Knocklettercuss [Leitir Cois]

About Knocklettercuss [Leitir Cois]

Rising above the boggy plains of north Mayo, this isolated Marilyn offers a manageable introduction to the rugged Nephin Beg range. The terrain is characteristically peaty and pathless, but the modest height rewards climbers with a superb perspective over Carrowmore Lake to the west and the massive quartzite bulk of Slieve Carr to the south.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Irish Leitir Cois, where leitir refers to a wet, grassy hillside and cois means 'beside' or 'at the foot of', aptly describing the sodden slopes rising from the Owenmore valley.
• •From the summit, walkers are treated to a clear, unobstructed view across the coastal lowlands toward the Mullet Peninsula and the Atlantic, contrasting with the dark, empty wilderness of the Nephin Beg mountains to the south.
• •As a Marilyn—a hill with at least 150 metres of prominence—it stands quite independently from its higher neighbours, meaning there is little shelter from the prevailing winds blowing in from Broad Haven Bay.
• •While its height is modest, the Mayo bog provides a stern test for your gaiters; a successful ascent is often measured by how much of the hillside you carry home inside your boots.