Name: Club Climbing Night
Start: 2026-09-03T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-09-03T21:00:00+01:00
Location: Dalkey Quarry

The Wickford Chronicles

(by Gerry Moss, June 2012)
More action on the "secret" crag.

No doubt, in the aftermath of Thursday’s and Friday’s rain, many of the mountain crags will have been suffering from seepage and, perhaps, even sporting temporary streams. But there’s always somewhere that will offer climbing. Likewise, after four hectic days in the Lake District, many were content to rest on their laurels, or attend to pressing domestic duties, but there’s always at least one to answer the call to arms.

Like the Gaffney girl, for instance – always ready to have a go. Being as there were only the two of us, I decided to use the opportunity to introduce Niamh to one of our collection of secret crags, on condition that she agree to travel in the boot of the car and allow herself to be blinfolded on the walk-in. No problem there.

Pine Tree Slab was a little damp in parts, but it dried out as the day progressed, thanks to sunshine and a fresh breeze (an essential pre-requisite for midge-free climbing on mountain crags at this time of year). The slab is home to a number of climbs, some of them quite easy and, while protection has to be worked at, this is no bad thing, as there is no better place to practice gear placements than on slabs, where it is possible to stand quite comfortably on the smallest of holds while fiddling around with runners.

Niamh made several on-sight leads (surely the most satisfying way to lead any route) and progressed so well that she decided to add a route of her own to the collection, a short but sporting severe.

All the other routes hereabouts were put up nearly twenty years ago – I haven’t got around to officially recording them yet, but I’m working on it – and if a little note of urgency has manifested itself, it’s probably because it’s unlikely that I have another twenty years to play around with, though one mustn’t be pessimistic about these things.

Just to confuse Niamh, we returned to the car via a different route to the one used on approach. You can’t be too careful with these women – you know how they love to talk!
Something Different

(by Gerry Moss, July 2012)
New-routing in forgotten corners of Glendalough.

In a stop/start summer, such as the one we are enduring right now, it can be difficult, sometimes, to keep the interest alive. But I have found, down through the years, that there is nothing to whet the appetite more than the prospect of climbing some new lines.

So, on Saturday, in the aftermath of Friday’s heavy downpours, the question of where we might find some dry rock, while avoiding the same-old, same-old, exercised our minds. I hit upon a spot where I had climbed only once before, and that was twenty years ago. Squeezed in between Hobnail Buttress and the Upper Cliffs at Glendalough, there are a number of interesting outcrops and buttresses. In the early days, while the larger cliffs were being developed, these smaller buttresses were, understandably, overlooked. But there is quite a substantial amount of unclimbed rock there, awaiting the curious climber. Climbing with Emily, on a cold winter’s day in 1992, we put up a worthwhile HS and vowed to return but, somehow, we never got around to it.

So, on Saturday, Jane, Joe, Cearbhall and myself wandered up the pleasant miners’ path, that zig-zags its way up through the forestry plantation and on across the slopes beneath Hobnail Buttress, to where it ends at the ruins of some old mining huts. From there we struck straight uphill to the spoil heap above, where we set up basecamp. The buttress I had climbed on previously, and one of the largest hereabouts, was, not surprisingly, suffering from considerable seepage after all the recent rain. We did a bit of scouting around, however, and spotted a nice, steep slab of dry rock.

Cearbhall opted to give it a go, and it proved a delightful pitch, on excellent rock, seamed with deep, friendly cracks that provided good holds and gobbled up gear. A good start to the day!

Immediately above this, there lay a stretch of steeper rock and Joe wasn’t long getting stuck into it.

Then we spotted an interesting and amenable arête just above to our right, and it was Jane’s turn to lead. It proved to be deceptively difficult and stopped Jane in her tracks for a while. But she persevered and got the better of it.

We were high enough up all day to get full benefit of a light breeze, so we had no problems with midges and enjoyed pleasant sunshine as the weather improved by the hour.

There followed some intricate and involved scrambling and downclimbing until, eventually, we reached a stout tree, from where a 45m abseil took us back down to basecamp, at the end of an interesting and successful day.
Begging for More (Winter Climbing)

(by Dave Madden, September 2012)
A weekend climbing in the Mournes at Slieve Beg.

With a perfect weather forecast for the weekend on the East Coast we decide to head North. With the excellent summer we’ve had we are tiring of all these endless days on the rock in balmy conditions. Dave and I are clearly pining for the return of the winter and some proper hardship.

The Mournes seem like an ideal solution. Sure isn’t there a joke about the weather in Northern Ireland being akin to Iraq? Partly Sunni but mainly Shiite? Perfect. Where will we stay? Camping? Surely not – won’t be cold enough. We decide to bivvy instead. What about a long walk-in? Can we find somewhere with a Scottish style walk-in? Ah yes, Slieve Beg fits the bill.

So we leave on the Friday evening up to Newcastle, drop the car and hail a taxi to drive us out to the Annalong Valley. As the taxi driver takes us deeper into the dark hills he must wonder who the nutters in the car are. Maybe it is Dave’s Dublin accent or the way he keeps enquiring about the tracking device in the taxi but by the time we get to Carrick Lyttle the cabbie seems very relieved to drop us off. The taxi lights disappear quickly.

The Bivvy Beg

We stroll in and about an hour and a half later select a suitable bivvy spot on the path with the bulk of Slieve Beg looming in the gloom above us. After an early start we head up towards Satan’s Buttress to acquaint ourselves with the crag. First up is Satan’s Rib, a three-star V-Diff winding its way up the left hand side of the south face. I pad upwards rolling both pitches together and finish up at a memorable belay spot with a great view down the Annalong valley. But something isn’t right – it simply isn’t cold enough. Has the Mournes gone soft or what?

Dave M. on the Devil’s Rib, V.Diff ***

Scrambling down the Devil’s Coachroad it seems we aren’t to be disappointed for long. The wind has come up strongly and a thick clag descends around us. Classic pea-souper. The Main face becomes increasingly damp in the mist and the atmosphere suitably sombre. Dave leads up Shelob, a nice-looking VS but it soon becomes clear that he is having problems. The route is clearly not in condition – the ice hasn’t formed yet. The mist blowing up the gully is plastering the routes with moisture. This moisture seems to make the surface of the Mournes granite crumbly and smearing becomes difficult. Dave backs off and we opt for Poetic Justice (PJ) a three-star VS that winds it way up the left side of the main face. The route is damp but looks climbable.

Poetic Justice, *** VS 4b

Dave heads up PJ like a scalded cat, seemly terrified that his preciously guarded climbing weekend away is dissolving in front of his eyes. At one point his goes slightly off-route, places a nut and as he steps back comes off. It’s not really a fall, more like something you would see if you played Wayne Rooney backwards at speed on your TV. Then I take over. The second pitch of PJ is a gem with really engaging climbing and bomber gear. The next belay is really exposed to the cold wind and as I belay Dave up the third pitch it starts to feel more like Winter Climbing – but without the big Belay Jacket. Just what the doctor ordered. The third pitch also has a sting in the tail – just when you think it’s all over you have a nice vegetated top-out over some dodgy blocks.

Dave topping out on PJ

We head back down the Gully and marvel at the two classic HVS lines, Sweetie Mice and Parallel Lines. No chance of climbing them though as conditions start to deteriorate further.

Parallel Lines in the gloom

We have our dinner and contemplate life sheltering behind some rocks on the summit of Slieve Beg. Dave exchanges text messages with Declan and Jane telling us that it’s 27 degrees and sunny in Dublin. Sure they don’t know what they are missing out on here! It looks like it might be a bit too warm and sheltered behind the summit rocks to sleep so we select a more suitably exposed bivvy site on a nice peat hag on the hillside. In the middle of the night I awake to a clear sky and a panorama star show – bivvying at its best! A bonus side effect is the lack of insulating clouds which leaves me feeling nice and frigid in my two-season sleeping bag.

What, no snow?

In the morning I wake-up humming the Clash, “Should I stay or should I go now …”. The pea soup has returned to keep us company and doesn’t look as if it is leaving anytime soon. It seems we have drunk all our coffee last night and good things can’t last forever so we reluctantly pack up our gear and make our way down to Newcastle where the sun is shining and the tourists amble in short sleeves along the streets.

On our way home we drop in for one last “fix” at Pigeon Rock. We are barely on the crag when the pea soup descends once more to keep us happy. The classic severe Class Distinction, a nice amiable route, suddenly starts to feel a bit trickier as the friction disappears. Dave leads another severe Pi Squared as the rain starts to fall. So it’s back to the road where we meet a young one out for a walk with the dog. He promptly informs us that he has been climbing at Fair Head the previous day in glorious conditions.

Walking back to the car we shake our heads. Another guy who just doesn’t know what he’s been missing out on this weekend ….
Taking the Long Road out west

(by John Duignan, May 2012)
An Bóthar Fada in rare dry conditions.

Half way up the Shranalong valley, An Bóthar Fada bisects the cliff wall

Looking up at the first pitch of An Bóthar Fada last February I shook my head in wonder – how could such a route come into condition? What I could see of the 416 metres of a cleft in the Shranalong valley cliffs formed by a waterfall showed smooth wet compact rock and no possibility of gear placement. Hugh Sharkey, who loved the wild mountain routes often spoke of this route as a gem.

Back there this Saturday with Barney Crampton (there should be a law agin the amount of free time these teachers have). The rock as dry as sandpaper and with the same friction. A small trickle of water on the first pitch easily avoided. Bomber boulder chockstone you could anchor a ship atop the first pitch. After the first few pitches, we move together on pristine rock – an absolute joy, with a warm breeze and great views.

Looking down the first pitch of An Bóthar Fada

Coming back down to the valley, up Scamaill Thuas to finish a great day following the sun around the valley.

Easy cranking on Scamaill Thuas, Shranalong Valley

I suspect there are few years this route is in condition. If An Bóthar Fada – or any of the long mountain routes out West – are on your list, now is the time.
The Co. Wickford Odyssey – the saga continues

(by Gerry Moss, May 2012)
New-routing on a magical mystery crag.

Went back to our new multi-pitch crag with Joe on Saturday. This crag sends down two legs from a steep upper section and is a bit like Hopalong Cassidy – the left leg being shorter than the right. We had previously, with Cearbhall, climbed the right leg, so, on Saturday, inspired by the goings-on in France, we opted for the left. It gave a good, value-for-money, 3-pitch VS, with the final pitch providing the crux at 4c. As luck would have it, Joe drew the short straw and had to cope with the two hardest pitches, the first and the last, but he managed admirably. He named the route The Old Curiosity, and full details will follow soon.

The first pitch

Looking down from the top of the second pitch

The Upper face

The crux pitch

Earlier, we had paid a flying visit to A Nudder granite crag, situated in the same area – give or take 50k – and put up two routes in the 4a/4b category.

Not only that, but on another occasion we paid a vist to the little-known and secluded Rushy Glen, where, on a steep, in-your-face crag, we put up some more routes in the VS/HVS grades.

Where will it all end?

The Wickford Chronicles

Something Different

Begging for More (Winter Climbing)

Taking the Long Road out west

The Co. Wickford Odyssey – the saga continues