Some beginner advice- Where to climb?

Running Bing

Hi, I am a complete novice when it comes to climbing/Hiking but Ive wanted to give it a go for a while and I think I am gonna head out next weekend weather permitting.


Thing is it just dawned on me I dont have a clue where to start Im living in Dublin(I know not the best of locations) so the nearer the better, but I would be willing to travel a fair distance.

Im young and pretty fit and, although I am aware of the concept of crawling before you can walk, I would like somewhere that provides a bit of a challenge i.e. I would like a bit of a slog as opposed to a gentle country stroll:D


So if anyone has any advice on where I should start I would greatly appreciate it.



P.S. If anyone wants to offer some advice on what I should take with me as well it would be greatly appreciated also. Thanks.

MathsManiac

I suggest you buy a good book, such as "Best Irish Walks", edited by Joss Lynam. It gives the pick of the best walks from several other regional books in a series. It includes 15 walks in the East of the country. I've a load of guidebooks, and I reckon this is the best one to start with.

Other suggestion: visit www.mountainviews.ie for ideas of where to go.

Other suggestion: join a club, or find someone experienced to go out with, especially at the start. Irish mountains are frequently underestimated in terms of danger, and even if you're going somewhere that seems safe, you shouldn't really climb alone. If you're the kind of person who needs to ask what gear to bring out on a mountain walk, you DEFINITELY shouldn't be climbing alone. Also, someone who knows the area you're going to will be aware of any access problems in the vicinity. (Euphemism for irate farmers with shotguns.)

You'll find a club near you by checking out the website of the Mountaineering Council of Ireland: http://www.mountaineering.ie/

NoQuarter

youll need a map called "sheet 56"its about 25 quid in great outdoors and millets and all them shops, its just a map of all of wicklow, some good slogs are tonelagee, scarr and lugnaquilla but dont go alone! climbing the lug in a blizzard aint fun at all!!:o

Evil Phil

Seeing as you're based in Dublin you could try the Irish Mountaineering Club. They're more geared towards technical climbing, if that what you're interested in its a great place to start. They do go hiking too.

Krusty_Clown

If you're going to be walking alone you should definitely start with somewhere that is highly populated, like the Sugarloaf in Bray, The Bray to Greystones 5 mile coastal walk (stay away from those eroding cliffs though!) or something like Djouce which is very straightforward.

As a beginner, leave out the likes of Lugnaquilla until you're travelling with friends / in a group and more experienced.

dogmatix

25 quid?! The OSI maps should not cost ye more then 8 or 9 euros per copy in any good bookshop or camping store. For wicklow you should get Sheets 50 and 56. Agree with previous posters about Joss Lynams books. They are best for walks and they have good maps and detailed descriptions in them. And he is in his 80's so if he can do it anyone can. He has two books dealing specifically with Dublin, Wicklow and surrounding counties - Leisure walks and easy walks near dublin. They are perfect for beginners and many of them can be joined up for longer walks.

Walk ideas - tramping around the three rock-kilmashogue-tibradden area is great and can be reached from the marley park car park. 16-48A-14-14A buses will get you to Marley or very close to it.

Basics to bring -
Daysack / compass / maps and guidebook / water (min of 1.5L) / food / proper walking boots and socks / sunhat and suncream (you never know - hope springs eternal) / basic first aid kit / raingear / windproof fleece - espicially after the end of august / mobile phone.

for winter walking you will need heavier duty clothing

Let someone know where you have gone and when you expect to be back and don't wear jeans for long distance walks. Baggy combat trousers or shorts if it's warm enough.

And have fun.

peter-pantslez

if your getting osi maps get the laminated sheet 56 it is a few quid extra but when your on the side of a mountain in the rain and/or snow its worth it!:D it will last you forever and you can write on it and mark your route and wipe it off when you are finished!!

and dont go alone!!!!!!:rolleyes:

Running Bing

Cheers for the replies people:D


Just want to clarify that I wont be going alone, I heading out with the brother and I am well able to read a map/use a compass and am pretty knowledgeable about the weather/nature(In theory of course not in practice so I wouldnt be taking any risks;) )


Think Ill pick up a copy of Best Irish walks, the OSI maps and give tonelagee a go the weekend weather permitting.

peter-pantslez would I get the laminated maps in the great outdoors? are they much more expensive?

Thanks:)

NoQuarter

yeah when i said around 20 quid i meant a laminated one, definitly essential as one not laminated would fall apart! lugnaquilla is not hard at all once its a nice day, there is a track going from the bottom of camerahill all the way up!

tonelagee is a bit more of a challenge, there is a car park beside it just a few metres up from a waterfall cant remember the name of it now, from the carpark, cross the stream beside it, handrail the forest to the right up the mountain and ya cant go wrong from there, the last 100 meters or so is a steep climb though!! just avoid it in bad weather and youll have no probs!

Running Bing

Another thing.......I dont really have any suitable footwear. I only have trainers that are quite lightweight. Anyway as faith would have it Lidls are running a special this week and they have hiking boots:eek:

Here they are: http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20070910.p.MensLadiesTrekkingShoes


I realise they are probably ****e but would they at least be some use and worth the money? I dont really want to fork out 80 quid+ on proper shoes just cause I fancy a walk in the mountains the weekend;)

Evil Phil

I wouldn't buy them. TBH even 80 quid isn't a lot to spend on a pair of hiking boots and when you're 3 hours from your car in the rain and you're crippled with blisters you'll have wished you'd spend hundreds on a decent pair of boots. Buy a good pair of hiking boots, get them fitted properly in Great Outdoors and look after them. They'll last you ten years.

dogmatix

Agree with Evil-Phil spend the extra cash and get then properly fitted at the great outdoors. It's worth the extra money for healthy tootsies.

As for books - if you are just confining walking to the east coast region you would be better off getting "Easy walks near dublin" and "lesiure walks near dublin" rather then the more general "easy walks in ireland".

Another map option is the healy 1:30000 wicklow map - it's much more detailed then then OSI 1:50000 and is made of tougher paper. but it covers only the wicklow national park and the osi map will do in most cases anyway.

The great outdoors should have all the above maps and books, including the laminated versions.

BTW i don't work for the great outdoors, just like the store!

MathsManiac

While I would generally agree that one should spend the money required to get proper boots, a friend of mine who's a very experienced mountaineer bought a pair of such boots in Lidl a couple of years ago and he said they were excellent for the money. He found them comfortable on substantial enough day walks. He wasn't saying they were as good as his best boots, but he saw no real problem with them.

If the boots fit well, and they're comfortable when you wear them around the place for a day or two, and if they're waterproof, I wouldn't envisage a major problem as a starter pair.

It's hard to claim that €25 will turn out to be a waste of money.

(They don't claim to be waterproof or goretex-lined in the ad, so you might need to waterproof them before use.)

Evil Phil

It not really about wasting money. An experienced mountaineer would be able to tell if they boots aren't up to the task but a beginner isn't go to have that knowledge and probably won't be able to choose a pair of boots that fit properly. This could leave them pretty miserable on a walk. Limping along on the side of a hill with bad weather closing in or having wet feet are not good situations to be in.

I wouldn't recommend them to a beginner as a walking boot. But if you do buy them OP, then get yourself into Great Outdoors and have them fitted properly - its inexpensive and makes a huge amount of difference.

MathsManiac

fair 'nuff!

peter-pantslez

yeah baby you can get the laminated osi maps in great outdoors and its worth spending the extra the others only get wet and fall apart and you end up buy 2 or 3 of them so spend the extra.....

and if you are going in the the great outdoors have a look at there boots i would recommend meindels i have the meindels army pro and have them for the last 5 year and have given them awful abuse(not on purpose but due to the nature of the job im wearing them for) and they are still going strong, waterproof warm and comfy what more could you ask for:D .....but im sure everyone has there on favourites

hope all this helps..............

NoQuarter

just avoid mendle eagles, its like walkin around with big sponges on your feet that attract any water within a 2 mile radius!!!

Running Bing

Thanks for the advice lads. See the problem is I am a student and will be going into my final year come october so I wont be doing much at all between that time. Also I dont even know this is something I really want to take up, just always fancied giving it a go. There is a chance I may never go hiking again:eek: So you can understand my aprehension at forking over just shy of 200 quid(Again Ill refer back to my second sentence;) ).



I wouldnt mind forking over the cash if I knew it was something I was gonna keep up but I cant say that at the present time.


Would I really be in a bad way if I just wore an old pair of trainers with a good pair of waterproof socks?

NoQuarter

id say spend the 25 quid on the lidl boots rather than wearin runners or youll be in bits and as far as im aware waterproof socks are not made to walk in, they will kill your feet their just there to keep your feet dry during the night if sleeping out or to wear under wet boots while in a camp or something, not made to hike over mountains with!!

fergalr

Would I really be in a bad way if I just wore an old pair of trainers with a good pair of waterproof socks?

There are differing opinions on this, and it's a complex issue.

Hiking boots provide some amount of ankle support that might help mitigate or avoid lower leg injury in certain circumstances.
You won't have this support in runners - that's something to consider, depending on what sort of walking you are doing. (On paths, off paths, how long or short, how experienced you are etc). Be careful with this, as lower leg injuries (eg, twisted ankle) can cause a lot of problems if you are out in the mountains.
Boots will also go some way towards keeping your feet warm and dry when runners won't - important on long hikes, or bad conditions.


All that said, I very rarely wear hiking boots when walking in the mountains - I typically use a pair of trail runners, with a waterproof or quick drying sock.
I have strong ankles, and am very used to walking through all sorts of ground without ankle support. So boots may not be as necessary as many would make out. The disadvantages of a pair of badly fitting, or poor quality boots *may* outweigh those of a good pair of runners - like many things in the mountains, it's a matter of using your judgment.
Go on short easy hikes, in a group, well within your comfort zone, and ideally with more experienced people, and see what works for you.

id say spend the 25 quid on the lidl boots rather than wearin runners or youll be in bits and as far as im aware waterproof socks are not made to walk in, they will kill your feet their just there to keep your feet dry during the night if sleeping out or to wear under wet boots while in a camp or something, not made to hike over mountains with!!

I don't personally agree with this advice regarding the socks. I've had good experiences with some of the sealskinz waterproof socks, on long walks, especially the lightweight ones (may be sold as for cycling).
They've kept my feet warm and blister free on some very long walks, if never fully dry - off trail, I don't think anything can keep your feel fully dry.

NoQuarter

well i have the gortex ones(dont have em with me now so im actually not sure) and they are quite thick, you could put your foot under a tap and they wouldnt let water in so you definitly wouldnt want to walk in them!!