What mountains in Ireland have you climbed?

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 04:33PM #1

Ive done the Sugar loaf (erm 3 times). I believe its called the sugar loaf because it looks like a pile of sugar like if you took a spoon and poured the sugar out, bizarre but nice on top none the less. Done a couple more in Wicklow, in fact the Sugar loaf is only half the size of the mountains in the rest of Wicklow so not a big thing really. Has anyone here ever climbed the big ones down in Kerry like the devils ladder around Carrantouhill with its freaky cross on top? Might seem a strange question for AH but surely you have climbed somehing on school trips or whatever.......just interested:)

dumbyearbook · 20-09-2007 04:36PM

A bit off topic but are there actually 'Dublin mountains' and 'Wicklow mountians' as in sepearte pieces of mountain

.........or is it that the Dublin mountains just cross the boarder into Wicklow thereby becoming.....the wicklow mountains??

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 04:41PM

dumbyearbook wrote:

A bit off topic but are there actually 'Dublin mountains' and 'Wicklow mountians' as in sepearte pieces of mountain

.........or is it that the Dublin mountains just cross the boarder into Wicklow thereby becoming.....the wicklow mountains??

The Dublin mountains are generally considered to be the mere hills on front of the Wicklow mountains though from my experience most just refer to all the mountains as the Wicklow mountains.

Vokes · 20-09-2007 04:44PM

Which Sugar Loaf, darkman2?

One Cold Hand · 20-09-2007 04:48PM

I done the Sugar Loaf, the big one and all. And thats it.

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 04:48PM

huh? You mean the big or 'little one'? Oh the big one. I was an alter boy the first time I climbed it years ago and we had a mass on top in the clouds - literally.:rolleyes: Thank god those days are over - i think!

depadz · 20-09-2007 04:48PM

climbed up the devils ladder a couple of times.
Good day out.
Is a good two hour hike up on a fair day.
Slippy coming down. I believe there is an easier but longer way up and over the other side of the hill at the top, is the eagles nest or something like that which is meant to be a dangerous descent.

have gone up croagh patrick a few times. You can practically run up that one, at least until you are near the top.

smashey · 20-09-2007 04:48PM

Try Donegal. Errigal.

petes · 20-09-2007 04:48PM

None, I'm a lazy bastard.

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 04:51PM

fwedrest wrote:

climbed up the devils ladder a couple of times.
Good day out.
Is a good two hour hike up on a fair day.

Seen it, never climbed it but apparently a number of climbers have died on that asscent, whatever about the 'dangerous one'.

JupiterKid · 20-09-2007 04:51PM

Climbed a few -

Croagh Patrick
Slieve Donard
Sugar Loaf
Kippure
Mullaghcleevaun

Fanny Wank · 20-09-2007 04:53PM

last one was some dirty fat b!tch a while back. Didn't really get a good sense of fulfillment when I get on top of that.

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 04:56PM

Anyone ever doen Lugnaquilla in Wicklow? I really like Wicklow and its scenery. However I dont know whether ive ever actually seen Lugnaquilla itself (I probrably have and did not notice) probrably because the Irish army place in the Glen of Imal is beside it. I doubt most Dubs know how lucky they are to have somewhere as beautiful as Wicklow right on their doorstep. Most Capitals in Europe are not as fortunate.

Terry · 20-09-2007 04:59PM

darkman2 wrote:

Anyone ever doen Lugnaquilla in Wicklow? I really like Wicklow and its scenery. However I dont know whether ive ever actually seen Lugnaquilla itself (I probrably have and did not notice) probrably because the Irish army place in the Glen of Imal is beside it. I doubt most Dubs know how lucky they are to have somewhere as beautiful as Wicklow right on their doorstep. Most Capitals in Europe are not as fortunate.

Did it when I was in school.

We did quite a few in Wicklow, but I don't know all their names.

depadz · 20-09-2007 05:00PM

the wicklow ones are a good hike but not really a climb.
But yeah, great down there - even on a wet day tis nice...

Seen it, never climbed it but apparently a number of climbers have died on that asscent, whatever about the 'dangerous one'.

well yeah, all it would take to get killed is an unfortunate slip in the wrong place but that could happen anywhere..

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 05:06PM

Well, actually no, some have simply got stranded because maybe they did not realise how quickly the weather can turn. Something which is obvious even in Wicklow (if anyones ever driven up the military roads for example)......hence why so many motorists get stranded in snow there every year.

princess-lala · 20-09-2007 05:20PM

Croagh Patrick and Carrontuhill (think thats how you spell it):D

Alun · 20-09-2007 05:23PM

Done 'em all in the Wicklow and Dublin Mountains, and many of those dozens of times over. Also more than I can list in Kerry, Connemara and up North in the Mournes.

By the way, the four highest in each province are Carrauntoohil (Munster, Kerry), Mweelrea (Connacht, Mayo), Slieve Donard (Ulster, Down) and Lugnaquillia (Leinster, Wicklow).

By the way, the Sugarloaf is so called because waaaay back when they hadn't discovered a way to make granulated sugar yet, sugar came in big cone shaped 'loaves'. You'd scrape sugar off the 'loaf' with a special scraper as and when needed.

Also, many people, usually visitors to Ireland poo-poo our 'mountains' as being not mountains at all, but just hills and go out into them badly prepared. They're usually the ones who end up getting caught out by the weather and needing to get rescued by one of the two mountain rescue teams that are active in the area. Be careful out there

Corruptedmorals · 20-09-2007 05:24PM

Errigal, when I was in the gaeltacht.
Sugar Loaf, both I think?
Some Wicklow ones

connundrum · 20-09-2007 05:29PM

Are Irish mountains really mountains when you think about it?

Alun · 20-09-2007 05:31PM

connundrum wrote:

Are Irish mountains really mountains when you think about it?

What's your definition of a mountain then?

robinph · 20-09-2007 05:32PM

Alun wrote:

Also, many people, usually visitors to Ireland poo-poo our 'mountains' as being not mountains at all, but just hills and go out into them badly prepared. They're usually the ones who end up getting caught out by the weather and needing to get rescued by one of the two mountain rescue teams that are active in the area. Be careful out there

There is only a couple that are above 1000m isn't there, and I think that is the point at which some other countries would call them mountains rather than hills.

Ruu_Old · 20-09-2007 05:33PM

Croagh Patrick is all. Illinois is flatter than a pancake!

Japseye · 20-09-2007 05:35PM

Hey Darkman,

I've done a good few, Lugnaquilla , Carrauntoohil a couple of times and Mt Brandon in Kerry , Mwelrea and a few of the others close by and of course Croagh Patrick a million times .

Have to say that I find the Kerry mountains the most spectacular , as well as the most treacherous, we had a couple of hairy moments on one of the ridges on Carrauntoohil .

Nevertheless you should head down there and do a few climbs, tis a crackin spot!

builttospill · 20-09-2007 05:38PM

Fanny **** wrote:

last one was some dirty fat b!tch a while back. Didn't really get a good sense of fulfillment when I get on top of that.

Ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha. I salute you sir...

Alun · 20-09-2007 05:40PM

robinph wrote:

There is only a couple that are above 1000m isn't there, and I think that is the point at which some other countries would call them mountains rather than hills.

There are none in Wicklow above 1000m (Lug is 925m IIRC), but the two MRT's in that area get more than their fair share of callouts each year, many of them from these same foreign visitors. Once you get off the main tourist tracks around Glendalough or Djouce there aren't many well-defined paths up there, and ankle-breaking opprtunities abound in the rough, uneven ground. Do that, get lost when the mist comes down and you become just another statistic.

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 05:57PM

Japseye wrote:

Hey Darkman,

I've done a good few, Lugnaquilla , Carrauntoohil a couple of times and Mt Brandon in Kerry , Mwelrea and a few of the others close by and of course Croagh Patrick a million times .

Have to say that I find the Kerry mountains the most spectacular , as well as the most treacherous, we had a couple of hairy moments on one of the ridges on Carrauntoohil .

Nevertheless you should head down there and do a few climbs, tis a crackin spot!

ha, will do eventually im sure. Here is one for you. Why are the Wicklow mountains high but relativley flat compared to other mountains in Ireland? (i mean the gentle slopes) I find that strange considering how rugged all the other 'ranges' are.

ODS · 20-09-2007 05:58PM

darkman2 wrote:

The Dublin mountains are generally considered to be the mere hills on front of the Wicklow mountains though from my experience most just refer to all the mountains as the Wicklow mountains.

Ah you can always tell a true Dubliner as they will refer to the "Wicklow hills and the Dublin mountains"

Did Errigal over the summer for the 1st time - a pleasant stroll, and with the clouds up we got good views

Regularily do Lugnacoile in Wicklow; the quick - if steep - dash up from Fenton's pub, and up via Camara Hill.

Have done Carrauntoohil years ago, and Donard also. Shed loads of the Wicklows too.

Aluns point re people being ill-prepared should be heeded - even on Lug last time, the clouds came down and other than I am fairly familiar with it and had a compass, it would have been all too easy to walk off the North or South Pryism's, which are effectively cliffs :eek:
Once up on Lug I became involved with a rescue of a woman who had broken her leg; the helicopter was flying up + down but could not see us, and light was going as the sun was setting... Fortunately there is a mirror in the back of my compass, and we were able to reflect the light and so all worked out ok

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 06:05PM

Another thing that ive alluded to in Wicklow is snow in the winter. It can turn to artic (literally) very quickly up at Sally gap which I dont think enough people actually understand. I remember driving up there one night. It was raining but as soon as you hit a certain height immediately it turns to snow and ice and needless to say its not good to be up there when that happens!

BTW here is a vid of carrantouhill hike (in 3 parts). Looks good. In a different language though. But note how different even the clouds look over the mountains compared to the climbers on low ground!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj6eAW28HDE

Terry · 20-09-2007 06:12PM

darkman2 wrote:

Another thing that ive alluded to in Wicklow is snow in the winter. It can turn to artic (literally) very quickly up at Sally gap which I dont think enough people actually understand. I remember driving up there one night. It was raining but as soon as you hit a certain height immediately it turns to snow and ice and needless to say its not good to be up there when that happens!

BTW here is a vid of carrantouhill hike (in 3 parts). Looks good. In a different language though. But note how different even the clouds look over the mountains compared to the climbers on low ground!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj6eAW28HDE

Aye. Been caught in the snow up there more than once.

darkman2 · 20-09-2007 06:17PM

Terry wrote:

Aye. Been caught in the snow up there more than once.

So have I. Its a completely different environment there. In Dublin one day it was mild and dry, up there it was snow, ice and freezing (to the extent where you would not last long in nothing but decent clothing!) but again not enough people realise that.

What mountains in Ireland have you climbed?

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