The Eglish Valley in the heart of the Bluestack Mountains provides an excellent series of single pitch crags in a high mountainous setting. The valley lives at the end of a labyrinth of twisting B track roads coming out of Donegal Town to the south. The climbing at this end of the Bluestack is characterised by the excellent compact nature of the rock. This collection of crags provide a very varied collection of climbing styles on a group of very different crags, all within a short walk from each other. The two crags with arguably the best climbing are the Gatepost and The Outpost which in turn are the nearest and furthest from the road.
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, An Seol Mór, Málainn Bhig or Gleann Cholm Cille. 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.
