It has been a truly excellent years on Donegal's sea stacks with most of the previously rarely visited stacks gettong an ascent and off course, a film made. Three new stacks got their summits visited and 12 new routes were climbed on other previously climbed stacks. It would be impossible to pick a highlight or two, but outstanding days out were had on Pyramid Stack, several visits to Cnoc na Mara's summit, Slieve League Stack, Arch Stack (Na Bristí), Gull Island, Tent Stack and many, many more. The summer in Donegal kicked off on the 28th of February in Glenlough Bay with Josie McGee with a visit to the summit of Tent Stack and continued to a superb finish on 24th October with a paddle out to Owey Island.
Below is a wee collections of nautical plays out over 2013
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Perhaps the most notable new route/summit was Cobblers Tower, Donegal's highest free standing tower, with Noble Brother Stephen Jock Read we climbed an amicable 100m Diff route up it's North face to a very scary summit. What made this an outstanding day out was the UBER calm nature of the sea which allowed us to circumnavigate the mighty Tormore Island and land on this tower in a place normally under attack by the white legions. Another excellent fact about Cobblers Tower is there is no other sane route to it's summit. :-)
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 View from the summit of Cobbler's Tower Credit: Donegal Sea Stacks |
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A slightly unusual new route was on the previously unclimbed "Beyond the End's of The Earth Crag," which funnily enough is just beyond The End's of the Earth Crag in one of the most remote places in Ireland. Joining my good self on this occasion was noble brother Peter O'Tool and a mildly tetchy Neptune. DJ Locker is an 80m rising traverse at about severe and was excellent if a little scary fun.
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Gull Island is a bit of a beast with it's only route to it's summit a 130 m grotfest at about 5.8XR. It's been climbed twice now and a crowd of three people have visited it's summit. In this film Louise is on week three of her trainee rock climbing instructor work placement, she received an A- for the Jenga module.
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 Donegal rock Climbing. Gull Island Credit: Donegal Sea Stacks |
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Pyramid Stack also got a second ascent, with currently a grand total of two troopers having ever stood on its summit. This stack sits in one of the most remote places in Ireland and prone to heavy duty pounders from the west. There is quite a large colony of selkies live around this archipelago.
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 The most remote view in Ireland Credit: Donegal Sea Stacks |
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Cnoc na Mara got a number of ascents this year in this film 15 year old Jake Scollay pays a wee visit to Ireland's most excellent summit.
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A wee kick start to the year in February, we did not realy have a cunning plan for the days activities so we simply played it by ear and avoided the nautical rage. :-)
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 Sea Stack Climbing, Tent Stack Credit: Donegal Sea Stacks |
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This winter film was shot a month after the above visit to Glenlough Bay, February had superb summer weather, and winter briefly returned in March.
There are of course plenty more places to climb in Donegal where drowning is not really a realistic threat. Have a we look through the Donegal Guide and download a guidebook or two.
Anyways ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it's been emotional.
