Name: Midsummer trip
Start: 2024-06-21T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2024-06-23T23:59:59+00:00

Editor: Eglish (The Gatepost)
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Crag Profile: Eglish (The Gatepost)
Details of the crag can be reviewed below. Editing links are present on all routes and inter-route notes
The Gatepost, Eglish. - A Jurassic. B Barbarella. C Roraima. D Dawson Whyte Knuckle Ride. E Old Dogs for the Hard Road. F General Average.
Directions: Approaching from Lough Eske, a track is taken (driveable with care) over Banagher Hill, and the car can be left at map ref. 870951. A bog track is followed for a few minutes, and the right-hand side of the valley traversed to the nearest crag "The Gatepost". This has some of the best and hardest routes in the valley, but most new routes require cleaning. Just beyond and running parallel with the stream, are the "Corridor Crags" the first "The Ceasefire Area", a mainly steep wall terminates at a grassy gully. "Glenbrittle Wall", just beyond, is short and smooth, and further again, "Teardrop Wall", (easily identifiable due to the large Teardrop Shaped Boulder balanced on top). At the back of the valley, on the side of Bluestack, are the "Easter Crags". The furthest left and highest, "Easter Wall" is vaguely diamond shaped, and to its' right "Middle Easter"and "Far Easter" walls. Probably the best crag in the valley is, however, high up on the other side. "The Outpost" gives excellent quality climbing on grooves and corners between severe and HVS in a remote situation. Slightly further up the valley, and lower, is the "Bastion" a large bulbous outcrop with grassy terraces. OS Grid Reference: G952880 Click here to view location in Google Maps
01 - Dawson Whyte Knuckle Ride * * * VS 4c Length: 45m A Tees, B Johnston (16/8/97) Towards the LHS of the main Gatepost crag, locate a largely cleaned slab with a small tree at two-thirds height, on the left. Climb the slab to level with the tree, and move right off the slab and into crack system. Climb this using edge of flake on the right, until you are able to traverse left (thin), to gain central crack in the wall above. This is climbed using small edges, to a large slanting ledge. Move to RHS of ledge, and make an exposed move to gain the arete. Continue up on grooves and spikes, move left using undercut nose, and finish in corner with triangular standing stone. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
02 - Dawson Whyte Knuckle Ride Direct * * * E1 5b Length: 45m R Smith, B Johnston (3/9/00) Start as for original route. Climb 4m and where original steps right continue straight up to join it again on the main face crack. Continue to large ledge. Step left to the base of steep finger/layback crack and climb this to the top. Superb! A further variation was done by Calvin and Clare Torrans, starting up `Old Dogs",traversing under the shield and finishing up the layback crack View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
03 - Old Dogs (For the hard road) VS 4c Length: 45m A Tees, B Magowan (2/5/99) Start at the bottom of the lowest cleaned slab on the main wall (about 7m right of'Knuckle Ride'). Continue up to a corner, which is climbed using an edge on the left, and through the gap at the top to a slanting ledge. Chimney up the back of the ledge, and make an awkward step right, to gain a grassy terrace. Belay. A thin start (crux), leads to a deepening groove and improving holds, to next ledge. Continue up exposed deep crack above. On the first ascent, as the final crack had just been cleaned, an alternative finish (up a flake in a corner to the left) was used. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
04 - Roraima * * * HVS 4c Length: 25m A Tees, B Johnston Start below bulging rock directly above the shelf at the top of the access crack at the rounded flake. The route follows the large flake crack in the upper wall. Climb steeply over bulge to gain left trending groove. At the top of this groove step across and into the base of the large crack/flake in the upper wall. Climb the flake with a smile on your face and hopefully a large hex or friend on your harness. Brilliant positions for the grade. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
05 - Barbarella * HS 4b Length: 20m B Johnston, R Smith (14/4/00) Climb wide crack on the left hand side of "Knuckle Ride" to access a large jungly platform (The Lost World) and start at the prominent corner 3 metres left of the start of Roraima. Follow corner and make difficult moves to gain ledge. Continue in the corner to the top in fine positions. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
06 - Jurrassic * * * E3 6a Length: 20m R Smith, B Johnston (11/5/00) Start 3m left of Barbarella corner. Below a left facing hanging corner/groove. Gain the corner/groove and layback to the overhang 10m. Layback around this to a small fin of rock. With difficulty step up and onto face and make a committing move to better jam. Sustained and strenuous. (2.5 friend useful on gaining main face). The face is climbed directly to the top. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
07 - Low Returns S 4a Length: 6m A Tees, S Hamilton (18/4/99) On the lower tier of rock below the main crag, is an arete which is climbed using central crack for protection. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
10 - Ballot Box HVS 5a Length: 10m R. Smith and B. Johnston 10/6/01 Start 5m left of Daxhund Days at the corner of small buttress. Climb unto ledge (awkward) Climb overhanging corner/groove. Move right and finish up rounded flakes. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
11 - Songbird * E1 5b Length: 15m R Smith, B Johnston (18/6/00) Start at `Two Fingers' corner. The route takes the overhanging wall immediately to the right. Follow the corner for 2m until holds on the right wall can be reached. Make a difficult and committing move right to gain rightwards slanting hold. Climb the wall above direct on good holds. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
12 - Juniper Wall * * * VS 4c Length: 15m R Smith, B Johnston (18/6/00) Start at lowest point of Juniper Buttress. The route climbs the cracked slabby face with the obvious right-left crack. Gain ledge 1 m and climb the left crack to the overhang (awkward). Pull over on large holds to gain the wall above. Climb the wall directly finishing to the left of the juniper bush. Good route! View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
13 - Teesme HS 4b Length: 15m R. Smith and B. Johnston 24/5/01 Start as for Juniper Wall. Move right to corner and climb this and wall above. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
14 - Didgit Revival E1 5b Length: 12m R Smith, B Johnston (15/7/00) Above and to the left of Juniper Buttress at 20m there is a steep buttress. Last post! Start 2m right of obvious fault/crack on white coloured wall. Make an awkward move to gain wall and continue to overhanging head wall. Make a long reach to vertical fault-line in headwall and then better holds finishing right. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
15 - Sweet Surprise * VS 4c Length: 12m B Johnston, R Smith (15/7/00) Start 2m right of Didgit at rounded crack running to the top. Follow crack to the top. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
3a - General Average VS 4c Length: 30m M. McGuigan A. Tees (Alt.leads) 10/6/01 Weaves its way up the obvious cleaned cracks at the right hand edge of the Gatepost, (where it turns into Keyhole Gully) avoiding the clumps of vegetation. From the top ledge up and left, and climb the impending wall using a hold on the left and the deep rightward trending crack on the right (crux). View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
3b - Keyhole Gully S 4a Length: 30m M. McGuigan A. Tees 10/6/01 Keyhole Gully 30M Sev Climb the deep gully on the right hand side of the Gatepost, getting progressively steeper until you exit through a very small fissure at the top. About severe, unless you're fat (in which case about E10!) View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
8 - Two Fingers of Gin * * VS 5a Length: 15m B.Johnston, R.Smith (2/07/00) Left of the main crag and also left of the waterfall, is a very obvious corner. Gain it from beneath a small overhang with difficulty and continue up the corner to the top. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
9 - Daxhound Days * E2 5c Length: 12m R Smith, B Johnston, J McCready (17/8/00) Start 3m left of Two Fingers of Gin. There is a groove crack left of the arete with a series of small ledges to the left. Climb to the obvious pocket and arrange gear (No.3 friend) layaway on sidepull and reach left to ledge. Reach high right for layaway ledge and commit to face. Move up and rightwards on poor holds to gain reasonable edge. Move up for better holds and flake on the arete (rest). Finish via cracks on wall passing the rowan tree on the left. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
9a - Daxhound Days Direct E2 5c Length: 12m R.S, B.J. 24/05/01 Climb overhanging groove left of flake to finish. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route
BS4/0 - Dawson May-day Ride VS 4c Length: 30m Sonja Nitecki and Eoin Taylor 19.05.2012 Variation of the Dawson Whyte Knuckle Ride (a rescue when the main face is wet and slimy). After moving to the right at the tree climb up into a wide gully on the right, get on top of a ledge, climb up an obvious crack (just over the gully) and traverse diagonally up to reach the original route at the undercut nose. View Route Edit Route Upload a new photo for this route