Challenge yourself to visit the highest point on each of Ireland's 30 major islands. On this page you will find information about Ireland's Major Island High Points Challenge including its list of locations and links to guide books, maps and local facilities. You will also find out how this challenge ties in with the Irish Sport Hillwalking competitions.
This is a flexible hillwalking challenge to be undertaken independently. It is not a set-date, mass-start event. Each individual participant is free to choose their own start / finish dates and duration period.
This is a flexible hillwalking challenge to be undertaken independently. It is not a set-date, mass-start event. Each individual participant is free to choose their own start / finish dates and duration period.
The High Points
Ireland's Major Island High Points Challenge requires participants to visit 30 Irish summits (including 2 pairs of twin summits). These are marked on the map below. Click on a marker for more details. Route choice is entirely up to the participant, therefore we have not included any route suggestions on the map. Route planning is part of this challenge. Please note that the High Points of Tearaght Island and Skellig Michael are excluded from this challenge due to local access restrictions.
| High Point name | Elevation | Irish Grid Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Carrauntoohil | 1,039m | V:804:844 |
| Croaghaun | 688m | F:560:061 |
| Knockmore | 462m | L:669:862 |
| Croaghmore | 292m | V:246:958 |
| Knockanallig | 267m | V:704:431 |
| Geokaun | 266m | V:386:771 |
| Cnoc Bólais | 252m | V:472:404 |
| Scariff Island | 252m | V:444:552 |
| Cluidaniller West Top | 227m | B:654:158 |
| Inch Top | 222m | C:313:253 |
| Needles Eye | 217m | V:246:606 |
| Tearaght Island | 200m | V:181:948 |
| Inishturk | 191m | L:606:752 |
| Inishnabro | 175m | V:213:930 |
| Inishtooskert | 172m | Q:234:008 |
| Cnoicín an tSeabhaic | 160m | V:972:221 |
| Puffin Island | 159m | V:340:678 |
| Slieveard | 134m | D:137:519 |
| Inishmore | 123m | L:861:097 |
| Lettermore Island | 117m | L:891:286 |
| Slievemore | 101m | W:010:239 |
| Great Island | 95m | W:798:692 |
| Inishbofin E | 89m | L:532:660 |
| Inishbofin W | 89m | L:514:655 |
| Tory Island | 83m | B:877:461 |
| Inishmaan | 79m | L:939:045 |
| Boa Island | 72m | H:091:622 |
| Inishmore | 72m | H:266:366 |
| An Tur Faire | 60m | L:982:022 |
| Gorumna Island N | 53m | L:893:234 |
| Gorumna Island S | 53m | L:888:220 |
| Whiddy Island | 50m | V:972:502 |
Challenge information
Ireland's Major Island High Points Challenge is one of our 8 anytime Irish High Point challenges. Hillwalkers who register for and complete this challenge in its entirety within a single calendar year will earn a digital badge on Peakhunter. Completers can also claim a Certificate of Completion from High Point Ireland by submitting the online Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form.
Hillwalkers who complete the challenge in its entirety within an eight-month-long Sport Hillwalking season can also add 90 points to their All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships score and 30 points to their Irish Highpointeer of the Year score. To take part in these competitions, individuals must submit an online Sport Hillwalking Entry Form between 1st February and 30th June and register for the respective challenge(s) on Peakhunter.
Instructions
- Install the Peakhunter app on your smartphone and create a profile (you only need to do this once).
- Sign into your Peakhunter account on the smartphone app (if not already signed in).
- In the app's settings, download all the Ireland and United Kingdom locations. We recommend that you do this every few months to ensure that you have the most up-to-date set of locations.
- Register for this challenge on Peakhunter. You need to do this to earn the digital badge and claim a Certificate of Completion.
- Visit all of the High Points listed above. These can be visited in any order.
- Log each High Point visit using the Peakhunter app while present at the location.
- You can add points for each High Point visited and logged during a Sport Hillwalking season to your All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships and Irish Highpointeer of the Year competition scores. To do this, you must submit an online Sport Hillwalking Entry Form between 1st February and 30th June in the year of the respective Sport Hillwalking season and register for the respective challenge(s) on Peakhunter.
Disclaimer
This challenge is intended only for experienced and well-equipped Highpointeers, hillwalkers and mountaineers who are physically fit and can navigate themselves confidently through rugged and exposed terrain in any weather. If you are planning to undertake this challenge, please be aware that Highpointeering, hillwalking and mountaineering are risk activities. The Ireland Walking Guide, High Point Ireland and Donard Media (the websites' publisher) accept no responsibility for any injury, loss or inconvenience sustained by anyone undertaking this challenge. Personal safety is entirely the participant's own responsibility. We will not support any legal action taken against any third-party individual, group or organisation as a result of any injury, loss or inconvenience sustained by anyone undertaking this challenge. We encourage each participant to have adequate insurance to cover any injury, loss or inconvenience that may result from their hillwalking activities.
The inclusion of each High Point in this challenge is based entirely on it being the highest point on 1 of Ireland's 30 major islands. It should not be assumed that access is permitted to any of Ireland's major geographical High Points. The Ireland Walking Guide, High Point Ireland and Donard Media recommend that anyone planning to visit any of the High Points as part of this challenge should check for potential access restrictions and to request permission from the relevant landowner(s) in advance.
Register
To earn a digital badge and Certificate of Completion for the Major Island High Points Challenge, hillwalkers must register for it on the Peakhunter website. Peakhunter is our official logging partner. Registration is a simple 3-click process starting with the green "Register for this High Point Challenge" button below. You will need to be signed into the Peakhunter platform to complete the final click of the registration process. The digital badge and Certificate of Completion will only be awarded to registered participants who visit and log all of the High Points listed above within a single calendar year.
Hillwalkers who log visits to any of the individual High Points listed above during a Sport Hillwalking season can add points to their All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships and Irish Highpointeer of the Year competition scores. Hillwalkers wishing to take part in these competitions must register by submitting an online Sport Hillwalking Entry Form between 1st February and 30th June and then registering for the respective challenge(s) on Peakhunter. To initiate this process, please click the "Register for the Sport Hillwalking competitions" button below.
Ireland's Major Island High Points
- Carrauntoohil (1,039m)
- Croaghaun (688m)
- Knockmore (462m)
- Croaghmore (292m)
- Knockanallig (267m)
- Geokaun (266m)
- Cnoc Bólais (252m)
- Scariff Island (252m)
- Cluidaniller West Top (227m)
- Inch Top (222m)
- Needles Eye (217m)
- Tearaght Island 200m)
- Inishturk (191m)
- Inishnabro (175m)
- Inishtooskert (172m)
- Cnoicín an tSeabhaic (160m)
- Puffin Island (159m)
- Slieveard (134m)
- Inishmore, County Galway (123m)
- Lettermore Island (117m)
- Slievemore, Sherkin Island (101m)
- Great Island (95m)
- Inishbofin (89m)
- Tory Island (83m)
- Inishmaan (79m)
- Boa Island (72m)
- Inishmore, County Fermanagh (72m)
- An Tur Faire (60m)
- Gorumna Island (53m)
- Whiddy Island (50m)