Equipment / Gear Reviews - (4) The New EastWest Maps - any good?

I have bought all three of the EastWest maps available at the moment, 'Wicklow Mountains West', 'Lugnaquillia & Glendalough' and 'The Dublin & North Wicklow Mountains' at a cost of €9.95 each. This is slightly more expensive than the equivalent Discovery Series OS maps which retail at €8.60 each but you do get a whole lot more map for your money. On a recent walk with my Hillwalking club I took both versions along for a test run and not being familiar with the route we were taking that day it was an ideal experiment.

Firstly the level of detail presented on the EW maps is impressive, the scale of 1:30,000 allows for a lot more detail than the 1:50,000 scale on the OS maps, however to balance the argument most compass roamers do not have a 1:30,000 scale making route planning, distance measuring etc. difficult. Yes you can get roamers at 1:30,000.

The EW maps are aimed more at outdoor enthusiasts than general mapping and the inclusion of many well known trails at last mapped is a welcome sight, often times when route planning from home in unfamiliar surroundings such information is very useful. Yes the OS maps have some trails marked on them but the level of detail on the EW maps is nothing short of miraculous. A nice touch is naming some of the more popular trails such as the popular Zig-Zags trail when approaching Lugnaquillia.

Another feature that I like is the up to date inclusion of forestry and associated trails. Often when walking you see a forest that is not on the map or vice versa, of course one should not be relying on these features for navigation purposes but for the recreational user this information is useful. The most beneficial element of the EW maps I have found is the small 'p' markers on the maps, referring to a small roadside lay-by for parking. Again for route planning this is extremely useful information and a big advantage over the OS maps as parking is a key issue for hill walkers and walkers alike.

So much effort, time and energy has clearly been expended in preparing the EW maps, features such as Cliffs, Crags, Scree, Rocky areas, Sandpits, Peat hags, Turf cuttings, Gorse and Undergrowth (to name but a few) have all been clearly and separately marked on the map. I am a nerd when it comes to maps and the more information presented to me the better, I love to sit down and look for interesting features, places of historical importance or natural beauty and plan on going there on a walk.

I do prefer however to have the OS map in my pocket on a day's hillwalking. While the EW maps are on water resistant paper I still feel they will succumb to a truly great Irish soaking and disintegrate accordingly, time will tell.

Overall I love the EW maps, they have all the information and more that I could possibly want and are clear and easy to read. I think I will still be using my OS maps for navigation purposes but I will certainly have the EW map beside me at home when planning the routes, spotting features etc.

Excellent maps and worth every penny

Rating 4.5 our of 5

Carrauntoohil - High times

I took on Carrauntoohil on the 25th June 2010 leading a group from the UK who were doing the five peaks challenge and attempting to do so within forty eight hours. Scott I had met while in Nepal where he first mooted this challenge to me and asked if I would like to do Carrauntoohil with them. I had never been up here before but I never let that stop me from exploring new horizons. Amongst the group of six walkers I was the only one with map and compass skills so I decided (in advance) on a route via Caher as I have heard the Devils ladder route has become quite badly eroded in recent times. I also had some selfish reasons in choosing this route as I wanted to tick a few more peaks off my list at the same time. (See summit bagging post)

We started at V 772 871 at the gate to the Hydro track. This track is a steep and punishing start having just jumped out of the car but it quickly warms the legs. Mercifully after maybe ten minutes of walking the track levels off as it turns South at approx V 777 868. The track continues with Skregbeg (573m) and Skregmore (848m) on your left hand side before opening up at Lough Eighter and revealing the full view of Beenkeragh, Carrauntoohil and Caher (assuming the weather is clear that is)

After another hop over a locked gate we crossed a flat marshy section of ground before climbing onto the spur that would lead us directly up Caher. We got onto the spur at approx V 776 857 before following it south-east all the way to Caher West top at V 789 840. The last 500m of the spur is steep but thankfully the ground is quite good so progress should not be hindered. By the time we got to the first of the three Caher summits we were dipping in and out of the clouds. The fall away from the West top when heading for Caher in the clouds can be a little worrying if unsure of your bearings so care is definitely needed, too far to the left and the ground falls away very steeply. The best approach would be to keep well to the right, we were fortunate however, just as I took a safe bearing the cloud cleared just enough for me to get an eyeshot of our target, a small gap in the wall, which seemed to settle the nerves of my fellow hikers.

The walk to Caher from the West top is quick, a small amount of uphill climbing remains before the third highest summit in Ireland at 1 metre above 1000m. The small cairn at V 792 838 is all that marks the top and as we were under some time pressure we did not hand around long either. The group had a tight maximum six hour full round trip which in normal circumstances would be fine, unfortunately one of the group hurt his leg on the final climb up Caher which changed the game plan. We had been on course for a five hour round trip before the unfortunate accident, luckily the injury was not too bad and he was able to use my walking pole as a support.

Crossing the Caher ridge to Carrauntoohil was fantastic, some of the scenery that magically appeared from the clouds was breathtaking, I took several opportunities to stop and get some pictures. There is a very noticeable track that leads across the ridge which makes navigation a lot easier. We were practically on the summit before we could see the cross marking it at V 803 844, the cloud and wind had really picked up during the intervening time, so much so that we only took a few moments to take a few pictures, recharge with energy snacks and took off via the same route home. It was three and a half hours from the car to the top but it was nearly all downhill on the way back meaning we took two hours to get back down, a very respectable five and a half hour round trip and a good start to the five peaks challenge for the other guys.

Summit bagging - the concept

The blog started long after I began climbing mountains in Ireland and so to catch up there is an element of looking back on mountains long since bagged in an effort to remember clearly the experience of same. Simply put I do not want to climb them again just for a fresh input for the blog.

Not long after I climbed my first mountain I came across the website MountainViews which introduced to me the list system, a system whereby all 1054 mountains in this country are represented within sub heading list. There are 8 separate lists located on the website as follows:

• 100 local
• County
• 100 rated
• 100 highest
• 600m
• 500m
• 150m

Clearly there will be an overlap on some of these lists but nevertheless the format that they are laid out in allows you to focus on one at a time, a much more manageable feat than trying to plan for all 1054.

Why bother? It is a question I have asked myself many times, the simple answer is I like order, I like having a goal in life and so I answer why not. Another view I have is that I enjoy the hills and mountains of this country, I love being out exploring all that this island has to offer and ticking a summit off the list is just another perk of an already fulfilling pastime. Some people say that peak bagging devalues the whole point of hillwalking, I disagree with this outlook, I think it gives me the motivation to keep going, to get out and explore in the first place.

I am planning on completing these lists over a long period, I have no time scale in mind and I don't want to rush the experience. The easiest and probably quickest one will be the 100 local, meaning the 100 peaks nearest to my home in Dublin. But I look forward to completing the rest over my lifetime.

First Carrauntoohil climb

On the 25th June 2010 I will be joining a group of guys from England who are doing the five peaks challenge for charity, the hard part being they have to do all five in forty eight hours. The challenge consists of the five highest peaks in Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. I know one of the guys (Scott) from our trip together in Nepal and it was there he told me about his five peaks challenge. He asked if I would be interested in leading them up Carrauntoohil as they are unfamiliar with the mountain themselves.

I am not a mountain leader (yet) but I instantly decided that it is something I wanted to do, I had to wait to confirm with Scott however as the same old doubts in my mind haunted me for a few weeks, what happens if we get lost? you have never been there yourself so what makes you think you can lead a group? I need to learn to have more confidence in my own abilities. Once I decide on a course of action however my confidence returns and I commit to it whole heartedly. Now I am in the planning phase where I will plan the route, route card, backup route on the GPS (just in case) and any other prudent safety measures.

I am excited about the challenge of climbing Ireland's highest mountain, it is something I have wanted to do for over a year now and finally I am going to do it. I have been left with the task of picking the best route for us up and down the mountain, the challenge being to get up and down as quickly as possible for the guys and as safely as possible for all of us. This is the first of their five peaks and so problems or setbacks here could jeopardise their entire effort. This will also be their longest summit, I estimate a six hour round trip.

The route I have chosen is the Caher route (follow link for more info) which I think will be the safest and easiest choice. I think it best to avoid the Devils ladder route which has become badly eroded and as a result dangerous, as well as the the Brother O' Shea's Gully route which requires some scrambling in places. As a side bonus we will also summit Caher, Ireland's third highest mountain so that is another two mountains to tick off the list.

Come back soon for more information and an update on the climb.

Laura & James climbing mountains

On the 23rd January 2010 Laura completed her first mountain climb, the modest yet very popular Great Sugar Loaf in Co. Wicklow. At just over 500m it is an average size peak, I think it stands at the 494th highest mountain in Ireland, but to get to the top for her was a fantastic achievement. Only seven months prior to that it had also been my first mountain summit and I knew then I would be hooked forever. It had been a harder climb up than I had been expecting, I had been feeling cocky and thought I would fly up to the top. I even went out dressed in a pair of jeans such was my ignorance to the mountaineering lifestyle. I try to remind Laura that the first one is the hardest, that they do get easier...rightly too she did not believe me.

Some time had passed and I thought she no longer wanted to come hillwalking with me. We planned to go out a couple of times but with my training for Nepal I guess the opportunity passed us by. I think it is more a confidence issue than anything else, she lacks confidence in her own ability and tells herself that she cannot do it, but then on the 22nd May we summited her second Irish mountain. Prince William's Seat on the Wicklow / Dublin border. It stands at 555m (a fact I neglected to mention to Laura before we set off that morning).

The heat of the day did little to help our efforts, it was approximately 23 degrees and felt every bit of it, this heat always makes hillwalking more difficult. We took our time however, I knew she could make it and make it we did, a few "I hate you's" were thrown into the mix but we got there. As is often the case once you get to the top of the mountain and see the panorama of views surrounding you, forgetfulness takes over and the ordeal it took to get there in the first place is a distant memory.

The views in all directions around us were breathtaking, on one side you have the Wicklow mountains and on the other you are overlooking Dublin and the Irish sea. The picture below shows Laura at the Price William's Seat trig pillar at 555m, in the background over her left shoulder is the previously conquered Sugar Loaf at 501m. Pushing your limits is something that at the time can seem impossible but afterwards so gratifying. I know Laura will agree with me.

Onward and upwards to our next mountain top....