Fair Head

Fair Head
Fair Head
Irish: An Bhinn Mhór The Great Cliff
	Fair Head's distinctive organ pipe dolerite columns, as taken from the Rathlin Island–Ballycastle ferry
	Location of Fair Head in Northern Ireland
Location	County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Nearest city	Ballycastle, 3 miles (4.8 km)
Coordinates	55°13′16″N 6°09′14″W / 55.221°N 6.154°W
Climbing type	Traditional; Abseiling; Bouldering;
Height	face is over 100 metres (330 ft)
Pitches	Single pitch, Multi pitch
Ratings	VS to E8 6c; wide variety at all grades above VS; little below VS;
Rock type	Dolerite sill with olivine
Quantity of rock	453 routes, online database; 432 routes, 2014 guidebook;
Development	Mountain cliff area; no facilities
Cliff aspect	North and North-west
Elevation	base is 100 metres (330 ft) a.s.l
Ownership	Private but access granted
Camping	Paid camping; also in Ballycastle
Classic climbs	Black Thief (VS 4b); Midnight Cruiser (E1 5b); The Fence (VS 4c); Girona (VS 4c, 4c); Railroad (E1 5b); Hell's Kitchen (HVS 5a, 5a); Burn Up (E1 5a, 5a); An Bealach Runda (E1 5a, 5b, 5a);
Website	Explore FairHead

Fair Head or Benmore (Irish: An Bhinn Mhór; The Great Cliff)^[1] is a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) long, 200-metre (660 ft) high, mountain cliff, close to the sea, at the north-eastern corner of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The cliff's sheer and vertical 100-metre (330 ft) high dolerite rock face is shaped into distinctive vertical columns like organ pipes, which formed 60 million years ago when a sill of igneous rock was injected between horizontal Carboniferous sediments.

Fair Head is considered one of the best traditional climbing and bouldering locations in the British Isles, and is one of the biggest expanses of climbable rock in Northwest Europe. It has one of the largest concentration of extreme-graded routes in the British Isles, and has climbs at E9-grade (e.g. Rathlin Effect), as well as highball problems at E9-grade (e.g. Long runs the Fox), and bouldering at 8B+ (V14) grade (e.g. Blondie SDS).^[2]^[3]

^ ^a ^b McKay, Patrick (1999). Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names. Clo Ollscoil na Banriona. p. 24. ISBN 978-0853898962. Fair Head, An Bhinn Mhór "the great cliff"
^ Cite error: The named reference UKC1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference CL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[DUPN-1] McKay, Patrick (1999). Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names. Clo Ollscoil na Banriona. p. 24. ISBN 978-0853898962. Fair Head, An Bhinn Mhór "the great cliff"

[UKC1-2] Cite error: The named reference UKC1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[CL-3] Cite error: The named reference CL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Fair Head
Irish: An Bhinn Mhór The Great Cliff^[1]
Fair Head's distinctive organ pipe dolerite columns, as taken from the Rathlin Island–Ballycastle ferry
Location of Fair Head in Northern Ireland
Location	County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Nearest city	Ballycastle, 3 miles (4.8 km)
Coordinates	55°13′16″N 6°09′14″W / 55.221°N 6.154°W / 55.221; -6.154
Climbing type	Traditional Abseiling Bouldering
Height	face is over 100 metres (330 ft)
Pitches	Single pitch, Multi pitch
Ratings	VS to E8 6c wide variety at all grades above VS; little below VS
Rock type	Dolerite sill with olivine
Quantity of rock	453 routes, online database 432 routes, 2014 guidebook
Development	Mountain cliff area; no facilities
Cliff aspect	North and North-west
Elevation	base is 100 metres (330 ft) a.s.l
Ownership	Private but access granted
Camping	Paid camping; also in Ballycastle
Classic climbs	Black Thief (VS 4b) Midnight Cruiser (E1 5b) The Fence (VS 4c) Girona (VS 4c, 4c) Railroad (E1 5b) Hell's Kitchen (HVS 5a, 5a) Burn Up (E1 5a, 5a) An Bealach Runda (E1 5a, 5b, 5a)
Website	Explore FairHead