When MI contacted BCC at the start of 2021, asking if we wanted to host a meet in the Mourne Mountains, we were thrilled at the opportunity to showcase the climbing in this rugged landscape. We had been keen to show off our granite crags since shortly after the inception of the club in 2017, however, events had conspired against us. Then I realised as meets secretary it was probably my job to plan it! Thankfully our President, Jamie and Cottage Secretary Rónán stepped in and suggested we team up and share the work between the three of us.
Our first thought for our base for the meet was the BCC cottage aka “Henry’s Cottage”.We then thought that 30 or more campers might quickly become a little too cosy, not to mention social distancing…We found a local farmer, Gerard Sloan, who was happy to loan us the use of a field with a water supply beside it; we had found our campsite.
The Campsite on Gerard Sloan’s Farm
We had 2 great days of climbing - almost. On Saturday we went to Lower Cove where the rain kept trying to wash us off, however we persisted. Unfortunately, it also persisted and most of us called it a day by 4 pm. Most of the attendees choose to come to Lower Cove with us on the Saturday, however, a contingent from the Colmcille Climbers ran a casual half marathon through the mountains. As we arrived at Lower Cove with a group from Dublin, we saw the early birds already climbing at Second Corner (Damien on the most neon ropes I have ever seen) and First Corner (Nicky, touring around Ireland in her van for 6 weeks, for some reason…) on some of the classics - Gynocrat and First Corner. My climbing partner Eva, and I, decided to head to Second Corner and warm up on a 3 pitch route called Cumulus (VS), however, after the second pitch the rock was starting to feel rather damp and we called it a day.
First Corner at Lower Cove
Kyle from BCC spent a lot of time falling off Short, Sharp, Shocked (E4, Second Corner), I believe he was experiencing a different climate to the rest of us. Shane from Dublin did Agag’s Wall (HS, Third Corner). There were climbers everywhere, it was a nightmare for a girl to pee…
We had a relaxed evening on Saturday night. Alistair lit a fire in his BBQ and Marie and Shane from Dublin produced marshmallows and skewers and we happily toasted marshmallows. Eva, from the Czech Republic, had never experienced this before, so we taught her how to perfectly toast a marshmallow. There were some conflicting opinions on this matter, ranging from setting it on fire then blowing it out, to melting it, eating a bit then returning it to the heat to melt some more.
Left: Kyle enjoying… something. Right: Shane on Agag’s Wall
On Sunday we sent Alistair as a vanguard to Meelmore Lodge to have words and sort us out with some prime parking spots. We proceeded up the Trassey Valley, making a few stops. The first stop was Spellack where Forest View Buttress was a popular choice. Nothing to do with the 20-ish minute walk-in, I’m sure! The second stop was the Bearnagh slabs, where Rónán and I and the Colmcille climbers had decided to spend the day. After doing 2 routes and scaring the pants off ourselves on a VS called Peter de Bernac we thought that was quite enough and headed back to Meelmore Lodge for coffee and buns!
The group at Forest View Buttress were enjoying the sunny weather and slightly less slabby routes of this area. Although it seems like the Mournes granite is a fickle mistress and ‘interesting’, as a result, similarly productive days were had by many.
Forest View Buttress at Spellack
Altogether the meet was a success, despite the weather’s best attempts to dampen our spirits. On behalf of BCC I would like to thank everyone who joined us at the meet, it was wonderful to meet so many new people and share our love for climbing in the Mourne Mountains. See you all in 2022. I would also like to thank the Volunteers: Alistair, Rowan, Nicholas, Seamus, Robyn, Eva, John and Kyle and Damien from MI for his support and bringing Guidebooks. Finally, this would not have been possible without Jamie doing the IT work and Rónán, who knows a guy for everything!