Climbing in The British Isles Volume Ii Part 13

Slieve Bingian, in the south-east of the range, has a little easy climbing.

There is also a considerable cliff on a shoulder north-west of Slieve Meel-more. It is known as Spellick, and is easily visited from Bryansford. It is worth examination, but the writer has not climbed it.

The view from Slieve Donard is, of course, famous.

The ascent from Bryansford, through Tullymore Park, taking Slieve Commedagh and the Castles _en route_, is perhaps the finest walk, so far as scenery is concerned, to be had in this picturesque cl.u.s.ter of mountains.

=Co. Dublin.=--_Lambay_ is an island abounding in sea fowl and wild flowers, about 2 miles from the nearest point of land, and about 10 miles north-east of Dublin. It is best approached by boat from Donabate, or less conveniently from Howth, Malahide, Rush, or Skerries.

The cliffs reach about 250 ft., and are practically sheer in many places, as on the north-east side at Freshwater Bay, or a little west of it, and on the south-east cliffs below Raven's Well.

Several most interesting climbs are to be obtained on it. The best are on those cliffs west of Freshwater Bay.

About 30 ft. above the water's edge at high-water mark there is a narrow and deep horizontal fissure, which in May is packed with breeding sea fowl. The ornithological visitor will at once feel it his duty to reach that fissure. The writer's first visit to Lambay was made in the company of one d.y.k.es, known to be the best clifter on Howth. He p.r.o.nounced this fissure inaccessible. There is a bend in the cliffs leading to the right-hand extremity of the fissure. Here lay the only chance, and the first two grips out of the boat are easy enough, raising one 6 or 8 ft.

(or perhaps 15 if the tide is out) above the water. After that there are two enormous stretches, with practically no foothold. If these two points are pa.s.sed, the fissure is in reach, and an ugly wriggle will land the unwelcome intruder on his anterior surface upon the narrow ledge forming its base.

d.y.k.es meantime was highly encouraging, calling out, 'Madness,' 'Break your neck,' 'You can never get down.' The climber had, however, an original plan of descent, and having, with considerable difficulty, divested himself of his garments, he dropped them first into the boat and then himself into the water.

On revisiting these cliffs ten years later, and pointing out this climb to a very good rock-man, he failed to see how the climb was done, and so it had to be done again. This time, however, the tide was out, and on stripping to take the plunge it became at once apparent that a rock exactly in the line of descent was too near the surface. To climb down had always appeared dangerous, on account of the lack of foothold and the very awkward nature of the backward movement out of the fissure. So an attempt was made on the wall above.

It is marvellous how a naked man can adhere to a cliff. For a full hour an unhappy preadamite man writhed and glued himself against the face of that cliff, descending and reascending by new lines, but always checked by a straight wall about 150 ft. up. Anything appeared better than that hateful descent. Some friends ran to a coastguard station a mile or more away for a rope. However before they reappeared the descent was faced and safely accomplished.

This sketch will serve to show that high mountains are by no means necessary for the practice of rock-climbing, the very best of which is constantly attainable along the coast. Owing to the working of the ocean waves unsafe pieces are almost certainly removed, and the cliff, at its lower parts at any rate, is invariably firm and safe. It is fine sport to choose a steep rocky coast at, say, half-tide in spring, and travel between high and low water marks as far as may be during the six hours.

It should be a point of honour not to ascend, but if forced to take to the water excellent practice and much amus.e.m.e.nt is obtainable in this way, and the slippery nature of the rock teaches sureness of foot.

Nailed boots are, of course, indispensable.

The geological formation of Lambay is princ.i.p.ally felstone porphyry.

Some stratified Silurian shales and limestone occur, and there is a small sheet of old red sandstone, with conglomerates. The rock is in general hard and reliable.

_Howth_ is a promontory with a village about 9 miles from Dublin, for the people of which it is a favourite resort. From Balscaddan Bay, on the north, to an almost opposite point, Drumleck Point, on the south, the east coast is composed of cliffs (200-300 ft.), sometimes abrupt, sometimes ending above in gra.s.s slopes, very slippery in hot weather, which have caused many accidents.

A very interesting scramble, with many nasty traverses over these steep gra.s.s slopes, may be had round Howth Head. Keeping to the upper edge of the rocks, it is necessary to ascend once at Kilrock, but after that the whole headland may be climbed at about the medium height of the cliffs.

On the way a 'needle' or 'stack' will here and there attract attention, and perhaps seem worth a.s.saulting. About Piper's Gut a small gully is difficult to pa.s.s. North of that a saddle rock leads to a pinnacle, but it is of rotten rock. The cliffs of this part of Howth are exceedingly picturesque, but in some places they are extremely unsafe. From Howth, on a very clear day, the Welsh hills, apparently those about Penmaenmawr, are visible.

_Ireland's Eye._ A small rocky island, 340 ft. high, about a mile north of Howth. At its north-east corner there is a bold columnar rock with a tabular summit, partly severed from the island. On its outer face it is very sheer, and to gain the summit is a very short but interesting and somewhat difficult climb. The return is not so bad, as a sidelong spring saves a portion of the worst bit.

=Wicklow.=--Wicklow forms the third county in Ireland in which the mountains rise to a height of over 3,000 ft., Kerry and Tipperary being the other two.

The higher mountains lie in the broad band of granite formation which extends in a nearly southerly direction from near Dublin through Wicklow and Carlow counties.

Being granite they are as a rule round ma.s.ses of wide extent, often covered with peat bogs; so that although Wicklow contains the most continuous extent of elevated (over 1,000 ft.) moorland in Ireland, there are few cliffs of any consequence, and no peaks or summits presenting upon any side material of interest to the rock-climber.

Nevertheless there are fine stretches of mountain, affording excellent training ground. What cliffs there are occupy the most lovely scenery in one of the loveliest Irish counties.

_Powerscourt Waterfall._--The rocks to the left of the fall, which is kindly left open to the public by Lord Powerscourt, the popular landlord, are nasty, especially in wet or frosty weather. Although not much over 250 feet in height several lives have been lost in this ascent, chiefly, no doubt, owing to the inexperience of the unfortunate visitors. This dangerous though tempting portion has been for several years railed off, and is not supposed to be trespa.s.sed upon. During the severe winter of the present year (February 1895) the waterfall presented an Arctic appearance. An interesting account of an ascent of it, or rather of the above-mentioned rocks, was sent to an Irish paper in that month. The climb was effected by a friend of the writer's (a member of the Alpine Club) and another, with ropes and ice axes. The cliff was covered with ice and snow. The same party ascended Djonce (2,384 ft.), which lies above the waterfall, during a blizzard at a temperature of 18, upon the same day. Unhappily a very few days afterwards a promising young life was lost upon these very rocks. The falls are visited by very large numbers of holiday-makers.

The rocks of Powerscourt, which lie against the Wicklow granites, are composed of metamorphic beds of gneiss and schists. Powerscourt is about 7 miles from Bray.

_Tonelagee Mountain_ ('Back to the Wind' Mountain) (2,694 ft.), a round ma.s.s of moorland, has on the northern shoulder a crater-like valley, containing a tarn, Lough Ouler, and cliffs of schistose, some 400 to 500 ft. high, descending from near the summit to the margin of the lake. An interesting scramble may be made from the Military Road, about a mile above Glenmacana.s.s Waterfall, which lies some 6 miles from Glendalough Hotel; but a short cut to Lough Ouler is easily found by going up the Glendasan valley 3 miles towards Wicklow Gap, and then striking up northwards over the shoulder of Tonelagee.

Wicklow county is very poor in highland plants, and these cliffs alone possess species of any interest.

Other cliffs in county Wicklow are those of Luggielaw ('Hollow of the Hill'), above Lough Tay; the Eagle's Nest, above Lower Lough Bray; a small series of bluffs above Lough Nahanagan, and the Prisons of Lugnaquilia. In winter the latter, lying high (2,700 to 3,039 ft.), afford excellent glissading and cornice work. But, unless the season is severe there is too much heavy trudging to be done. All the above precipices lie in most attractive scenery, nor must the famous cliff above Glendalough, containing St. Kevin's Bed, be omitted. But none of them affords desirable scope for climbing practice. The granite 'Prisons' of Lugnaquilia are attractive in appearance, but all the cliff faces are ready to drop to pieces. Mullaghclevaun ('Summit with the Cradle' or 'Creel'), 2,783 ft., contains no climbing.

Since Wicklow affords the nearest opportunities to Dublin mountaineers, we may mention a few one-day walks from that city which have been accomplished by the writer.

Practically the only artery through these mountains is the _Military Road_, constructed after the rebellion of 1798 to connect a series of now disused barracks. This road, from 'Billy's Bridge' at Upper Rathfarnham, about 5 miles from Dublin, is over 35 miles to Aughavanagh.

It pa.s.ses through an almost uninhabited country, and much of it lies from 1,000 to 1,500 feet above sea level, and it is the pedestrian's main anxiety to regain the comparative security of the Military Road before night sets in on the wide stretches of tussocky moorland.

To clear the suburbs it is well to take the tram to Terenure (3 miles).

Terenure; Ballinascorney Gap; Coronation Plantation (3 to 3 hours); Sally Gap; Military Road; Lough Bray (5 hours); back to Terenure (7 hours: 34 miles).

Terenure; Lough Ouler; Tonelagee summit (6 hours); Mullaghclevaun summit (7 hours); Ballys.m.u.tton (9 hours); home by Ballinascorney Gap (13 hours: 48 miles). From Bray this walk is about 5 miles shorter.

Bray, over Bray Head, Little Sugarloaf, Big Sugarloaf (1,680 ft.), Djonce Mountain (2,384 ft.), and Kippure (2,473 ft.); Lough Bray, by Military Road, to Terenure: about 11 hours.

Terenure; Ballinascorney Gap; Seacaun; Kippure; Lough Bray; Terenure (about 8 hours).

Terenure; Lough Bray; Kippure (2 hours); Gravale (2,352 ft.); Duff Hill (2,364 ft.--very heavy going); Mullaghclevaun summit (6 hours); Tonelagee summit (7 hours); Lough Ouler; Military Road; Terenure (14 hours; about 50 miles).

Glendalough; Dublin (7 hours); Glendasan; Wicklow Gap; summit of Tonelagee (11 hours); summit of Mullaghclevaun; Clevaun Lake; Ballymullagh old road; across Liffey at Ballys.m.u.tton bridge; Ballinascorney Gap; Terenure (20 hours, including rests and delays by bog; 62 miles).

Terenure; Lough Bray (3 hours); Laragh (7 hours); Glenmalure; Drumgoff Hotel (9 hours 5 minutes--1 hour's rest); Lugnaquilia (3,039 ft., 12 hours); Tonelagee summit (16 hours); Mullaghclevaun summit (17 hours 40 minutes); Ballys.m.u.tton farm (19 hours 40 minutes--35 min. rest); Ballinascorney Gap; Terenure (23 hours 50 minutes; 75 miles).

The ascent of Lugnaquilia direct from Glendalough, over Lugduff, round the head of Glenmalure, and up by Kelly's Lough is perhaps the finest walk in Wicklow.

It is a fine day's walk along the coast from Bray to Arklow, or Bray to New Rath Bridge, and thence by the Devil's Glen to Glendalough.

In a wild, uncultivated county, like Wicklow, experience in the use of map and compa.s.s may be gained by setting a course from Woodenbridge to Glendalough, about 12 miles, or from Glendalough to the Scalp or Sugarloaf, on the way to Dublin, some 40 miles.

=Kerry.=--_Brandon_ (3,127 ft.) is of the same formation as that of the Reeks, i.e. the lower old red sandstone. The Brandon rocks are, in general, hard grits, firm and good to climb.

The accommodation on this promontory of Corkaguiny is no doubt improved since the construction of Mr. Balfour's light railway from Tralee to Dingle; but Dingle lies 8 miles to the south of Brandon.

I obtained very inferior accommodation at Cloghane, on an inlet at the eastern base of the mountain; and cleaner and better, but not so convenient, from a coastguard at Ballydavid, to the west of Brandon. For the other mountains on the promontory, Castle Gregory is centrally situated, but in all these cases (except Dingle) it is highly advisable to make previous arrangements and supplement the native fare with a hamper.

The coast of the Brandon promontory (which was traversed throughout) is often highly precipitous; indeed, from Cloghane on the north to Anniscaul on the south the western extremity is almost entirely so, and many stiff bits of climbing were accomplished, whether in pursuit of scenery, of a direct course, of objects of natural history, or, perhaps, more frequently out of what an Irishman would call 'natural divilment.'

A few years ago no language would have sufficed in abuse of the accommodation at Anniscaul, but, as it is now a railway station, no doubt this is all changed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: KERRY]

_Brandon Peak and Brandon Summit._--The most enjoyable way to make the first acquaintance with these mountains is to ascend Connor Hill, to the north-west of Dingle, and follow the ridge by Beenduff, Ballysitteragh, Geashane, and Brandon Peak to the summit. The peak is about 400 ft.

lower than and a little south of Brandon proper. Along this ridge, looking north and north-west, there is a fine rocky face before reaching the peak. After that point a range of cliffs, several hundred feet in alt.i.tude, meets the loftier cliffs above Lake Nalacken, looking east. At the head of the Feany valley, under Brandon, these cliffs afford an interesting descent. The range gives plenty of practice in rock work.