Amazing rock structures and climbing area
Category

Sightseeing

Est. Duration

0-30m

Message from Jonas Furstone

Muckross Head in South West Donegal just two km from the village of Kilcar, 10 km from Killybegs and near Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe and one of Co. Donegal’s major attractions. The spectacular panoramic views include St. John’s Point, Ben Bulben in Sligo, Croagh Patrick in Mayo and Sliabh Liag, Europes highest sea cliffs.

Rock Climbing: Muckross Head is a very unusual crag composed of horizontally bedded sandstone interspersed with thin bands of mudstone that have been eroded faster and have produced the characteristic overhangs that make the rock climbing here excellent.

The headland has a rich fauna and also a small area of exposed limestone karst. In some places along the headland there are deposits of fossils, mainly of seaweeds and shellfish. Muckross Head has two beaches,. That beach (trá na nglór in Irish, or beach of the noise) has a rip tide, coming in at both sides and sucking out in the middle, is popular with surfers. The other beach (trá bán, meaning white beach in Irish) some hundreds of metres away is a popular family beach which is safe for swimming. That beach also has a public car park and toilets in summer.

You can walk below the sea stacks, however, please familirize yourself with the tide times. It has to be low tide if you want to walk below. You can simple start on the right side of the sea staks and there might be some people climbing down there as well.

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