Muckross Head - Climbing

Climbing

The Muckross crag is small and remote from major population centres, but it is quite popular because of the unusual climbing encountered there. It is a sea-cliff, situated above a partly tidal rock platform, and access is quite convenient.

The rock consists of horizontally layered sandstone with intervening thin layers of mudstone which have been eroded away to produce horizontal breaks and overhangs. The climbs are all single-pitch, between 10 m and 20 m in height. The overhanging nature of much of the rock makes climbing there quite strenuous, and yields some spectacular roof-climbing.

The current guidebook, published in 2002, lists about 50 climbs at Muckross, ranging in grade up to E6/6b. Climbing of all grades is available, but the higher grades predominate. In accordance with Irish climbing ethics, only traditional protection ("clean climbing") is used, medium-to-big cams being very useful.

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