The nose of Ben Bulben, and the view back down.
I like to walk -- not climb -- up mountains, and get to the top.
When I google Ben Bulben hike, I get:
1. The Sligo tourism description of the "Ben Bulben Loop". This is a walk that doesn't go up the mountain at all, but lets you look at it from around the "nose". It involves about 45m of ascent. The summit of Ben Bulben is at 526m.
2. A number of descriptions and Youtube videos that describe climbs -- not walks. Some are described as "easy climbs". However, all these involve climbing up vertical bits of cliff. If you are not an experienced climber, they are good ways to lose your life.
3. Some descriptions of walks that involve clambering up rather steep slopes with loose stones on them. These are ok in good weather, provided you are careful.
I did not see a description of the straightforward way to walk up. This is steep, but not crazy. You take the public roads around the north side and up into the valley (Glendarragh) between Ben Bulben
aka Benbulbin) and Benwiskin. Park somewhere around the "scary bridge" (an 8-foot-wide slab of reinforced concrete without any parapet), grid G468703. You walk up by the well-used path that climbs southward up to the plateau. It runs up to the left of the river that runs down the southern end of the valley. Once you get up you can do a nice loop out west across the 500m summit and the neck to Ben Bulben (526m), back to the neck and then south-east to King's Mountain (462m) , and back north to the same path back down. Takes about 4 hours from the bridge. Bring a compass and the 1:50000 Sheet 16, in case you find yourself in mist. On Ben Bulben, be sure to keep on west to the nose, after you reach the summit. Stop when you get to top of the 45 degree slope, since a slip on that will take you over the cliff and end your life. The view all round and down from the nose is absolutely incomparable. If the weather is suitable, there is a path running close to the cliff edge on the north side, with spectacular views.
(The path up to the plateau is probably discussed on the web, but since I didn't run across it in a quick search, others might end up doing something they might regret, based on what they find online. Hence this post.)
