Ben Balben is an amazingly picturesque mountain in County Sligo

One of the three most famous mountains of Ireland is located in the north-western part of the country, in County Sligo, and is called Ben Bulben, which translates literally as "jaw-shaped peak". The mountain got this name due to its unusual shape, because its slopes really look like a giant row of almost even teeth of some fabulous giant from afar. This area can rightfully add to the list of the most beautiful places in the world.

This kind of mountain formations is known as "table mountains" — their top seems to be cut off, and the slopes are usually very steep.

Such mountains consist almost entirely of a variety of sedimentary rocks, and they were formed during the melting of glaciers.

Ben-Balben is no exception — this peak with a height of 527 meters was formed 320 million years ago, during the Great Glaciation, when creeping blocks of ice literally truncated its previously towering top.

Rock climbers do not get tired of conquering Ben-Balben, despite the fact that climbing this mountain is not so easy.

It is especially difficult to climb up from the north side, where the slopes are steep and steep, and from the sides of the Atlantic Ocean are constantly blowing cold winds. But those who managed to reach the top do not regret the efforts spent, because from the height of the mountain plateau they have a magnificent view.

Today, Mount Ben-Balben is a real symbol of the county of Sligo, naturally, covered with numerous legends. One of them says that a huge ferocious boar once lived here, which was killed with its own tusk by the warrior Diarmaid.

But even if Ben-Balben was an ordinary mountain, it would still remain no less attractive for travelers - the beauty of its slopes will captivate the heart at first sight.

The gentle slopes are overgrown with thick green grass, and on the at about 300 meters in height, the mountain begins to rise sharply, almost vertically - this is the phenomenon of Ben-Balben. Travelers say that the mountain is especially beautiful at dawn — however, it is better to see once than hear a hundred times!

Anyway, this mountain of unusual shape is a real miracle of nature, which is the main attraction of Sligo.