UKC Forums - Ireland-good VD to VS crags

Ireland-good VD to VS crags

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AlanP 18 Jun 2013

Hi, I'm off to Ireland for a couple of weeks and wondered if anybody can point me in the right direction for some crags that have good routes between VD-VS? Preferably single pitch routes within 30 mins walk from the car, thanks,

Alan

Dave Williams 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:

Where in Ireland exactly?

GrahamD 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:

Dalkey if you are near Dublin

OP AlanP 18 Jun 2013

In reply to Dave Williams: It could be anywhere at the moment.

Noelle 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:

Doolin (West of Ireland) has bouldering and routes, all handy to get to and within reach of a cheap campsite and a pub. It's trad limestone but natural in the main, so lots of nice holds and usually good gear. Plenty for the VS climber to play with out there. Some ideas here:

http://doolinbouldering.com/

http://wiki.climbing.ie/index.php/Ailladie

Or here, if you don't fancy sea cliffs:
http://wiki.climbing.ie/index.php/Ballyryan

There's also a guidebook with other places in it. "The Burren and Arran Islands."

victim of mathematics 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:

Malin Beg has plenty of low grade single pitch stuff in a very pleasant setting: http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=188715

Muckross Head is nearby and has a couple of great single pitch VSs, but nothing of note easier than that.

If it's dry (quite a big if) then the Bingorms are pretty cool - big mountain crags but some are easily reached from the road.

And yes, Dalkey is definitely worth a visit.

iain miller 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:

Donegal would be the answer to your quest

Cruit Island has 350 routes on 10 to 20m high granite sea cliff with most of which being a 30 second walk from the car. Free camping and the island is one of the driest places in Ireland being approx 15km out in a rainshadow.
http://www.uniqueascent.ie/cruit_island_guide

There are several thousand other routes near by but they don't fit your needs as well.
http://www.uniqueascent.ie/gola_island_guide
http://www.uniqueascent.ie/cnoc_an_affrain
http://www.uniqueascent.ie/malinbeg_guide
http://www.uniqueascent.ie/malinbeg_guide

The current Donegal guide is http://www.mountaineering.ie/aboutus/news/2013/default.aspx?iid=258

betamonkey 18 Jun 2013

In reply to AlanP:
If you're over on the West coast, I'd second Ailladie as a venue - a lot of quality routes at VS/HVS grade, good gear in most of them... And not far from a decent pint of the Black stuff in Doolin...

Dublin-side, Glendalough is also an option - about 20-30 minutes pleasant walk along the valley bottom (followed by 10 minutes struggle up the valley side). There's lower grade stuff on a slab to the side. If you want a real day out then some of the multipitch routes will leave you grinning for days. Also quite a bit for the beanie-hat brigade on the boulders in the valley bottom.