Achill Atlantic Drive

From Irish Climbing Wiki

A new area with some impressive sea cliffs, which vary in quality from good, solid and well protected walls to soft/ brittle character building rock. The rock along the Atlantic Drive looks amazing and maybe worth more exploration to find the solid/climbable sections.

Achill1 Atlantic 2.jpg

To the left of the Iron horse is a Zawn, with large blocks overlooking the next wall, this wall has a distinct corner on the right (looking from top) All routes described from the base of this corner

Albatross E2 5c * Start as for Corsair, span left to a flat hold then head for the slight notch in the roof above (green camalot). Climb over this and finish up the delicate wall above on small holds, moving slightly right at the top.

B Hall, H Wallace

Corsair HVS 5a To the left of the Iron Man corner, a right trending crack gives some nice climbing that joins Iron Man at half height.

B Hall, H Wallace July 2015

Iron Man * (topo climb number 1) V Diff 20m Follow the corner throughout, nice climbing for the grade

Chris Mckeagney August 2010

Atlantic Drive * Hard Severe 22m 4a Exposed climbing with a tricky move at half height and some flakey holds on the final wall. Takes the lowest right trending crack from the corner. Follow crack tending right to arete and large ledge. From the ledge make an exposed move left onto the steep wall. Climb wall direct, taking care with the thinner (avoidable) holds.

Carl Maddox August 2010

MCI New Climbs (1993‐1995) records the following

Dooega, Pollnahally, GR:687969

This cove has a small sea stack in its centre and good parking just above it. There are three inlets opposite the sea stack. Scramble easily down into the southern inlet. A huge white wall with an obvious crack running the full height is the first feature. Unfortunately the rock is, in general, exclusively soft felspar and the rock is too friable. At the left of this white wall (6m from the crack) is a corner. This yielded.

MAGIE CHARM E3 5c 30m

Climb the seaward facing corner with difficulty and trepidation. The climbing eases at 15m but the rock requires continued care. Gain the large ledge and either finish up the obvious corner to a terrible top out, or clip into a rope fixed to stakes and trailed over the lip.

T Taylor, A Barton, 12/4/95.

Step around the wall into the next inlet to find a large black slabby wall facing you. This has a ramp at 28m running across it. The sea stack is now directly out from the cove.

AOIFE'S WALL E2 5c 28m

Gain and climb the thin blind crack in the centre of the wall with some difficult moves to gain the ramp. The rock is generally better here but some of the smaller holds are a bit snappy. Pad off right on the ramp to gain the top of the bank. Walk back along the top to belay stakes above the route.

T Taylor, A Barton, 16/4/95.