david bourke on Crott Mountain

Sunday 21st January 2007 Arrived in Murrisk with a view to climb Croaghpatrick. After a night of heavy rain and hailstones the summit was already white. On the ascent we encountered some nasty showers thought thankfully none lasted too long. For the final 100 metres the path was covered in snow. It took just one and a half hours to make the climb. After a quick flask of tea we descended to the saddle and instead of going straight down to the car park we opted to continue east along the ridge. and climbed up to East Top. My GPS reading showed a hight of 502m and coordinates of N 53* 45.767' W 009*37.456' or IG ref B (L92933 80451) It was a pleasant walk from the saddle and involved a climb of a mere 70m. The terrain is very different to Croaghpatrick itself as it is covered in grass. After a few minutes stop to enjoy the wonderful views of the now visible Clew Bay we descended the 70m once more. Between East top and the saddle lies another small summit which we decided to climb and at the top my GPS showed a height of 494m just 6m short of the majical figure of 500! Enough climbing for today! 1200m total so we headed down to the car park and on to Westport Quay for very welcome dinner before returning home. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/457/comment/2592/

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Colin Murphy on Crott Mountain

If you fancy a long day's walking and some very rewarding views, this top can be the first in a ridge of 3, the second being Croagh Patrick of course followed by Ben Goram. As David Bourke suggested, take the normal path up from Murrisk and then veer east at the saddle along a very narrow track (called the Pilgrim's Path). The day we went up it was pretty clear but rain from the previous few days had rendered the track a mudbath and itsonly use really was a line to follow. It petered out near a wall around the summit and the final ascent is straight up through the heather (though steep it is relatively easy). Pray to St Patrick for a clear day...because the views are tremendous. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/457/comment/2917/

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Extraordinary Views of Clew Bay and beyond

If you ascend Crott it will be well worth your while to go to the eastern end of the plateau. The rim is perched on very steep ground and you will have unrestricted views to the east overlooking Westport and its hinterland. The vista is quite stunning and can be easily achieved by starting at Pros Rd (L9494 8095) (limited parking) and following the Western Way right along the south of the mountain and up to the summit and then back to the eastern rim. There would be no point in launching a full frontal assault on the eastern cliff, although I did descend that way with great caution (Track 3229). Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/457/comment/18516/

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The Reek in all its splendour

A view of The Reek on a moody setting Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/457/comment/24095/

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