Saturday 1 July 2017

A compendium...Bringing it up to date

Wow. It's been a tough old year to date. We have now lost both my wife's parents and watching them both die was a harrowing experience to put it mildly. I have tried to get out when I can as it allows me to somewhat clear my head and I find that exercise it something that helps to keep me sane. Paddy died in early May and straight away we were into the final days of Kathleen who died last week. Growing old is a bitch.
So here is a short account of the days out I have had.

I managed to persuade James Moore to come for an early morning jaunt on the Galtee mountains in mid May. James has been plagued by injuries for a fair while now and has gotten out of the exercise routine so I opted to head for Temple Hill as the route of choice. This is a sentimental route for me as it was actually my first ever mountain route. Back in the day a friend introduced a very overweight me to the mountains on a cloudy wet August day. We parked in the Pigeon Rock Glen that day and the couple of hundred steep meters that it took to exit the glen and reach the spur that rises to the summit nearly killed me. The cloud was down and we were soon in the mist and being lashed by rain. I was exhausted and soaked and I loved every minute of it. Today it was warm and muggy and the cloud was again down low but it was great to have James' company again and chat and banter flowed as we caught up on our news. Midges were a problem whenever we stopped and this ensured we plodded on and we weren't long in reaching the stony cairned summed. A bite to eat (always happens when I'm out and about) was enjoyed on top and we set off back down the same way we came up. About halfway back down the spur we dropped down early into the glen and followed the stream back to the car. A short outing to be sure and we had a dearth of views but it was enjoyable none the less. Hopefully more with James to come.

I returned a short while after that to The Cappagh Glen..one of my favourite places. It was a pleasant June day with little wind and light cloud but the forecast was for rain in the evening but I was hoping to be down and home before that arrived. I parked up and set off in through the grazing sheep into the wilder part of the glen. I thought about climbing up Eskduff mountain on the right hand side of the glen first but this requires crossing the river and after a quick inspection showed that there was a fair volume of water in it after the recent rains I discounted that idea and instead for the north spur of Benaunmore. This gives some scrambling options and is the most direct way to the summit. As I reached the top the weather seemed to already be on the turn and a stiff wind carried the first drops of rain. I was somewhat dispirited and decided to drop into the back of the glen and possibly head home. The woods in the glen are always a delight and even though the day was promising to be short I was still glad I came back. Walking easily out alongside the river I came to a narrowing where I decided to go out on some rocks to take a picture back into the glen. I was surprised and delighted to see a "pont natural" over the river formed by a large slabby rock so I changed plans and climbed up the steep face of Eskduff from here. Some excellent little scrambly sections presented themselves and I even surprised a fallow deer on the way up. Once on top I turned south and entered the glen below the waterfalls from Lough Fineen and followed the river through the delightful woods and then left the glen. I was pleased that I had dome the extra bit of climbing and I felt the better for it. And the weather had stayed good as well..
Gaining some height..looking over Lough Guitane

Crohane

I finally descended from near the rain drops :)



The summits may not be high but no less beautiful



Verdant rocky and wild
Connemara👌

This is about as good as the weather got while I was in Connemara 😢

 Some thing of a heatwave arrived in early June and with a long weekend off work I decided on a last minute whim (and with the blessing of my beloved) to head to Connemara and hopefully enjoy this most gorgeous of places in blissful sunshine. I set off early on a warm sunny Saturday morning and "enjoyed" the long drive to the mid-west. Alas things started to cloud over a little as I neared Galway city and by the time I was driving through Recess I had my lights on and the wipers were going. The mist and cloud were so low that if you were a stranger to this place you wouldn't have a clue that there were any mountains round about. Still I was here now and I parked my car and opted to do the Glengoaghan Horseshoe on the Twelve Bens. This is one of the finest walks in the country but today I couldn't see a bloody thing. I entered the cloud just above the youth hostel on Ben Lettery and I didn't re-emerge until I was near the valley floor below Derryclare. I had kinda hoped that as the cloud was so low I might have broken through into the sunshine higher up but it was not to be. Still it was an excellent exercise in map and compass use so I guess it wasn't a complete waste of a day. I got back to the car after six and three quarter hours wet and tired and hopeful of better weather tomorrow. I went and camped in the excellent Clifden camping and caravan park which is about a mile outside the town on the Westport road. It has great facilities for cooking etc and is a place I will return to. I got up the following morning to discover that if anything the weather was worse today and drizzle and fog covered the landscape. Bloody typical that I would choose to visit the only corner of the whole country that wasn't enjoying the heatwave. I had hoped to go for a cycle today but fog made it too dangerous so I upped sticks and headed back the 245kilometers to home. It was 15 degrees as I left and 26degrees when I reached home. To be honest I wasn't settled being away so I was just as glad to be back.

Howling Ridge😀

One of the advantages of being home was that the weather was once again stellar and so on Monday morning I headed back to The Reeks and decided to climb Howling Ridge. After my trip to Snowdonia where I climbed like a gimp, its fair to say my confidence wasn't at an all time high as I headed to the start of the route. Also my right knee was again being troublesome as I had given it a strain (the opposite side to my medial ligament) in Snowdonia and I was wondering if climbing would make it worse. I did some warming up on the few rock steps as you head for the Heavenly Gates and all felt well, better that well actually. It was wonderful to put my hands on really warm super grippy rock. I started up the route and carefully but easily made progress. Once again I have to say that while it is a lovely exciting route it really doesn't merit the grade of VDiff and I would rate it as Moderate at best. Nowhere is there anything difficult and all steep bits are well supplied with super juggy holds so it is easy to maintain a sense of security despite the occasional exposed section. I passed a "guide" with a client who were pitching the route and I think the client was a little surprised to find someone soloing up past him. I suppose it took some of the "epic-ness"off the day. As I reached the end of the route some wispy clouds rolled in and this cooled the temperatures a bit. A relaxed lunch and I completed the day by crossing over to Benkeeragh and descending alongside the Hags Tooth. This is a steep abutment of rock that I feel sure offers some superb climbing and I feel certain that if it was across the water it would be busy with rock climbers most of the time, yet here I have never seen anyone giving it a go.
Carrauntoohil with my descent route in the foreground

Looking down at the top section of Howling Ridge

Caher

There must be some routes on this
Ruby's first wild-camp

A couple of days ago on something of a last minute whim I took Ruby back to Mangerton for a spot of wildcamping. It was a pleasant evening as I left the car with some cloud clinging to the tops but I was hopeful that it would clear and a nice sunset might be enjoyed. It is difficult to go walking with a dog in Ireland where the farmers hold total sway and they are reluctant to allow dogs anywhere on their lands. This is of course understandable as they frequently get grief from irresponsible owners who don't train or control their dogs effectively. I have witnessed these dogs chasing sheep in the past and I have no sympathy for those owners but my little Ruby is well trained and while on the hill she doesn't bother anything or anybody. I never keep her on a leash as I keep her under close control at all times and indeed she is very careful herself to keep me close by as well. She was in her element as we rose up the trail. Nosing and snuffling with her tail constantly on the go it was lovely to share this outing with her. A gentle breeze kept the midges at bay but as I got higher the breeze became a bit stronger and a little wispy cloud started to drift across below the summit. I decided to pitch up my tent near the "Devils Punchbowl" which nestles at the 700mtr contour around 130mtrs below the summit plateau. This is a lovely spot with great views across to The Reeks and over Killarney but alas by the time we got there all views were engulfed in thick mist. The breeze was a bit stronger as well and it was also decidedly chilly as it had swung around to the north. Poor Ruby wasn't too happy to have stopped and all she wanted to continue on the hike. I set up our home for the night and after sorting out dinner (for both of us 😃) we retreated into the tent to try and warm up. I hadn't expected it to be this chilly but I guess at 700mtrs in a stiff breeze with temperatures forecast to drop to 10 or 11 degrees it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. Poor Ruby definitely was feeling the cold until I draped her in my coat and she settled down to sleep. She was as good as gold all night and we both slept well. It rained for most of the night and well into the morning so it was an easy decision to snuggle in the sleeping bag and wait for things to clear up. Once it stopped we shared a sandwich, packed everything up and set off around the lake for the top. I had thought that a walk towards the Windy Gap and a return along the Old Kenmare Road might have made for a nice outing today but on the summit plateau the wind was quite vicious and the mist was super dense ( to the point of it being difficult to see Ruby when she was 10mtrs away) so we returned to the car. It had been a short outing but Ruby was well pleased and I must say so was I. Perhaps more overnight adventures await us in the future.
Orchids and Bog Asphodel

Over Lough Leane towards The Sleive Mish Mountains

I think its this way daddy

The views that were soon to be denied us.




RIP....Paddy and Kathleen
 

Thursday 25 May 2017

Trying To Rockclimb In Snowdonia

It's been a difficult time lately but with my good wifes blessing I headed across the Irish Sea for a few days in wonderful Snowdonia. I had been in contact with a guy on UKC (Nicholas Marriott) and we agreed to hook up for a few days with the aim of getting some easy rock routes done. I have been doing precious little in the way of technical climbing in recent years and I'm afraid the proverbial chickens came home to roost on this trip.

Saturday May 20th;

I travelled on the overnight ferry out of Dublin and using the excellent public transport links I arrived in Capel Curig at 9am. The dodgy weather forecast was proving accurate and I just managed to get my tent up in the basic but nicely situated Bryn Tyrch Farm campsite before the rain started in earnest and it was an easy choice to make to snuggle down and catch up on some much needed sleep. I awoke at 14.00 and once I saw that the day was much improved I had a bite to eat and decided to climb the nearby, elegant mountain Moel Siabod 875mtrs. The beauty of this campsite is that you can do several hikes directly from your tent. I walked through the hamlet of Capel Curig with its couple of shops and a few houses and on until I passed the outdoor education centre and crossed over the river and entered the pleasant woods. From there I followed the well made track that rises easily up the gradual slope. The woodland section doesn't last long and soon I was out traversing open slopes and enjoying more expansive views. I was feeling good and as I was only carrying a light bag I made good progress. I only paused to take a few photographs and I reached the blustery and chilly summit at 16.20 just one hour twenty minutes after setting off. I donned some warming clothes and after a brief rest I opted to descend via the Daear Ddu ridge which made for a pleasant excursion into the wilder east side of the mountain. Once down in Cwm y Foel things become a bit of a bogfest but once you exit the Cwm a good track once again leads down to Pont y Cyfyng nestling in the woods below. The weather was really nice now and it was a joy to gambol easily down and bask in the beauty of this special place. Once down to the road I took the beautiful woodland trail that follows the riverbank  and returned to Plas y Brenin and back to my tent. It was just seven pm so after approximately 12 kilometres and 750mtrs of ascent I was ready for dinner. I met briefly with Nicholas and we agreed to meet in a nearby cafe tomorrow morning at 9am when we would see what the weather brought and decide then what to aim for.
The elegant Moel Siabod soars above beautiful woodland

Towards the Snowdon Horseshoe from near Plas y Brenin

The hills that gradually get higher and stretch to Carnedd Llewellin

Tryfan makes an appearance

Wonderful summit views
Looking towards the Rhinogs

Looking north from the summit



Sunday May 21st

It rained most of the night and early morning and at 8am we decided to postpone our meeting until 10am. The weather was now dry and showing signs of getting better and another text from Nicholas confirmed that the forecast was quite good so we hooked up at 9.10 and decided to head for Pinnacle Rib on Tryfan. This would entail a bit of a hike up to the base of the route and we were hopeful that the rock would be dry by the time we got there. We arrived at a fairly quiet parking area and were underway by 10am. The path climb steeply from the start and Nicholas set a stiff pace that had me regretting my offer to carry the rope😊. As we rose higher so did the chilly wind and by the time we were up on the "Heather Terrace" I was in no doubt but that this would be a bracing outing. We went too far initially and had to retrace our steps until we reached our route on the right side of a grassy bay. The route is 164mtrs long and is graded as either Diff or VDiff depending on where you look but I was confident that it should be comfortably within my compass. That said, as I stood at the base of the climb and saw the occasional runnels of water on the rock my enthusiasm waned so I asked Nicholas to lead off.
Looking up pitch 1 of Pinnacle Rib

Now I should say at this point that Nicholas climbs at a much higher level than I ever have and leads climbs in the E grades and this was pretty obvious as soon as he set off. He made light work of the start until the initial groove ends and the exit proved problematic. Damp rock and shoes certainly didn't help but he was soon up and over and at the belay. Now there was nothing for it but to follow on. It was pretty much as I feared and as I got into the meat of the climbing my confidence in the grippyness of the rock pretty much evaporated as quickly as my fingers became numb. Bollocks to it. It really shouldn't feel this hard even if I have done little or no climbing of late...should it?. Reaching the belay my appetite for leading was long gone and I was only too happy to let Nicholas continue at the van. While belaying him on the second pitch I even got a slight dose of the "hot aches", its May for Christs sakes. Anyway the route continued in the same vein and by the time we reached the base of Thomsons Chimney, a short Severe pitch I opted to give it a miss and we walked to the summit. As promised the weather had continued to improve and by the time we were descended the gully on the west face it was sunny and warm out of the breeze. We were heading for Milestone Buttress as Nicholas suggested we do a route or two there so I could get some leading done on one of the easier routes. It was warm and sunny as we approached the crag which was fairly busy by the time we got there. I was also surprisingly exhausted and I really couldn't face more climbing so Nicholas graciously accepted that we head home.I'm not sure if it was lack of sleep or mental fatigue or a combination of both but I have seldom been as tired after a relatively short day. I retired early to my tent and wondered what tomorrow would bring.





View from by my tent

Monday May 22nd;

It was a cloudy but dry morning when I got up at 07.30 but suddenly it seemed out of nowhere a shower of rain arrived and it appeared that climbing might be off the menu, but it stopped quickly and  the cloud lifted more and we were good to go. Nicholas has an injured right foot with soreness in some small bones towards the front of the foot and the long descent from Tryfan had aggravated it. He therefore was anxious to avoid any long walk ins to any route so he suggested that we head to Tremadog this morning. Now, I'd heard the name and knew it was a rock climbing venue but that was the extent of my knowledge so Nicholas filled me in en route with the details. It is an extensive collection of crags sitting just above a road behind some mature woods. To reach the base of the cliffs you have to do a short steep climb through the trees and its not a place to turn up without a guidebook as it would be impossible to find routes otherwise. Across the road there is a little campsite and the Eric Jones Cafe where ample parking (for a small fee) is available and it reminded me a little of being in Servoz near Chamonix. Eric Jones is a climber of some renown and also ventured into skydiving. Pictures of his exploits adorn the inside of the cafe. One picture in particular caught my eye, of a base-jumper perched on the top of a skyscraper, in a squatting position and tilting over just past the point of no return. It looked amazing 😨.
Some of the crags at Tremadog

Thankfully Nicholas had all the necessary guidebooks and he suggested we do Hail Bebe 68mtr VDiff. We found the base of the route and we geared up and today I opted to do some leading and I set off up the first pitch. This has a sloping niche near the start and it made for a tight squeeze for me as I squirmed into and up it and exited near its top and then up to the nearby belay. It was a short pitch and nothing too taxing but I always feel better when I'm leading and I was enjoying myself much more today. Nicholas led the second pitch which traverses left on a grassy ledge before rising to the next belay. The top two pitches are great and I led the next one which offers steep sustained climbing for twenty meters which I again really enjoyed. The final pitch has a delicate traverse on a flake before climbing a nose to the top of the crag. Again it was great. I totally enjoyed the climb and I was now hungry for more. We abseiled down the crag from an in situ point and went in search of the next climb.
Pitch one of Christmas Curry

This time Nicholas suggested the nearby route Christmas Curry (Severe) and by doing the Micah Eliminate finish this would make the outing Hard Severe. I was pretty confident again and looking forward to it. I led up the short easy first pitch and Nicholas led the second. I'm sorry now that I didn't take up his offer to lead this pitch as well as I think I would really have enjoyed it as it made an exposed rising traverse of the rockface until it reached a good ledge belay. Now the climb became steeper and tougher and Nicholas led up. I must say that it all looked a bit desperate to me and any confidence I had gained from the climbing thus far was fast evaporating and once my turn came to climb I was dreading it. It turned out to be pretty much as tough as it looked and I was struggling big time to get up the route. I realized that my lack of any real climbing these past years had finally taken its toll and I was seriously out of condition. I did get up the route but I was a nervous wreck by the time I reached the top and I was ready for a lunch break in the cafe.
After a nice bite to eat Nicholas suggested Poor Mans Peuterey a route a couple of hundred meters further west along the crag and graded at Severe. We found the base of the route and Nicholas led up the first pitch. It was a steep slightly greasy looking start which looked quite tough to my eyes but I gave it a go. I started up and only a few moves in I was startled when the fingers in my right hand suddenly spasmed and folded into my palm. My left hand was also inclined to cramp up and I realized that I was in a bit of bother. I called up to Nicholas and informed him what was happening and we decided that I would try to climb up to the belay. I literally straightened out my fingers and they actually worked okay for the rest of the way up. By the time I got to the belay they felt all right but we decided to abseil back down as it would have been more of a problem to retreat from higher up. So it was a rather ignominious retreat and meant the end of climbing for the day. We decided to meet again the following morning and see what that day would bring.
Pitch one of Poor mans Peuterey

Tuesday May 23rd;

It came as something of a relief to get a text from Nicholas to let me know he would not be climbing today as he wanted to rest his sore foot. When I got up I had aches in muscles that had been little used in far too long and the probability was that I would have been rubbish on rock anyway. He had another week to get quality climbing done and I could only feel sorry that I was less than a good partner for him. Despite the good forecast I decided to forego a hike and left straight away for the return journey home. One positive about the trip was that I got a timely wake up call about my physical conditioning and I am resolved to do something about it. I have been doing more hiking than anything in recent times and I plan to continue with that but I'm not ready to throw in the towel with regards to climbing either. Of course it is always a joy to visit Snowdonia and it looked particularly good just now with the trees newly in leaf and bluebells still carpeting the ground in places. It was my first time driving the road to Tremadog and the wonderful scenery gave me ideas for further outings in the future. There is definitely more to the area than just the 3000ers. Meanwhile the kettlebell has been dusted off. Training has commenced.☺

Sunday 14 May 2017

Coomloughra-Glengarra Wood and A Circuit of The Horses Glen

Is it really only four weeks since I was in Scotland?. It has been a hectic time with the passing of my friend and father in law which had all the turmoil and pain that that involved and in between hospital visits and funereal duties I managed to escape a few times and clear my head (a little) in the great outdoors.
When I returned from Scotland it was to sad news which took much of the colour from our lives but I went to The Reeks a week after coming home and enjoyed a glorious morning on the Coomloughra Horseshoe. The cold dry weather had persisted since I had been in Scotland and there was a dusting of icy snow on the north facing higher slopes. I will leave the pictures do all the describing. Suffice to say I enjoyed my day.
Never fails to inspire

One of Irelands finest coums

Cloon Lake surrounded by wild country

The East Reeks appear

The Iveragh Peninsula

Carrauntoohil from the summit of Beenkeragh

West from Cahers West top
Last Tuesday I went for an early morning trip to The Galtees to try and clear my head a little. I went to the lovely Glengarra Wood and walked up to Greenane and once I was on the ridge I ran on the beautiful dry turf all the way to the col under Galtybeg. It was a real joy to be on these normally wet and boggy hills when the ground was so dry. Normally you have to go left and right in the effort of trying to avoid bog holes and mucky turf but today I was able to just head straight through areas that usually are avoided and the turf was lovely and springy and easy on the knees. I slogged up Galtybeg and really enjoyed the dry conditions as I ran straight towards Galtymor. Again I walked to the summit and wasted no time in turning and I basically ran back to the car. I travelled light and didn't take any camera but it was a much needed blast of around 17 kilometers and 1000mtrs of ascent. The highlights were the lovely woods with their huge Rhododendron trees and the delightful spot where streams meet before I re-entered the woods again. Stunning.

Today I went for a walk around the lovely Horses Glen near Killarney. I normally head in to the glen itself but today I opted to do the high circuit and I really enjoyed it. I was feeling pretty good and I didn't get blasted by too many of the heavy showers that were all about. I did get a couple of drenchings but the showers only lasted a short time and I managed to stay dry for the final 90 minutes back to the car. Always a good thing. Just under 3 hours 30 minutes for a 14 kilometer round wasn't too bad. I must get back to doing some regular running this week.
Lovely starting out

One of my favourite views..Looking into The Horses Glen
Looking East from the top of Stoompa



Black in the Black Valley

Heavy showers but most (including this one) missed me :)