Faha Ridge

About Faha Ridge

This dramatic, knife-edged arête offers a spectacular approach to the Brandon massif. Rising steeply from the Faha gully, the ridge provides a rugged, rocky scramble with breathtaking exposure. It overlooks the dark, glacial waters of the tiered Paternoster lakes tucked into the deep corries of the Dingle Peninsula’s highest mountains.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Faha is derived from the Irish word 'Faiche', meaning a green field or level area of grass. This likely refers to the emerald pastures at the base of the ridge where the ascent begins, before the terrain transitions into the high, dark sandstone of the Brandon group.
• •The ridge forms the northern boundary of a massive glacial cirque. From the crest, walkers can look directly down onto a sequence of tiered rock-basin lakes, known as Paternoster lakes because they resemble the beads of a rosary.
• •Holding both Hewitt and Tump classifications, this ridge is frequently used as a challenging alternative to the main 'Pilgrim’s Path'. It offers a far more airy and exposed experience than the standard walking tracks found elsewhere on the Dingle Peninsula.
• •On a clear day, the summit of the ridge offers an earned view across the Atlantic toward the jagged outlines of the Blasket Islands and the distant, dark profile of the Skellig rocks to the south.
• •Should the Atlantic mist roll in—which it does with stubborn frequency—your painstakingly earned vista of the Kerry coastline will be swiftly replaced by a very intimate, grey-tinted study of wet sandstone.