In the north-west of Ireland, you will find wild mountains being left to nature, with narrow trails winding over ridges and wrapping around hillsides. Youll find silence, and then the thousand tiny sounds of nature will fill your ears. OverviewDistance: 10 - 12km Format: Looped trailTime: 2.5 - 5hrs, depending on how long you want to explore! Parking: the primary parking for this loop is the Letterkeen Trail Head (Google Maps link). If youre visiting and its busy, there is another car park about a 15 minute walk away: Sragrevagh Trailhead (Google Maps link). Letterkeen can suffer from overcrowding, so if youre coming as a group (especially in the summer) carpooling is advisable. Trail difficulty: Easy - ModerateThis is a waymarked route with purple arrows. You walk along riverbanks, stony valley floors, forest trails and woodland. Read how we rate trails here.Trail quality: 5/5This has long been one of my favourite trails. The terrain underfoot is great - with no road walking, and only a short while on forestry access tracks towards the end.Views: 5/5For a trail that only reaches a high point of 311m, the views of the surrounding mountains are fantastic. Buggy/Wheelchair friendly: NoDogs allowed: Yes - keep dogs on leadToilets: There are permanent port-a-loos installed at the Letterkeen Trail HeadWhen was I here: July 2026External links: National Parks WebsiteFind the route GPX on HiiKEROur long-form video on YouTube The Letterkeen Trailhead is somewhere Ive visited many times; most notably, when walking the Western Way back in 2018 (with extremely bruised soles and skin that had been eaten alive by the intense midgies that Mayo is infamous for) and last year in March 2025 to walk the Bangor Trail with my friend Pauline. To come back and film some of the day hikes that the NPWS have developed has been on my to-do list for far too long. And so on a mid-July morning, I pulled into an almost-empty trail head car park. My main fear as I opened the van door was the already mentioned munching insects. However the mild threat of rain that hung over the area seemed to be keeping the worst away, and so I began to pack my bag quickly and get on trail. The route is listed as 12km on all the signage, but I think its closer to 10.5km. However, if its your first time visiting the park, its worth budgeting some extra walking in your legs in case you see view points you want to explore. The Letterkeen Loop is the longest of the four looped walks that leave the main car park. At the trailhead there are also permanent port-a-loos, and the Brogan Carroll bothy. This is the first true bothy I ever experienced in Ireland, and as far as Im aware, was the first one to be renovated/created. Its a simple, single stone room with a map of the park, a notice board with shuttle bus details and other things worth noting for walkers passing through. The old famine cottage was renovated by Mayo County Council and An Taisce thanks to donations by two Irish-Americans, John Brogan and Barry Carroll. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize All the trails here are way-marked in one direction. Beforehand I wouldve said Im not a fan of this idea - but it means that your experience of the park feels more empty than it might be. If youre all walking in the same direction, your only chance to overlap is when someone takes a long enough break. So as I set off on the path out of the car park and over the wooden bridge, I was pretty much alone. The path meanders around some gorse and along the riverside, narrow enough that it feels like it gets more sheep traffic than human. The river gully is deep, and in summer the ferns stand tall along the banks. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize After maybe a kilometre, the trail makes its way from the twisting riverbanks and widens into a stony path. At the 1.5km mark, blue arrows point into the forest, marking the turn off for the 5km Bothy Loop. There is an imperceptible uphill to this valley, and as you look ahead and see the small rise ahead, you can see the trail cut across the top of it. This climb feels a little more serious, but is still pleasant and gives great views back down the valley. Along this stretch youll also come across weathered way-markers from the Bangor Trail - the little green walking man almost consumed by the grey lichens. After youve passed the 4km mark, youll encounter another turn off to the right with a red way-marker: this is the Lough Avoher Loop. If the climb you just did was as much climbing as youre able for today, take this turn off. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Only a few hundred meters ahead is the Lough Avoher Shelter. This is one of two such Adirondack Shelters in the National Park. Mountain Meitheal (Irelands volunteer trail building organisation) adopted this style of shelter and have built several around the country along different trails (learn more here). I love these little huts, and had planned for this to be my lunch break. Arriving in the height of the summer season, there was more rubbish left behind than Ive previously seen, but not terribly mistreated. Ten days later I was back with a group, and we removed what was there. Overall, I feel like the people who visit this area respect the Leave No Trace or Pack it in, Pack it out mentality, because its a little harder to get here than most places, and fewer people know it exists. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Leaving the shelter, the trail consistently climbs. Quite quickly, the tree line changes from being a tall presence hugging the path, to swishing branches below. The lake of Lough Avoher peeps through the branches. The trail here actually hugs the park boundary, although youd have no idea apart from the line drawn on a map. For the 2km after the shelter, the ground is a little more boggy than before, and the trail dips in and out of the forest. Soon, the path comes to the highest point of the loop, a 311m spot height with no name that I know of. The views all around are beautiful, even on the hazy day that I was there filming. Descending from here, there is a more substantial forest section. There are some fallen trees inside the forest which look a little dramatic, but overall its still very passable. This section can also be muddy and slippy. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Popping out of the other end of the forest, the little ridge line of Aroher Hill feels almost tall and imposing ahead of you. But the trail turns left, and brings you down onto the easy-going forestry track that the Western Way also follows, back to the Letterkeen trailhead. On the way youll pass other designated camping locations, an etherial elk*, and the steady flow of water once more. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize * Tenaya is a life-sized willow sculpture of an Irish Elk by artist Brendan Farren. The Irish Elk, Megaloceros giganteus, was a species of giant prehistoric deer that it is thought to have gone extinct some 8000 years ago due to human hunting and the changing climate.The sculpture was commissioned by the National Parks & Wildlife Service to commemorate the twinning of Wild Nephin National Park with Yosemite National Park in May 2024, and installed along the Letterkeen Looped walk in Wild Nephin. It is named after Tenaya, the last leader of the Ahwahnechee native people in the Yosemite Valley. Indeed the Nephin Beg range of mountains is, I think, the very loneliest place in this countryROBERT LLOYD PRAEGER Further exploringThis area is truly quite remote, so some of my recommendations below are for Mayo in general:Other trails in the area: The Western Way: Mayo (multi-day hike)The Western Way: Galway (multi-day hike)Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail (multi-day hike)Keenagh Loop: Mayo.ie info (day hike)Favourite Local Coffee / Food Options:The Misunderstood Heron, MurriskThis Must be the Place, Cafe in Westport Other media: Stephen Reids video of the Bangor Trail includes some great research on the history of the area

An old friend trotting happily by your side is one of the great joys of exploring the great outdoors

After what feels like an eternity of long, hot days and warm, muggy nights, I'm looking out of my window at the rain pouring down

We test out ME's contender in the lightweight waterproof shell marketReviewSpecsGalleryRetailersFor walking or trekking in the summer months, whether in the UK or overseas, one of your essential gear items is a lightweight waterproof jacket, and even though it may spend more time in your pack rather than on your back you still need it to perform when the heavens open. Beyond the jacket being waterproof and breathable, the two main questions when buying one is how light and packable you want it to be, and what features/functionality you want from it with there usually being a trade-off between these two areas. Mountain Equipments Raintower Jacket, however, seems to offer a really good balance between weight and features, weighing in at a very respectable 350g for the mens and 310g for the womens version, yet offering plenty of features such as pitzips, hem adjustors, two-way main zip and a fully-adjustable hood. Does the Raintower really let you have your cake and eat it? Lets find outOut testing the Raintower Jacket in ArgyllshireMountain Equipment describe the Raintower as a dependable mountain shell thats been built for sudden storms and fast-paced days. Its made of MEs own 2.5-layer DRILITE 40D fabric with DWR, and comes with a fully-adjustable Mountain Hood, articulated and pre-shaped sleeves, pit zips with an internal flap, and adjustable cuffs and dual tether hem drawcords. At 190, the Raintower is priced significantly lower than a similarly-specd Gore-Tex jacket (ME dont offer a lightweight Gore-Tex option, but several other brands do), and given that this is a layer that could spend a significant portion of time inside your pack rather than on your back this could be a really smart option for anyone looking to save a few pounds.FabricBecause Gore-Tex have done such a good marketing job over the years, its easy to assume that own-brand waterproof/breathable fabrics are inherently inferior, but the fact of the matter is that the best of the own brand fabrics are really rather good. Mountain Equipments DriLite is a case in point. Having been around for 25 years now, in one guise or another, DriLite is well regarded by both the industry and users alike. It currently comes in three flavours: DRILITE XT, DRILITE+ and DRILITE. All three versions are waterproof and breathable, but each is optimised for specific conditions and activities. So youll find XT in winter mountaineering jackets where high waterproofness and durability are required, whereas the + version is lighter and optimised for comfort, as well as still offering good waterproof/breathable performance. Standard DRILITE (i.e. without any letters/characters after it!) is lighter still, and is ideal for more occasional use, such as in summer.Handwarmer pockets are sited above your packs waistbeltIts interesting to note that the DRILITE fabrics can come in 2, 2.5 and 3L layer versions, and Mountain Equipment sometimes pair up two of these in the same jacket (e.g. 2.5 layer in the torso, and 3L in high-wear areas such as arms and shoulders). The Raintower, however, is made of one fabric the aforementioned 2.5-layer DRILITE 40D fabric with DWR and that makes perfect sense for a jacket that is intended to be very packable.Fit ME offer three different fits for their waterproof jacket range Active Fit, Alpine Fit and Mountain Fit, with Active being the most athletic and Mountain being the most roomy (and Alpine Fit being somewhere in the middle). Being targeted primarily at walkers and trekkers, the Raintower fits into the Mountain Fit category, and this means its pretty versatile, from wearing with just a baselayer on, to allowing several layers to be worn underneath when its a bit chillier.The Raintowers hem comes down quite low, which is great for walking/trekking if not so much for scrambling/mountaineering you get that extra bit of coverage over your rear and just generally doubling up on protection around your waist if youre also wearing waterproof trousers.The hood has a wired and stiffened peak, as well as full adjustabilityHood, pockets and zipsME are known for making some of the best hoods in the market and, just as they have three different fits for their jacket range, they have three different styles of hood Super Alpine HC Hood, Mountain HC Hood and Mountain Hood. The differences mainly come down to volume, with the Super Alpine HC offering the most volume and the Mountain Hood offering the least. The first two offer the room and adjustment required for accommodating a helmet, while the Mountain Hood offers the least volume and is not billed as helmet-compatible.The Raintower offers two handwarmer pockets that are situated quite high to avoid contact with your pack waistbelt, and are lined with mesh so can be left open for added ventilation. Theres also a single, internal zipped pocket which can accommodate a large smartphone. The main zipper, which is two-way and water-resistant, is backed up with a storm flap on the inside.Pitzips are not often found on lightweight shells, but we approveIn useWe tested out the Raintower in a variety of conditions in both the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands, and we have to say it was a pleasure using it. We really liked the generous fit which allowed layers to be worn underneath if necessary, or gave a bit of extra ventilation if wearing just a baselayer on a warm yet damp day. Speaking of ventilation, the addition of pitzips as well as mesh in the handwarmer pockets is very effective at venting on those sweaty ascents in warm-and-wet weather. Its not common to find pitzips on lightweight shells, since brands are generally trying to shave off grams, but were glad ME included them despite the slight extra weight they add.The Raintower packs down really well, which in our book is more important than its weightThe DRILITE fabric is extremely soft and quiet, and while some 2.5 fabrics can feel clammy against the skin, the Raintower was actually very comfortable. When wet, lightweight shells can stick to your skin and actually make you feel wet (even when youre not) on the inside, but being that bit thicker than the lightest shells, the Raintower didnt exhibit that effect. The hood deserves a special mention, too. As well as being fully adjustable, it is both stiffened and wired, which is a huge benefit in the UK to keep rain out of your face. Although Mountain Equipment dont rate the hood as helmet-compatible, we used it successfully with several different helmets, and although its not roomy enough to allow your head to move smoothly in all directions, it is perfectly usable at a push.The other great thing about the Raintower is that it packs down really small you can see how it compare to a 1L Nalgene bottle in the photo above. For us, packability is even more important than weight, since youre unlikely to notice if a jacket is 100g more or less when its in your pack but you definitely will notice if its taking up too much space, or wont slip easily into the stash pocket on the front of your pack.Internal mesh pocket is ideal for a smartphone or walletVerdictMountain Equipment have really hit a sweet spot with the Raintower Jacket. At 350g (for the mens, 310g for the womens), its not ultra-light, but given that it has all the features you could possibly want for hillwalking and the odd bit of scrambling, the jackets weight and packability are excellent. If youre mainly scrambling and climbing then you may want to opt for a more fitted jacket with a helmet-compatible hood, but for pretty much all other summer walking and trekking duties, the Raintower has got you covered.More info at: www.mountain-equipment.comFeatures2.5-layer DRILITE 40D fabric with DWRMountain Hood is fully adjustableAlpine fit with articulated and pre-shaped sleevesFull-length WR centre front zip with internal flap2 large ventilated pockets with water-resistant zipsUnderarm pit zips with an internal flapAdjustable cuffs and dual tether hem drawcordsInner pocketWeight: 350gThe following retailers stock Mountain Equipment clothing and equipment:BlacksCotswold OutdoorEllis Brigham Mountain SportsFacewestGO OutdoorsLD Mountain CentreNeedlesportsNevisportOutsideTaunton LeisureThe Climbers ShopTisoTrekitt

Dreaming of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that takes in Londons grand landmarks, wild Scottish mountains and Irelands rugged Atlantic coast? The good news is that its

One of the questions I get asked the most often? Where shall we escape to for a weekend in the UK? Big adventures and wild