Climbing Slieve Gullion

We have been having a very lazy time recently, flew home for Christmas and had a great time visiting friends and family. The ongoing list of maintainance jobs has been getting bigger and we spend a few hours snatched between bad weather to make a start on little jobs. So far we have touched up the deck paint and replaced the toe rail guard wires with one encased in plastic tube to isolate it from the steel.

Today however as the day dawned bright and fair, a telephone call from Jean Baptiste ( JB ) held an invitation we couldn't refuse, a walk, well more a climb really, up Slieve Gullion. A local peak we had been dying to get up for a couple of months. The recent snow also added a frisson of appeal so we filled a flask and booted up to accompany the "Soterias"

The plan was to climb to the south summit cairn from the upper car park past the forest park.

We started the walk from the lower car park as the road to the upper car park was closed due to the inclement weather ( read ICE ) so it was a couple of miles to walk through the pine forest to begin. We calculated we just had enough time to complete the ascent before dark with this added distance.

As we left the pine forest we could see the sea on the coast a dozen miles away. The visibility was perfect.

As we gained the top car park where the path leaves to climb to the summit JB and Besum caught us up having had to stash the car ( car park closed at 5 o'clock )

We began the rather steep and slippery climb up the heather covered hillside leaving the road behind.

The snow began to build up along with ice.

In places the path was surprisingly steep.

 As we approached the summit plateau, there were some lovely ice formations formed by the wind.

The view from the summit was spectacular however it became apparent that there was some weather approaching.

 Vicky, Soterias owner and Lynne, Dark Tarns owner at the summit trig point.

Lynne on the summit with ice formations and Mourne mountains in background.

Below the summit trig point is a cave where we retired to shelter and have a well earned " brew"

JB and Besum had carried up some wood and were determined to build a fire! It was very cold in the cave but also quite sheltered from the deteriorating weather.

The entrance tunnel would appear to be aligned with sunset.

As the time crept towards 4 pm it was decided that we should descend in order to get back to the road at least before dark, just then a snowstorm began and visibility got very much worse. We identified the descent path and everyone helped the girls down the slippery path, or held on to the girls to stop slipping, take your pick!

After an hour or so we had dropped down to the level of the road again and we stopped to admire the last rays of the sun as it set. Perfect timing!

So the crews of Soteria and Dark Tarn trudged back to the car in encroaching darkness and so ended a really nice day.