Colmcille Climbers

Two Pansies on a Primrose

The somewhat delayed and undersubscribed CCC scrambling trip to Kerry took place last weekendish, and was truly awesome!  Bill and I travelled down to Dingle in time for lunch in the South Pole, and whilst we were successful in finding the crag at Dun Seen, we were somewhat  less fortunate in relocating our mode of transport.  This looks a great crag and is worth a further visit in calmer weather.

Overnight at the back of O’Connors Bar, Cloghan, and on Thursday,  whilst I did Mystic Ridge on Brandon Peak, Bill ran off with the farmer (Michael was quite attractive actually, and very, very, friendly).

We moved to Cronins yard, and on the Friday early we were joined by Marty, eager to do hard things.

We did Curved Gully Ridge on Carrauntoohill, graded HS but more like VDiff, with the odd move of severe, but it’s great , and takes you right to the summit with great situations.  On the way down we looked at “Primroses” trying to spot the route through the frightening vertical and impending choss.  Marty wanted to do it next day, but I wanted to do anything else, maybe  NE Gully on Coomalougha, and rashly did a deal, that if he would come to Cloon Lake the next day, we could do Primroses on Sunday (banking on the fact that the weather would have broken by then!)

NE Gully was great, another friendly farmer, with an attractive daughter, a  nice approach around Lough Reagh and up into an ancient oak wood, and whilst Bill ran off with the daughter, Marty and I did the gully, with an interesting short cave pitch, to the most attractive mountain lake in Ireland.  So nice we had to go for a swim (photos are available from television X on payment of a small fee).

Even more exiting, if that were possible, was the White Tailed sea eagle which stalked us on the descent, S5,  it said on the underside of its wings.  Marty ecstatic, and good to see the farmers haven’t managed to poison them all (yet).

Anyway, the weather let me down, and on Sunday Marty and I were at the bottom of Primroses, a VS route that I had successfully managed to avoid for many years.    We had no idea where to start, but then John Cronin jogged past, on his way back from the top, and his advice was “ Leds, Start at the bottom and go up”, but I had a better plan!  The man from the Kerry Rescue said that most parties traverse in from the left, and as we were a bit late starting (coffee and buns in Cronin’s cafe) this might save us a pitch or two! Marty led off, up a gully, me a traverse, and we were above the baffling lower bit, with the route to the ridge clearer. Three pitches later, there was a huge overhanging crest on the ridge which seemed unfeasible, but at this stage we had acquired company on the next ridge, namely Dave Commins and Cairan Cleary who told us that avoiding it really wasn’t the thing to do.  Marty weaseled up the crux, and I struggled after, and three or four  pitches later we were able to traverse back to the descent path, ‘Heavenly Gates’, and back to our packs with Dave and Ciaran.  Bill had been up Carrauntoohil ( AND he has the photo to prove it).

We left next morning, stopping in Sligo with Valli, and while Bill ran off with her two red pigs, Valli and I had a very pleasant lunch in the sun, before heading for home.

If you are heading to Kerry, consider Cronin’s Yard as your base, John and Ester could not have been more friendly or helpful, and its a great spot, being the gateway to the Reeks.