Name: Glencolmcille Climbfest
Start: 2025-05-02T08:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-05-05T17:00:00+00:00

Editor: Malin Head - Nobble Amphitheatre
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Crag Profile: Malin Head - Nobble Amphitheatre
Details of the crag can be reviewed below. Editing links are present on all routes and inter-route notes

Directions: From the lower carpark on Bambas crown, walk West along the cliff top path. When you reach a small fence designed to prevent you falling off the path, stop and throw yourself down the slabs. You should now be in a large amphitheatre divided in two by a pinnacle cum stack cum nobble. The area is just East of Hells Zawn. OS Grid Reference: C391595

As you descend into the Amphitheatre the wall on your right (East) has a stream at its base running down into a large pool. Just at the near end of the pool is a low triangular overhang

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1 - Neat Feet D - Length: 8m Alfie Conn and Geoff Thomas 1/9/2013 Start at the middle of Clean Hands Slab and follow the left arete to the top View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
2 - Clean Hands D Length: 8m Alfie Conn 8/6/2013 Perhaps the hardest climb yet done at Malin Head without artificial aid (chalk).Start at the right hand side of the triangular head height overhang. Gather your courage and teter up the initial rounded ledge to below the middle of the triangular slab. Ascend this with the aid of tiny finger tip crimps and smear on the merest of rugosities. While on the very edge of adherence, exit over the headwall onto the featureless slabs above.You may find that this description exagerates a little but the text is fundamentally true. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
3 - Manicure S 4a Length: 10m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 22/9/2013 From the bottom right side of the slab go up the right side of the slab until under the centre of the steep wall. Go up it.The wall looks loose and chossy but it isn't View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
4 - Cry Misty * VD 3c Length: 10m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 8/6/2013 Start at the right of thr triangular overhang where the stream falls into the pool.Climb up the right trending corner. The appalling looking rock is actually OK. When the corner finishes go up!A pleasant route. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
5 - Geoffs route S - Length: 10m Geoff Thomas and Alfie Conn Sept 2013 Just right of the slab is an A shaped overhanging start to the chimney. Start here and go over the A, step left and go uo the short wall on jugs. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
6 - Mucky Paws VD 4b Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Geoff Thomas 1/9/2013 Start below the left hand of the two cracks (1 metre left of "Dirty Nails" and after a bouldery start follow it to the top via a short wall. The rock looks awful but its fine View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
7 - Dirty Nails VD Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Trevor Hartley 14/7/2013 To the right of the lakeis a short rounded berm at the bottom of a broken set of ledges. There are two cracks. Follow the right one and short wall to the top View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route

In the middle of the amphitheatre is a roughly rectangularily based stack. This is the nobble and has an obvious steeply overhaging slab on its landward side.

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8 - Port * D Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Trevor Hartley 8/6/2013 Start at the Eastward landward corner of the nobble.Go up and then traverse left until you are at the left handside. Go up the arete to the top with some airy moves.A good route View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
9 - Amidships * D Length: 8m Alfie conn and Trevor Hartley 19/5/2013 Start at the Eastern landward corner of the nobble. Go up and step left onto the landward slab. From the big crack, go straight up. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
10 - Starboard D - Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Trevor Hartley 8/6/2013 Start at the Eastward landward corner.Step up and step left to allow you to look up the slab and ascend the right side. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
11 - The Nobbler S 4a Length: 8m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 19/5/2013 Start at the Eastern landward corner of the nobble. Follow the right trending fault to exit at the obvious gap. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
12 - Colmcille's Return HVS 5a Length: 10m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 8/6/2013 On the eastward face of the nobble there is a shallow recess. Start just right of this, below a break in the cornice like rock at the top.Climb up to and through the break. A bit steep at the top. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
13 - Corvii D - Length: 6m Alfie Conn. June 2014 At the NE corner of the Nobble is a stepped slab. Climb this View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
14 - Black Gold HS 4b Length: 8m Damian Connolly, Alfie Conn 22/5/16 Start left of Eurythmics below a black streak. Climb awkwardly for a few metres and step right to the base of a crack trending up and left. Follow it to the top (crux). Short but steeper than it looks. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
22 - Happy B-Day Ola HS 4b Length: 9m Paulina Kaniszewska and Chris Millar 4/9/16 Start as for "Eurythmics" and go up the wall just left. At the top of its grade View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
15 - Eurythmics HS 4b Length: 10m Alfie Conn, Margaret Quinn 21/6/15 Start as for "Seven Seas" but go straight up the flake crack. Steeper than it looks! View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
16 - Seven Seas * VD - Length: 8m Alfie Conn and Damian Connolly 2/5/15 At the SW corner are two cracks with a common start. Climb the right one, stepping left onto the top at the end. The rock is clean and solid. Easy climbing but protection is hard to arrange for the first half. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route

On the Western side of the amphitheatre is a dark black compact wall.

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17 - Bowel Infection D - Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Trevor Hartley 8/6/2013 Start below the left hand corner of the black West wall of the amphitheatre.Climb the corner. Not as bad as it looks or the name suggests. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
18 - Between the Lines HS - Length: 20m G Carelton amd AN Other Sept 2013 Go up between thw two quartz lines.This route was entered for completeness but George only supplied sketchy details and admitted there was a shortage of protection View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
19 - Black Magic HS 4b Length: 12m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 8/6/2013 There are a number of thin quartz veins going up the wall. Start below the second vein from the left.Go up the vein generally. Protection is there but needs thought. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route

Between the Amphitheatre and Hells Zawn, to the West, is a narrow rock spur that allow a descending scramble to a wave washed slab. The only steep ground here is alongside Hells Zawn

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23 - Amphitheatre Traverse D - Length: 50m Columba McLaughlin May 2014 Start on the wall opposite the Knobble at the seaward end of the large pool. A slightly rising traverse until forced upwards by the Triangular slab. Continue along a very obvious fault line and exit up landward slabs. Alternatively, exit up 'Land Ahoy' at the base of the slabs. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
24 - Land Ahoy D - Length: 22m Columba McLaughlin May 2014 This route is on the landward end of the wall opposite the Knobble. Start just above the base of the obvious triangular slab to landward end of the Amphitheatre Traverse. Continue up the wall above in a rightward angle. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
20 - Heaven's Yawn D - Length: 10m Alfie Conn and Trevor Hartley 14/7/2013 Just around the bottom edge, (next to Hell's Zawn), follow the easiest way to the top View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
21 - Tinitus VD - Length: 15m Trevor Hartley and Alfie Conn 14/7/2013 Start as for Heaven's Yawn, but instead of going up continue traversing into the shallowish chimney with a small overhang. Go up this to the top View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route