Bullock Harbour

Bullock Harbour lies just off the Dun Laoghaire to Dalkey road, beyond Sandycove. Map Ref: 263 277. Just east of the harbour there are some interesting short problems on superb tough granite. The rock gives excellent friction which is hardly impaired when it is wet. The climbs have considerable character in spite of their shortness. Well worth a visit when Dalkey is greasy, or to practice layback and crack climbing.

ACCESS
Turn off the Dun Laoghaire to Dalkey bus route at Harbour Road (next turn L. after Sandycove Avenue East) and go down to the harbour (parking). Walk down the east side of the harbour, and turn R. through a gap. The first group of climbs is on the mass of rock directly in front of you.

NORTH WEST GROUP OF CLIMBS (all 4 to 6 m. in height)
Directly in front of you is an L-shaped wall of rock, with steps at the righthand end.

The Mantleshelf goes straight up the wall to the big square ledge near the steps.

There is a scramble up the more broken rock in the re-entrant.

The Wall takes the short but smooth wall left of this.

To the L. the angle eases, and there is an easy way up two grooves. Continue L. down to the sea,. and go round to the seaward side onto a square platform.

The Big Layback This follows the big, open bottomed crack in the corner.

The Mantleshelf Slab The slab just H. of the Big Layback

From the top of these slabs go southeast for 10 or 15 m. and scramble down to big ledge. Go back towards the Big Layback to a narrow crack in a square corner. The Little Layback goes up this crack.

From the foot of the Little Layback walk down towards the sea and towards the Big Layback, to the entrance to a cave.

The Enclosed Chimney: Go into the cave and chimney up to the top.

All these routes are about Very Difficult, except The Wall which is a good bit harder.

On the south side of this mass of rock are slabs which offer easy crack climbs at a gentle angle.

SOUTH EAST GROUP OF CLIMBS (9 to 14 m. in height)

From the last group of climbs walk over the rocky foreshore for about 50 m. to a deep, narrow zawn, with a sewer outlet at the bottom of it. (There are probably routes here if you can stand the smell.) There is a barbed wire fence on the far side of the zawn, but the interested climber will circumvent this to landward, and reach a flagpole on the highest point of a mass of rock. Descend to the southeast beside the wall on the landward side, and then turn L. until you are facing the steep face below the flagpole.

There are six cracks in this face, and from the L. as you look at them, the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Cracks have been climbed. They are steep, and quite strenuous, but the holds are good and the friction magnificent. All are about Severe. The Second and the Fourth can be finished up the exposed but easy slab to the flagpole. The foot of these cracks can only be reached at low tide. There is a big through chimney to the L. of the six cracks, but it has been used as a rubbish chute and is not therefore very inviting.

There are no records of the first ascents of these