263°W / 53.481824; -9.845263[1]
Naming
English translation	Peak of the Wet Hillsides
Language of name	Irish
Geography
Benlettery Ireland
Location	County Galway, Ireland
Parent range	Twelve Bens
OSI/OSNI grid	L7754649537
Topo map	OSi Discovery44
Geology
Type of rock	Pale quartzites, grits, graphitic bedrock[1]

Benlettery (Irish: Binn Leitrí, meaning 'Peak of the Wet Hillsides')^[2] at 557 metres (1,827 ft), is the 259th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale.^[3][4][5] Benlettery is in the southernmost peak of the Twelve Bens mountain range in the Connemara National ParkinCounty Galway, Ireland, and is the 11th-tallest of the core Twelve Bens.^[5][6] The Ben Lettery An Oige youth hostel is on the southern slopes of Benlettery, off the N59 roadtoClifden.^[7][8]

According to Irish academic Paul Tempan, the townland of Lettery (Irish: Leitrí, meaning "wet hillsides") is on the south slope of Benlettery.^[2] Tempan notes an alternative name of Bindowglass or "Bendouglas" (Irish: Binn Dúghlais, meaning "peak of the black stream") was recorded as early as 1684 by Irish historian Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh.^[2] Ó Flaithbheartaigh chronicled about a pool of water on the summit which turns the hair white of anyone who washes in it.^[2]

Benlettery is the southernmost peak of the Twelve Bens and lies at its western edge. Benlettery is connected to the range by a high northerly ridge to the peak of Bengower 664 metres (2,178 ft);^[5] this ridge forms a fork which also connects neighboring Benglenisky 516 metres (1,693 ft) to Bengower.^[5][9] Benlettery is one of the six Bens that form a horseshoe around the valley of the Glencoaghan River (also known as the Glencoaghan Horseshoe).^[10][11]

Unlike most of the other main Bens, Benlettery is below 600-metres in elevation, however, its relative positioning at the southern end of the range, and its "pyramidal" summit (when viewed from the south), means that is often featured as a scenic backdrop to the Ballynahinch Castle and the Ballynahinch Lake.^[12]

On the southern slopes of Benlettery is the 40-bed "Ben Lettery Connemara Youth Hostel" (Benlettery spelt as two words), owned and operated by An Oige, the Irish YHA;^[7][8] it was ranked by Outside.ie as one of the ten best An Oige youth hostels in Ireland.^[13]

As with Derryclare 677 metres (2,221 ft), on the east side of the Glencoaghan Horseshoe, Benlettery's accessibility makes is a popular peak as a standalone 5-kilometre 2-3 hour climb (starting and ending at the Ben Lettery An Oige youth hostel); however, the high ridge Benlettery shares with the peaks of Bengower and Benglenisky, means that it is also climbed as part a 7-kilometre 3-4 hour horseshoe loop-walk with these peaks.^[12][14][15]

Benlettery is part of the 16–kilometre 8–9 hour Glencoaghan Horseshoe, considered one of Ireland's best hill-walks;^[10][11] and of the even longer Owenglin Horseshoe, a 20–kilometre 10–12 hour route around the Owenglin River taking in over twelve summits.^[9]

• 
  Benlettery behind Ballynahinch Castle
• 
  Benlettery (left), Bengower (middle), Benbreen (right), from Derryclare
• 
  Benlettery (right) and Benglenisky (left), from the Owenmore River
• 
  Benlettery (left) and Benglenisky (right) from summit of Bengower

• Fairbairn, Helen (2014). Ireland's Best Walks: A Walking Guide. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848892118.
• MountainViews Online Database (Simon Stewart) (2013). A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins. Collins Books. ISBN 978-1-84889-164-7.
• Paul Phelan (2011). Connemara & Mayo - A Walking Guide: Mountain, Coastal & Island Walks. Collins Press. ISBN 978-1848891029.
• Dillion, Paddy (2001). Connemara: Collins Rambler's guide. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0002201216.
• Dillion, Paddy (1993). The Mountains of Ireland: A Guide to Walking the Summits. Cicerone. ISBN 978-1852841102.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benlettery.

• Twelve Bens
• Mweelrea, major range in Killary Harbour
• Maumturks, major range in Connemara
• Lists of mountains in Ireland
• Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles

• MountainViews: The Irish Mountain Website, Benlettery
• MountainViews: Irish Online Mountain Database
• The Database of British and Irish Hills , the largest database of British Isles mountains ("DoBIH")
• Hill Bagging UK & Ireland, the searchable interface for the DoBIH