Love Luggala Meet

Following neither fashion nor favour , One man passed on his passion for Lugalla:
This meet is therefore dedicated to Gerry Moss ….

Our aim is to pair climbers with those who are new here. Every effort will be made to pair climbers for an enjoyable day; If you have lead here at any level – even if only on one or two routes – please help out .

Take a look at the Mossmans Newsletter article “In Praise of Lugalla” in the 2010 Autumn Newsletter to inspire yourself  on visiting this crag .

More details to follow . Don’t miss this once in a Lifetime Opportunity…sign up here and send me a text to let me know .

Bring it on !

Johnny D zero 86 322 4405

more pictures here…

So here we are in Autumn – a great time to visit Lugalla ; The ferns die back and with any breeze the midgies keep low.

Myths arise about this crag ; With modern camming devices and twin ropes these are undeserved : Getting to practice on the rounded holds and balance climbing will be of great help when climbing in Lough Barra , Lough Belshade or the Mournes.

The aim of the meet is to celebrate this crag with its many links to the club and introduce more IMC climbers to it ; If you contact me , every effort will be made to pair new climbers here with those who have climbed before. ( If you have climbed here at any grade – please help on the day ! )

The Meet is dedicated to Gerry Moss who has shone a light on this crag for decades. ( Read his “In Praise of Lugalla” in the Autumn 2010 Newsletter for all you need to know about climbing here )

To help save time , I suggest we meet in Roundwood at the Centra shop at 0830 hours on the day for carpooling – if you have not car shared in coming to the crag. There is a car park behind the shop ; The car park on the Military Road layby ( O 138 088 ) is small and prone to break ins – so leave as little as possible in the car.

At this time of year , its best to wear boots as the path can be soggy and uneven . Take a compass bearing from the top of Fancy back along the path in case the weather closes in .

The quickest approach is from the Military Road ; A poorly defined path goes south east to the top of Fancy mountain two kilometres distant . A path then goes left to the top of H Buttress. The approach takes about 40 minutes. From the top of H Buttress a gully leads down to the climbs .

More details about the Crag , its approach and layout can be found in the Wicklow Guidebook and also on Climbing.ie which updates and corrects its topos regularly. ( There are some topo errors in the Guidebook – especially relating to Main Face climbs ) .

The crag is South Facing and if you are on a multipitch climb , you will be going for some hours and may not get back to your rucsac until late : Consider the options of suntan lotion ( we hope ! ) , clothing based on current weather forecast , food and drink on the climb ; Pooling gear will save you weight ; Consider light approach shoes you can clip to your belt so you will not be in your climbing shoes on the way to & from a climb . Cams , long extenders and twin ropes are very helpful unless you plan short routes on H Buttress only .

Below are some popular climbs : The list is personal and Im sorry if it misses your favourite !

H Butress is quickly and easily accessed : Sunchaser ( Severe ) and Unsafe for Horse Caravans ( Hard Severe ) are fun introductions to the crag. Bearcats , Pooka and Bran are very enjoyable VS routes – quite high in the grade.

South Buttress has the classic three star severe Pine tree Buttress – the longest severe in Wicklow and well worth doing ; It is Joss Lynam’s pioneering iconic climb on the crag ; At Hard Severe level , Taktix its neighbour put up by IMC member Donal O Murchu and party ( with the Gerry Galligan finish as outlined on Climbing.ie ) is less difficult to follow and as enjoyable . Its other neighbour Left Side Direct with a 5b HVS start gives fine clean climbing on excellent granite – the grade can be reduced to VS by taking the Pine Tree start to the climb.

Woody Wall gives a magical mystery tour on the many starred ” All Along the Watchtower ” – an unforgettable space odyssey . Dont be fooled by its lowly VS grading ! The first pitch is best done in two parts . The start can remain damp for long periods .

Climbing on the Main Face gives IMC member Christy Rice’s unsurpassed VS climb – “Clingon” – with the Claideamh Solais finish dramatically taking you through the overhanging roof ; If taken with any of the South Buttress routes these multipitch climbs will take you from bottom to top of the crag – giving an alpine feel to your day . Main Face Traverse brings you across the foot of the Main Face and is an other superb outing at VS level . At HVS level , Spearhead with its famous crux finger traverse over air is a breath taking finish to the climb .. imagine how it must have felt to Zeke Deacon the brilliant British Cliff Commando who first lead the pitch in the 50s in big boots and Swami belt .

Conifer Terrace offers the quirky starred route ” Curved Air” : its top pitch with its balance climbing feels like walking on air – and makes the over grown second pitch bearable : Remember to make your way right out on the arete on the left to follow the line of the final pitch .

North Buttress tends to attract less attention : IMC Steve Young’s Dance of the Tumblers superb E1 – pictured on the cover of the Wicklow guidebook is the exception ; The top pitch takes time to dry off unless after a prolonged dry spell .

So do make this a date for your diary . Meets here do not occur often and when climbing here you will often share the crag only with the Peregrine Falcons and the rooks . It is the type of place that can get into your soul -as witnessed by Christy Rices poetry . Please contact me at my email and we’ll make every effort to partner up climbers who are looking for a rope ; If you have a partner sorted , come along and celebrate this great crag and its finest living exponent , Gerry Moss