Top Tips when Visiting Croagh Patrick
This coming Friday is St. Patrick’s Weekend, which always sees increased traffic to Croagh Patrick as people go to celebrate our patron saint and his time on the mountain. So much of our Irish heritage has a strong connection to the outdoors – and now outdoor recreation.
This is the first St. Patrick’s Day since the creation of the Croagh Patrick Ambassador Programme! These Ambassadors are 12 amazing volunteers who are there to help people practice responsible outdoor recreation, and make sure they’re prepared for their time on the mountain.
For St. Patricks Day and the weekend around it, Ambassadors will be on the mountain, be sure to say hello to them!
Our Top Tips for Croagh Patrick this St. Patrick’s Weekend:
Croagh Patrick is a working farm, with sheep and baby lambs openly grazing on the mountain, which are particularly vulnerable this time year (it’s lambing season!). Livestock being scared and attacked is a common issue on Croagh Patrick, and for this reason, dogs are not allowed on Croagh Patrick
Key Action: Follow the signage on Croagh Patrick, and please don’t bring dogs past the gate onto the Reek.
Some of the most frequently found litter on Croagh Patrick are teabags and fruit peels.
Until recently, many believed that because these items are biodegradable, they easily break down in nature. However the Irish climate and habitats are not suited to deal with these kinds of thing!
And with 120,000 visitors climbing Croagh Patrick annually, that a lot of peels and teabags! It creates an eyesore for visitors, and a hazard for local wildlife. Just because it CAN breakdown in nature, doesn’t mean it SHOULD break down in nature.
Key Action: Dispose of Waste Properly, and bring ALL of your waste home with you
The Sustainable Habitat Restoration Project:
With thousands of people visiting Croagh Patrick, there has been huge erosion and scaring. Currently, there is amazing work happening on Croagh Patrick by the Path Building Team. They are working to build a natural path up Croagh Patrick out of materials found on the mountain.
This is prevent further erosion, and allow the habitats there to recover and be restored to how they were before.
Key Action: Stick to the path to allow the habitat to restore and support the great work of the path team
Croagh Patrick is a strenuous climb.
The average time to climb up and down the mountain is 3 – 4hrs. However, if you do not usually hike, this can be longer. The mountain is very exposed, with no shelter or shade, so when the weather changes, climbers need to be prepared.
Mayo Mountain Rescue gets called to the most because people’s legs get fatigued.
Key Action: Plan Ahead and Prepare – hiking checklist, know your limits on the mountain – if you’ll struggling to get to the top, will you be able to come back down? Know when it’s time to turn around and enjoy to view of Clew Bay
Want to learn more about the Croagh Patrick Ambassador Programme, and the Habitat Restoration Project happening on the mountain? Read about the project here, or watch our YouTube series about the Projects here!
The Craogh Patrick Ambassadors won an award for their amazing work on the mountain so far – learn more here.