Croagh Patrick (nicknamed ‘the Reek’) is considered to be Ireland’s holiest mountain: Saint Patrick fasted for forty days at the summit in 441 AD, and the name ‘Croagh Patrick’ comes from the Irish “Cruach Phádraig” meaning “Patrick’s Stack”. Croagh Patrick has been considered a holy mountain since pagan times, and people worshipped at the mountain as far back as 3000 BC. The annual pilgrimage day to the top on the last Sunday in July, known as Reek Sunday, goes back over 5,000 years.
Although it’s one of the most popular hikes in Ireland with an estimated 100,000 people climbing Croagh Patrick each year (about 25,000 of those on Reek Sunday), the carpark is completely empty on a pretty cold, wet and miserable morning. Still, I persevere with my pilgrimage and hope the fog will lift, as I head up the narrow laneway and onto the first of many steps that lead to the summit.
The paved trail ends at a statue of St. Patrick near the base of Croagh Patrick, and a rough hiking trail begins to ascend.
It’s a continuous but fairly gently gradient, with some nice views back down along the trail, despite the rain and mist.
The rocky trail follows a stream as it climbs up the mountain; so far I’ve only seen two other people who are jogging down the trail.
I’m soon entering the mist, which consists mostly of horizontal rain blasting across the mountain. It’s easy walking despite the weather, but I can’t see the top of the mountain or the bay below me.
A cairn marks the half-way point, where the trail briefly levels out. There’s a toilet block here which looked pretty disgusting and had piles of rubbish left by hikers.
The second-half of the Croagh Patrick hike consists of a series of rocky steps which seem never-ending, but is still a fairly easy climb compared to a few years ago when there was just loose scree.
I reach the top of the 764 metre high peak, which has a white church built in 1905 by Dr Healy (Archbishop of Tuam) and Fr Michael McDonald – there has been a church on the summit of Croagh Patrick since the 5th century. While the church is locked, the doorway offers a little bit of shelter from the gale-force wind and rain.
As you’d expect from the fourth highest mountain in 4th highest mountain in County Mayo, on a clear day you would get some great views. Here’s what the view would look like, if you’re not an idiot like me who picks a miserable day for this hike…
I enjoy the arctic summit conditions for a few minutes, before beginning my descent back down the rocky staircase. The weather seems to be very gradually improving, but even if I had the patience to wait for the fog to lift there’s nowhere on the peak that offers any real respite from the blasting wind. (I had intended to descend the western side of Croagh Patrick to form a loop, but that was completely exposed to the wind.)
By the time I reach the “bottom half” of the Croagh Patrick pilgrim trail there’s a nice view over Clew Bay, which is said to have 365 islands (it contains 141 named islands).
There’s a lot more people now heading up the trail, as I reach the last kilometre back to the carpark, and I enjoy at least some of the views you would get from the top on a nice day.
The return trip took me x hours at a steady pace – on a nice day you’ll probably want to spend more than three minutes at the summit. It’s not a difficult hike, but apparent from a vew short, flat bit in the middle it’s a continual climb up to the top. On a nice day, you could consider returning via a different route to form a loop (which would involve some road-walking unless you can arrange a car-shuffle).
Getting to Croagh Patrick
The usual and most popular starting point for the Croagh Patrick pilgrim trail is in the village of Murrisk, which is about roughly 8 km west of Westport on the R335. The large carpark at the trailhead has paid parking (cash or card), a small kiosk and an information centre (which was closed when I did this hike).
0 Comments