The crags surrounding Lough Belshade in the centre of the Blue Stack Mountains provide excellent climbing in beautiful surroundings. The routes are, almost without exception, on sound granite and well spread across the grades although the long routes on the main face of Belshade Buttress are all HVS and above. There is still plenty of scope for development on both the main face and the numerous outlying outcrops. Friends are almost essential for protection on most of the routes as the granite is a lot heavier featured than the Mournes or Wicklow.
The Bluestack Mountains are alas prone to catching all the moisture from the prevailing South West winds and are frequently bathed in thick cloud. The best thing to do on your first visit is, look north from Donegal Town and the mountains are in a thick blanket of cloud it is probably best to head to the coast to Muckross Head, Sail Rock, Malin Beg or Glencolmcille. Many of the crags in the valley are slow to dry and the suggested coastal locations live well inside the rainshadow and are much more likely to be dry and climbable.
