Carrauntoohil

Carrauntoohil is the highest mountain in Ireland at 1,038 metres, the centre of MacGillycuddy's Reeks, a sandstone range of narrow ridges and glacial corries west of Killarney. The usual approach goes up the Devil's Ladder, a steep eroded gully of loose rock that is more scramble than path and has degraded badly under traffic. Experienced walkers prefer the Coomloughra Horseshoe, a longer circuit taking in the second and third highest tops in the country. A large steel cross stands on the summit. Return times run from five to seven hours, and the weather at the top rarely matches the weather down in the car park.

What you actually see

• The summit cross - the steel cross standing on the highest point in Ireland.
• The Devil's Ladder - the eroded gully used by most ascents.
• The Coomloughra Horseshoe - the ridge circuit over the neighbouring high tops.
• The corrie lakes - dark tarns held in the glacial bowls below the ridge.

When to go

May to September gives the longest daylight and the best settled spells, though rain can arrive on any of those days. Start early and set a turnaround time before you go. Winter ascents need ice axe skills and are not a walk. Check the mountain forecast rather than the town one, and carry a map and compass you can use in cloud.

Honest expectations

This is a serious mountain day, and rescue teams are called out here regularly to people in trainers navigating by phone. The Devil's Ladder is loose, with rockfall risk when parties stack up inside it. Cloud covers the summit on most days, so the view is not guaranteed. Descending the gully is harder and slower than going up it.

Nearby

Killarney is half an hour east; the Gap of Dunloe cuts the eastern edge of the range.