Advice for climbing Lug

7ofBrian

Hi folks.
So its a friends 30th this friday and he wants to mark the occasion by doing something. He suggested climbing Lugnaquilla on Friday morning. I thought "awesome" at first but the more i read the more nervous im getting.
Is Lug a place for 2 novices? He knows his way around a map and I just love being outdoors. Ive recently gotten really into hillwalking and am doing 10-15 KM hikes nearly every weekend. Havent learned any outdoor skills yet though (map reading, first aid etc) but i really want to!
What im really asking is for advice on:
1. What route to take (we'll be getting a lift to the start point from tallaght).
2. What should i bring in the backpack
3. Am I mad for considering this?
4. What roughly is the distance of hiking Fentons to summit and back?

Donny5

No, you're not mad. Up and down from Fenton's in the Glen of Imaal is straight-forward and not bad physically. Obviously if the forecast is atrocious on the day, you might want to knock it on the head, but if you get the weather, I'd go for it.

loobylou

7ofBrian wrote: »

4. What roughly is the distance of hiking Fentons to summit and back?

14kms.

chinwag

Saw this thread on Lug climb yesterday, maybe get advice there?
I'd say make sure you know what you're doing and be happy about it, you seem a bit apprehensive, maybe with good reason. I'd be reluctant to encourage two inexperienced walkers/climbers to do it on the first outing but whatever you do, be safe.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056901932

Alun

Although the climb straight up from Fentons is by far the easiest in terms of navigation in good weather, if the mist comes down it can become just as dangerous as any of the other slightly more complex routes up if you have no navigation skills whatsoever.

The massive summit cairn that is easily visible when coming from the opposite direction across the summit plateau is hidden from view when approaching from the Fentons / Camara Hill side until you're quite close to it, and that's on a fine day. In bad visibility it can be almost invisible until you're right on top of it. In mist it's easy to imagine you're continuing to walk in a straight line, but in reality you can be walking in a curve, being 'drawn' by the curvature of the terrain.

Then, of course, you have to head back down the way you came, which sounds almost ridiculously easy on the face of it, but you'd be amazed at how many times Mountain Rescue have been called out to rescue people from that area who've become disoriented at the summit during their lunch break, either don't have or know how to use a compass, and then headed off in completely the wrong direction.

Effectively this is no different advice for any mountain, but Lug has a nasty habit of having cloud on the summit even when everything else in the area is clear.

That having been said, if the weather is good, and looks to be set good for the rest of the day, then go for it, but don't be afraid to turn back if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Carawaystick

I'd consider going up by Glenmalure and the Fraughen rock glen, as if the weather's poor, you can still go up to the fraughen rock glen and to the base of the cloud level, and its much more scenic that way.

You cross Baravore ford, and head up the road by the river til the hairpin left and the forestry barrier. Follow this forestry track up til it finishes alongside the waterfall and follow paths up to the top of the waterfall. head in the flatter bit of the upper glen and take an arcing loop out to the right to get to the top of the ridge at the end of the glen. It gets steeper the closer you get to the end of the glen. Once you hit the top of the ridge take a left and just keep going up.

The summit plateau regularly creates cloud (Orographic cloud) but even so you can get to the top of the waterfall on a trail, so you can return back down the same way.

If you were to get yourselves a compass, a bearing of72 magnetic will bring you back to the headwall of the fraughen rock glen, if you keep to the bearing and don't get sucked down into the Ow valley to your right.


On your way back down as you lkeave the Fraughen rock glen, the road takes a left turn, but there's a narrow trail from the bend that leads more directly back to the ford. (But its harder to describe/find on the way up so I didn't)

Also if your friend drinks guinness, the Glenmalure hotel has some of the best guinness I've ever drank

Orion

An alternate is the zig zags. It's halfway up that road. You get dropped at a farmhouse and start there. Follow the zig zag path until you see a stile - over that and continue up Cloghernagh. From the peak of Cloghernagh you can see the top of Lug - big plateau across to it and back the same way - or go back via Fraughan Glen.

I did it fairly recently - here's the route I took: http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/189831086

trellheim

I've now climbed Lug 4 times and have never seen the view from it, it's always been in cloud when I get to the top. Bearings to and from the summit are important, as the batteries in your GPS may die !

duckysauce

trellheim wrote: »

I've now climbed Lug 4 times and have never seen the view from it, it's always been in cloud when I get to the top. Bearings to and from the summit are important, as the batteries in your GPS may die !

carry spare batteries as part of your kit

Orion

Map and compass are more important and reliable than spare batteries.

duckysauce

Orion wrote: »

Map and compass are more important and reliable than spare batteries.

Goes without saying that you have a map and compass, and know how to use them .

trellheim

Goes without saying that you have a map and compass, and know how to use them

I'm sorry - no it doesn't. Not everyone was in the scouts etc. The amount of people who go walking in wicklow without map and compass is ridiculous.

Orion

I agree. It's amazing how often things that go without saying need to be said.

Actually the op also asked what to bring so the basics:
Food including snacks and hot drink
Water
Map and compass (I'd recommend the lug area map from East West Mapping rather than the OS map. You need two maps if doing lug from Fentons if using the OS ones)
Raingear
Hat
First aid kit
Phone in case you need to call for help

Orion

Orion wrote: »

I agree. It's amazing how often things that go without saying need to be said.

Actually the op also asked what to bring so the basics:
Food including snacks and hot drink
Water
Map and compass (I'd recommend the lug area map from East West Mapping rather than the OS map. You need two maps if doing lug from Fentons if using the OS ones)
Raingear
Hat
First aid kit
Phone in case you need to call for help

Whistle.

As for the OP, once you have the basic equipment and can use a map and compass, I'd say just go for it. I think training to go up an Irish mountain is overanalysing it, just do it. But do it while prepared for the worst.

trellheim

Add:

1. Warm top. Its freezing on top of lug 95% of the time
2. Hat should be wooly not a baseball hat
3. raingear should include leggings
4. correct re map, sheets 56 and 62. Eastwest are great maps , but to 1:30k so compass romers don't work for grids but thats not a huge problem as long as you know about it . Bring a compass and KNOW how to take a bearing. you may look silly but if its silly and it works, it's not silly.

BarryD

trellheim wrote: »

but to 1:30k so compass romers don't work for grids but thats not a huge problem as long as you know about it.

No it's not a problem at all for general hill navigation. There's a kilometre grid printed on these and most maps. For short distances, under a kilometre, it's easy enough to judge distance to nearest 100m, with a careful glance and comparing to the km grid. Longer distances, just measure with anything - compass edge, piece of grass, whatever - then lie measured length on map, count off whole kilometres and estimate the sub km bit at the end.

In practice, if you can actually judge the distance you've walked over typical hill terrain to with +/- 10% of the actual distance, you're doing pretty well. So you could easily be out 100 metres over a kilometre, even counting your steps carefully. On nice flat grass or path, I can measure 100m by step counting pretty reliably but on a rough hillside, things go awry quickly!

You might need to measure distances more precisely if you're on a training course of some sort and the instructor wants to see if you have the capability. So note that 1 centimetre on a 1:30,000 scale map = 300 metres on the ground. So if you measure, say 2.8 cms between two points, it's easy - round up to 3 cms = 900 metres, take away c.100 metres for the 2mm and you have c.800 metres, or just a little more.

A little bit of very light mental arithmetic does you no harm. Stops you making silly mistakes by using the wrong romer etc.

7ofBrian

Orion wrote: »

I agree. It's amazing how often things that go without saying need to be said.

Actually the op also asked what to bring so the basics:
Food including snacks and hot drink
Water
Map and compass (I'd recommend the lug area map from East West Mapping rather than the OS map. You need two maps if doing lug from Fentons if using the OS ones)
Raingear
Hat
First aid kit
Phone in case you need to call for help

Wish I saw this earlier. Picked up the weaterproof sheet 56 from osi today lol
Cheers for that. Great help.

Orion

7ofBrian wrote: »

Wish I saw this earlier. Picked up the weaterproof sheet 56 from osi today lol
Cheers for that. Great help.

56 is fine if you're going from the glenmalure side - either of the two mentioned earlier - Fraughan Glen or the zig zags.

Orion

one more thing - the forecast is good for this weekend but still bring raingear and a warm top. It will be cold up here if there's any wind blowing down the valley. And be prepared to turn back if the weather deteriorates or fog rolls in. It's better to turn back safely and try it another day than put yourself in a dangerous situation - especially if you're unfamiliar with the terrain.