It’s a long, long Way, gets further every day, it’s a long, long way from Belmullet to, well, anywhere. But we went, and it was worth it.
The meteo said the 4cast was great, (but, alas, no one had told Belmullet). We, Me’nher, biked to Erris Head on Friday, windy and dramatic, but Friday afternoon late, the wet weather came back, along with the rest of the group, from IMC David and Paddy, from CC Valli, Margaret, Derek, Seanski, Michael, Ronan, Anne, Helen and Jackie also from BCC. Ulster were decimated in Lavelles bar, (on the tele, that
is!) Then Michael arrived disguised as a bush.
Saturday dawned dry, but windy, so all were out on the crags pretty much. I was climbing with MQ and we did some of the easier classics, Fine Spine, Carlsberg and Left Whale. Margarets leg seemed to hold up well, as did my dodgy knee.
Leinster fared no better than Ulster on Saturday afternoon in Lavelles, but Belmullet seemed far removed from Bilbao, for everyone but Paddy.
Sunday was still cold and windy, where is this feckin heatwave? Swim as usual for the hardy ( not as cold as Culdaff) then we paired off to different areas. Gareth and Helen arrived. I managed a couple of new routes with Margaret over at Blacksod Wall, called Amputees and Ampu-knees, both about Severe, but the bottom easier third was amputated, due to high seas. Pity.
Monday dawned dreich, thick sea mist. We were getting reports of a heatwave elsewhere, so, had it not cleared quickly, we might have pulled out. But it cleared to a lovely day, and we, Paddy , David, Valli, Self, Gareth and Helen went to Vallis discovery near French port, to be called Gleann Sona. I Led three new routes with Valli, two of which were exceptional, Enigma, and Le Grande Diagonal, HS 3c and VS4b, the most obvious features of the slab. Gareth and Helen did the second
ascent of Enigma, and took some great photos. David and Paddy did another route on the seaward end.
Margaret and self went into Belmullet town in the afternoon, but when we returned to Scotchport, so had the sea-mist. All fled, ourselves to Vallis house, where we were royally hosted by herself and Gerry.
Home Tuesday morning.