Ailladie is an area on the coast of The Burren

The Burren

The Burren is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin,...

 in County Clare

County Clare

-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, which is one of Ireland's most highly-regarded rock-climbing locations. It is also a popular location for beach-angling

Angling

Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...

 competitions, and, with its cliff

Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...

s and view of Aran

Aran Islands

The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...

, is a popular photography stop for tourist coaches travelling through west Clare. It is situated between the villages of Fanore

Fanore

Fanore is a small village in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.Lying on the road between Ballyvaughan and Doolin, Fanore is renowned for its extensive sandy beach. The village is very popular with walkers, surfers, tourists and is particularly interesting to botanists, owing to its...

 to the north, and Doolin

Doolin

Doolin is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It borders the spa town of Lisdoonvarna. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in its pubs, making it a popular tourist destination. There are numerous nearby archaeological sites, many...

 to the south.

Climbing

The crag

Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...

 is a sea-cliff, about half of which sits above a big rock platform known to climbers as the Dancing Ledges and is therefore always accessible; the other half is accessible by boulder

Boulder

In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....

-hopping at low tide, or by abseil, sometimes using hanging belays.

The rock is limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

, of good clean quality. Its texture varies from smooth, in the few small areas recently exposed by rockfall

Rockfall

Rockfall or rock-fall refers to quantities of rock falling freely from a cliff face. A rockfall is a fragment of rock detached by sliding, toppling, or falling, that falls along a vertical or sub-vertical cliff, proceeds down slope by bouncing and flying along ballistic trajectories or by rolling...

, to a sharp popcorn

Popcorn

Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...

 texture which provides excellent friction. Most climbs follow steep finger-crack lines, and protection

Protection (climbing)

To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...

 is usually good. The current guidebook

Climbing guidebook

Climbing guidebooks are used by rock climbers to find the location of climbing routes at crags or on mountains. Guidebooks also offer condensed information about local restaurants, bars and camping areas; often include sections on geology and local climbing history; and may contain many pictures to...

, published in 2008, lists about 170 climbs, nearly all single-pitch

Pitch (vertical space)

-Climbing:In rock climbing and ice climbing, a pitch is a steep section of a route that requires a rope between two belays, as part of a climbing system...

, with grade

Grade (climbing)

In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...

s up to E7 6c. Most climbs are in the medium-to-high grades; there is little quality climbing below VS grade.

The climbing potential of this cliff was discovered in 1972, when it was visited by a group of Dublin climbers. Word of its quality quickly spread, and development began in earnest. Since then, Ailladie has remained at the cutting edge of Irish climbing, while also being perennially popular with medium-grade climbers.

Visiting climbers usually either camp in the fields above the crag, or stay at one of the many hostel

Hostel

Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...

s in the surrounding villages. There are several inland crags suitable for climbing, especially in the easier grades, within walking or short driving distance of Ailladie; however, these do not have the quality or popularity of Ailladie.

External links

• Irish Climbing On-line - Ailladie routes database