Found in the shadow of the little-known peninsula of Crohy Head just to the south of Maghery Village lives the Arch Stack known as Brístí which translates to trousers. (or breeks) This 25-metre high sea stack lives 100 or so metres from shore and provides an ideal introduction to sea stack or adventure climbing.
Sitting 1 KM to the south of Maghery Village, on the Maghery peninsula to the southwest of Dungloe Village in The Rosses, Western Donegal. This outstanding wee Arch stack provides an excellent day out.
An excellent traverse out to sea just above the high watermark on the seaward leg brings you to a large sea-level platform at the base of the seaward face of the stack.
This Sea Stack is also known as the Crohy Head Sea Arch it is very popular with photographers and bird watchers.
Access is a five-minute walk from the roadside lay by to the storm beach facing the stack. Cross the stile and descend down the field to the easy grassy descent down the wide gully facing the stack on the land to the wide boulder beach at sea level. Paddle out to the stack through a collection of baby stacks and an assortment of tidal skerries to gain the lee between the legs of the stack. Land on the small ledge just above the high tide mark on the seaward leg in the arch.
1: Brísti Stack lives in one of the most exposed stretches of the coast, being open to all sea states from the south through to the west.
2: The grassy approach slopes are steep and are sheltered from drying winds, to the raised shingle storm beach opposite the stack.
3: The nautical approach to the stack involves a 50-meter sea passage. (The coast here is very exposed to Atlantic swells)
4: The rock on the stack is good BUT your situation causes everything to appear a wee bit more atmospheric than it actually is.
5: The ropework on the stack requires a wee bit of thought.
6: A 50-meter single rope will see you up and back down again.
The above are just a few thoughts on climbing this stack, it's location out to sea from Crohy Head coast is idyllic and this wee bay has been a photographers favourite for over twenty years. It is always worth bearing in mind that the actual climbing is by far the easiest part of your day with the logistics of actually getting to the base of the stack and off course returning to the land being the crux of your day.
Bristi Stack was first climbed on the 9th June in 2011 as a roped solo using the rolling clove hitch rope technique. This first route takes the deep corner groove on the south west corner of the stack and has since been freesolod on many occations. The second route to be climbed was on 19th June 2012 and this takes the left facing open book corner on the north west tip of the stack. Both these routes climb the sea ward face of the stack and start on a reasonably sheltered tidal platform at sea level. The third route climbed on the stack takes the landward face was climbed with Niamh Gaffney anf ended up as an article in the Irish Times.
Arch Stack 4a 25m
Grid Ref B708075, 1 KM to the south of Maghery Village, this stack outstanding wee Arch stack provides an excellent day out. Climb the southern edge sea ward face by the overhung right facing groove and follow the shallow corner up the centre of the slab to a wee niche below a head wrecking steepness. Step right above BIG AIR and climb the steep right facing corner to the salvation of the summit.
If you are alone at this point your mind will be in tatters! :-)
I. Miller 09/06/11
North Route VS 4c 25m
Climb the left facing corner at the Northern edge of the sea ward face step right at the top of the corner onto a sub summit ledge. Pull onto the summit at the wee vegetated niche.
I. Miller, W. Schuessler 19/06/12
Ned Gaffney’s Perch Svr 29m
This route takes the landward face of the stack, starting on the large tidal ledge at the southern side. Climb the steep crack trending right to join the vegetated ramp to the summit.
I. Miller, N. Gaffney 21/06/13
