The Ireland Walking Guide
  • COVID-19
  • Where to walk
    • Browse counties
    • Walking areas >
      • Upland areas
      • Coastal areas
    • Walking locations >
      • Parks, gardens & estates
      • Forests & woodland >
        • Forest parks
      • Beaches
      • Islands
      • Mountain & hill summits >
        • All mountain summits
        • The Dillons
        • The Irish Hewitts
        • The Slievemores
      • High Points
    • Walking trails
  • Initiatives
    • Monthly themes >
      • January Beach Walk
      • February Group Walk
      • March First Walk
      • April Favourite Walk
      • May Parkland Walk
      • June Upland Walk
      • July Island Walk
      • August Way Walk
      • September Water Walk
      • October Woodland Walk
      • November Trig Walk
      • December Family Walk
    • Hillwalking challenges >
      • Mountain Challenges
      • 700s Challenges
    • Highpointeering
    • Ireland Walking Awards >
      • Irish Upland Area of the Year
      • Irish Coastal Area of the Year
      • Irish Parkland of the Year
      • Irish Woodland of the Year
      • Irish Beach of the Year
      • Irish Island of the Year
      • Irish Mountain of the Year
      • Irish Walking Trail of the Year
      • Irish Walking Guide Book of the Year
      • Irish Map of the Year
    • Ireland Walking Survey >
      • Ireland Walking Award Winners
      • Ireland Walking Participation Report
    • Social media initiatives >
      • Ireland Walking Today
      • Ireland Walking Memories
      • Walk Every Day
  • Community
    • Irish walking clubs
    • Irish walking guides
    • Irish walking events >
      • Walking festivals
      • Challenge walks
      • Charity walks
    • Participation initiatives
    • Environmental initiatives
    • Local communities
    • Skills training services
    • Mountain Rescue Ireland
    • Charities
    • Local councils
    • Landowners
    • Outdoor sports shops
    • Events companies
    • Accommodation
    • Food & Drink
    • Transport
    • Authors, publishers & bookshops >
      • Guide book authors
      • Guide book publishers
      • Map publishers
      • Bookshops
    • Recommended websites
    • Recommended apps
    • High Point Ireland
    • Social media
    • Outdoor magazines
    • Outdoor sports brands
    • Backpack snacks >
      • Nüdest Foods
  • Publications
    • Guide books
    • Maps >
      • EastWest Mappping
      • OSNI 1:25,000 Activity
      • OSNI 1:50,000 Discoverer
      • OSi 1:25,000 Adventure
      • OSi 1:50,000 Discovery
      • Harvey Maps Superwalker
  • Extra
    • About >
      • Contact
      • Terms & conditions >
        • Terms & conditions for advertisers
    • Our news
    • General Information >
      • Clothing & equipment
      • Knowledge & skills
      • Countryside etiquette
      • Walking holidays in Ireland
      • Gift ideas for walkers
    • Shortcuts & bookmarks
    • Downloads >
      • Wall calendars
    • Our other websites >
      • The Ireland Travel Guide
      • The Ireland Sightseeing Guide
      • High Point Ireland
Home  »  Initiatives  »  Hillwalking challenges  »  Mountain challenges  »

The Nephins Mountain Challenge


Challenge yourself to climb every mountain summit in the Nephins upland area (Nephin and the Nephin Beg Range). On this page you will find information about the Nephins ​Mountain Challenge including its summit list, useful car parking locations, recommendations for guide books and maps, and links to local facilities.

This challenge, along with our 23 other mountain challenges, is part of the All-Ireland Mountain Race which starts on the Spring Equinox and finishes on the Autumn Equinox. The race is managed via our High Point Ireland website and is one of two compulsory sports hillwalking disciplines which count towards the annual All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships.
​

 

The summits


​The
Nephins Mountain Challenge requires participants to visit 7 summits in the Nephins upland area (Nephin and the Nephin Beg Range). These are marked on the map along with nearby car parking options. Click on a marker for more details. This challenge is intended only for experienced and well-equipped hillwalkers and mountaineers who can navigate themselves confidently through rugged and exposed terrain in any weather. 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.
​

Summit name Elevation Irish Grid Reference
Nephin 806m G:103:080
Slieve Carr 721m F:915:145
Corranabinnia 716m F:903:032
Birreencorragh 698m G:025:050
Corranabinnia Southwest Top 687m F:897:026
Glennamong 628m F:913:059
Nephin Beg 627m F:932:102

▲
 

Challenge information


As well as being an anytime personal hillwalking challenge, the Nephins Mountain ​Challenge is an optional part of the annual All-Ireland Mountain Race which starts each year on the Spring Equinox in late March and ends on the Autumn Equinox in late September. Challenges undertaken outside race season cannot be registered. Each participant can only register a completion for this challenge once per year. Registrations for subsequent completions of the same challenge in the same race season will not be accepted even if the participant records a better time.


Challenge times

The following three times apply to this challenge:
Minimum time To be confirmed...
Naismith time To be confirmed...
Default time To be confirmed...

The times quoted above are based on the most direct walking route linking all the required summits. These only apply to walkers who are counting this challenge towards their All-Ireland Mountain Race time. The initial ascent to the first summit and the final descent from the last summit are not included in the quoted times. The Naismith time has been calculated using Naismith's Rule. The minimum time is the Naismith time minus 25%. The default time is the Naismith time plus 25%. Race participants who register completions for this challenge which are faster than the minimum time will have their times rounded up to the minimum time. This is to encourage participants to walk the challenge rather than run it. The All-Ireland Mountain Race is a sports competition designed specifically for walkers.
​
​
​
Instructions


  1. Install the Peakhunter app on your smartphone and create a profile (you only need to do this once).
  2. Sign into your Peakhunter account on the smartphone app (if not already signed in).
  3. Visit all of the required summits in the Nephins Mountain Challenge (listed above). Summits can be visited in any order.
  4. Log each summit visit using the Peakhunter app while present at the location.
  5. Register your completed challenge by filling out and submitting the completion form below.
  6. To become an official entrant in our All-Ireland Mountain Race, you must complete at least 3 different mountain challenges between the Spring Equinox and the Autumn Equinox. Each challenge completion must be registered using its respective challenge completion form no later than 30th September.
  7. This challenge starts on the first summit to be logged using the Peakhunter app and finishes on the last summit to be logged. Challenge start and finish times are recorded as time stamps in these logs.
  8. If you plan to register a completion for this challenge, it must start and finish on the same day, preferably during daylight hours. All summit visits must have the same date in their time-stamped Peakhunter log entries. If your challenge starts and finishes on two different dates, consecutive or otherwise, it can not be counted towards the All-Ireland Mountain Race.
  9. If you do not complete this challenge or register its completion, its respective default time (see above) will be applied to your All-Ireland Mountain Race total time.
  10. If you register a completion for this challenge and your actual recorded time is more than the challenge's default time (see above), the actual recorded time will be applied to your All-Ireland Mountain Race total time.
  11. If you register a completion for this challenge and your actual recorded time is less than the challenge's minimum time (see above), the challenge's minimum time will be applied to your All-Ireland Mountain Race total time. This is to encourage participants to walk the challenge rather than run it. This is a walking challenge.


Winner selection

The winner of the All-Ireland Mountain Race will be the individual who records the lowest combined total time for all 24 ​of our mountain challenges. The winner will receive a Gold award. Second and third placed participants will receive Silver and Bronze awards respectively.

Only participants who register completions for at least 3 of our mountain challenges during the season will be entered into the race. This means that a race entrant can omit up to 21 challenges. For each mountain challenge not completed, its respective default time (see above) will be applied to the participant's overall race time.

Every walking club, county and province in Ireland can be represented in the Race's team categories. Each team's race time will equal the combined total times of its five fasted participants. If a club, county or province team has fewer than five representatives, each empty place will be assigned the total default time of all 24 mountain challenges. The winner in each category will be the team of five (including empty places) who records the lowest combined total time for all 24 mountain challenges.


Disclaimer

This challenge is intended only for experienced and well-equipped 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 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 summit in this challenge is based entirely on it having been officially classified as a mountain. This classification is reserved exclusively for summits higher than 2,000 feet (see 'What is an Irish mountain?'). Every mountain in Ireland is listed as a Dillon and / or Hewitt. Summits lower than 2,000 feet are not mountains, even if the word 'mountain' appears in their names. It should not be assumed that access is permitted to any of the mountain summits. The Ireland Walking Guide and Donard Media recommend that anyone planning to visit any of the summits as part of this challenge should check for potential access restrictions and to request permission from the relevant landowner(s) in advance.

▲
 

Completion form


If you are taking part in the All-Ireland Mountain Race and would like to include your Nephins ​Mountain Challenge time, please register it by filling out and submitting the challenge's completion form to us no later than 30th September. The form can be accessed via the green button below between the day of the Spring Equinox and 30th September. Each participant is only permitted to register one completion of this challenge per race season.
​

​

▲
 

Recommended guide books


Walking guide books are a great way to find the very best walks in Ireland which have been hand-picked by local experts. Recommended guide books for the Nephins Mountain Challenge are listed below. These describe various ascents, descents and inter-summit link routes.
​​
  • Best Irish Walks
  • Ireland's Best Walks - A Walking Guide
  • The Mountains of Ireland - A Guide to Walking the Summits

▲
 

Recommended maps


Ireland is covered by a good selection of quality maps produced ​​by a variety of publishers. The most useful maps for walkers range in scale from 1:25,000 to 1:50,000. For the Nephins Mountain Challenge, the recommended titles are listed below.
​
  • EastWest Mapping 1:25,000 - Wild Nephin
  • Ordnance Survey Ireland 1:50,000 Discovery Series - Sheet 23
  • Ordnance Survey Ireland 1:50,000 Discovery Series - Sheet 30
  • Ordnance Survey Ireland 1:50,000 Discovery Series - Sheet 31

▲
 

Local facilities


If you require accommodation, food and drink, or other local facilities while undertaking the Nephins Mountain Challenge, we recommend you check out what's available in the following nearby destinations.
​
  • Bangor Erris
  • Crossmolina
  • Mulranny
  • Newport

▲
The Nephins Mountain Challenge

Shortcuts & bookmarks

If you find yourself returning to any particular page on this website, we recommend creating a shortcut on your device and a bookmark in your internet browser. These will give you much quicker access to the Irish walk-related information you need. For full details, including step-by-step instructions, please visit our "Shortcuts & bookmarks" page.
​


Our news


Connect with us


About
Where to walk
Community
Monthly themes
Awards
General information

Outdoor sports brands


​The Ireland Walking Guide is a privately-funded non-commercial project originally created by hillwalker and map enthusiast Kieron Gribbon in 2012. The website is now part of Donard Media's expanding portfolio of online projects.

Find out more...

Copyright © Donard Media 2012 – 2021

  • COVID-19
  • Where to walk
    • Browse counties
    • Walking areas >
      • Upland areas
      • Coastal areas
    • Walking locations >
      • Parks, gardens & estates
      • Forests & woodland >
        • Forest parks
      • Beaches
      • Islands
      • Mountain & hill summits >
        • All mountain summits
        • The Dillons
        • The Irish Hewitts
        • The Slievemores
      • High Points
    • Walking trails
  • Initiatives
    • Monthly themes >
      • January Beach Walk
      • February Group Walk
      • March First Walk
      • April Favourite Walk
      • May Parkland Walk
      • June Upland Walk
      • July Island Walk
      • August Way Walk
      • September Water Walk
      • October Woodland Walk
      • November Trig Walk
      • December Family Walk
    • Hillwalking challenges >
      • Mountain Challenges
      • 700s Challenges
    • Highpointeering
    • Ireland Walking Awards >
      • Irish Upland Area of the Year
      • Irish Coastal Area of the Year
      • Irish Parkland of the Year
      • Irish Woodland of the Year
      • Irish Beach of the Year
      • Irish Island of the Year
      • Irish Mountain of the Year
      • Irish Walking Trail of the Year
      • Irish Walking Guide Book of the Year
      • Irish Map of the Year
    • Ireland Walking Survey >
      • Ireland Walking Award Winners
      • Ireland Walking Participation Report
    • Social media initiatives >
      • Ireland Walking Today
      • Ireland Walking Memories
      • Walk Every Day
  • Community
    • Irish walking clubs
    • Irish walking guides
    • Irish walking events >
      • Walking festivals
      • Challenge walks
      • Charity walks
    • Participation initiatives
    • Environmental initiatives
    • Local communities
    • Skills training services
    • Mountain Rescue Ireland
    • Charities
    • Local councils
    • Landowners
    • Outdoor sports shops
    • Events companies
    • Accommodation
    • Food & Drink
    • Transport
    • Authors, publishers & bookshops >
      • Guide book authors
      • Guide book publishers
      • Map publishers
      • Bookshops
    • Recommended websites
    • Recommended apps
    • High Point Ireland
    • Social media
    • Outdoor magazines
    • Outdoor sports brands
    • Backpack snacks >
      • Nüdest Foods
  • Publications
    • Guide books
    • Maps >
      • EastWest Mappping
      • OSNI 1:25,000 Activity
      • OSNI 1:50,000 Discoverer
      • OSi 1:25,000 Adventure
      • OSi 1:50,000 Discovery
      • Harvey Maps Superwalker
  • Extra
    • About >
      • Contact
      • Terms & conditions >
        • Terms & conditions for advertisers
    • Our news
    • General Information >
      • Clothing & equipment
      • Knowledge & skills
      • Countryside etiquette
      • Walking holidays in Ireland
      • Gift ideas for walkers
    • Shortcuts & bookmarks
    • Downloads >
      • Wall calendars
    • Our other websites >
      • The Ireland Travel Guide
      • The Ireland Sightseeing Guide
      • High Point Ireland