28/04/2019
The Sturrall is one of the most outstanding sea cliff features in Ireland it is a true monster of a headland sitting isolated and far from the real world. It lives isolated, equidistant between Glencolmcille Village to the South and the An Port road end to the North on the south-west corner of County Donegal. It is an 800 metre long and 190-metre high knife-edge mountain ridge which runs from mainland Donegal directly out into the Atlantic Ocean, the summit of the Sturrall is quite an inaccessible and foreboding place to visit.
An ascent of the Sturrall by the easiest way involves a 6-kilometre round trip walk through the hinterland of south-west Donegal. Once on the ridge the route to the summit involves a little bit of mountaineering guile and requires a great head for height and exposure. The summit ridge is approximately 80 metres long and around 190 metres above the sea. The summit ridge is in part less than a metre wide which most defo gives the feeling of walking on air very high above the sea.
On 25th April 2019, 5-year-old Luke and my good self stood on the summit of the Sturrall.
Film of Luke climbing The Sturrall
Last summer I was involved in a day filming for Donegal County Council with Monty Halls and Isla, his six-year-old daughter. The day involved climbing the Realms of the Senses sea stack at An Port with both Monty and Isla. Whilst on U-tube Luke watched the short film of this day out (Monty and Isla Halls film) and declared,
"I want to climb a sea stack."
Over the winter sea stack, climbing was mentioned more and more by Luke. This took us to several visits to the Foyle Arena to play on the indoor wall followed by visits to Cruit Island to climb several of the sea cliffs there.
Training over it was simply a case of waiting for a suitable sunny and wind free day.
Luke walking to The Sturrall
The Sturrall
Climbing the Sturrall Ridge
Luke sitting on the summit
The The Summit of The Sturrall
