Wanderweg Walls
Wanderweg Walls
THE REDISCOVERY OF WANDERWEG JULY 2026
When Peter Britton and Colm Ennis died in the Alps in 2014, they left behind them a mystery: the location of their 2009 route Wanderweg. Beyond that it was somewhere in Crotty’s, no one living had any idea as to its whereabouts. Determined and repeated efforts made to locate it and repeat it proved failed completely. It is, of course, possible that their description was deliberately vague, in order not to encourage others until their explorations were complete. Or perhaps, not anticipating not being around, indicating where it was did not seem important. But, for whatever reason, matching the route-description to any bit of the rockface proved impossible, and it was only inspired guesswork that led to us climbing For the Fallen (named in their memory) so close to their line.
The three things that made locating Wanderweg so difficult were:
Firstly that there was no indication that the route started from a ledge, with a tier of rock below it. It was Colm and Peter’s usual intent to make their routes as long as possible - as with Ong Gong Arête and their insistence that a complete ascent of the backwall of Coumshingaun had to include the top tier.
Secondly, the stated ‘element of wandering’ does not match the reality nor the grade reflect most of the route (except the first pitch). This opened for consideration various scruffy possibilities.
But thirdly, and most misleading, was the prominence in the description of a chimney. This was the feature on which the searchers pinned their hopes for success. Much close scanning of the cliff failed to reveal any suitable candidate - for the simple reason that it is invisible unless you are standing on the ledge beside it (and even then one might debate the term for an off-width fissure behind a large flake).
It was then a matter of great surprise and delight to come upon Peter and Colm’s abseil point. Presumably, this was their high point on their first attempt, in ‘wet and greasy conditions’. With this fixed point, the rest of the route could be fitted into place. And a seemingly never-to-be-solved mystery of twelve years standing laid to rest. G. F.
KNOBBLY AND SMOOTH ROCK
In his introduction to the 1995 guide, Jack Bergin says that ‘because of the rough nature of the conglomerate rock, even the blankest sections might be climbed’. This is not necessarily true!
Those familiar with climbing in the Comeraghs will have come to recognize - perhaps unconsciously - that there are two, very different, surfaces that they might encounter:
a) Knobbly broken rock - where the parting has been around the pebbles, as described by Jack - happy days - and
b) Smooth rock - where the fracture has split through the pebbles, taking no account of their presence. These are the exposed faces of formerly-closed joints. Many - if not all - of these surfaces have a polished appearance, which indicates (to me anyway) that they are shear-fractures, albeit that the displacement was only on a very small (mm) scale. In addition, the removed rock being that which moved downwards, all the (often barely visible) overlaps face downwards i.e. exactly wrong for climbing. Such smooth shiny rock has very poor friction and is not easy to climb. G.F.
THE LIZARD BAY
THE LIZARD 100m E2/3 4c, 5c
Location: to the left [south] of For the Fallen, in the south-west corner of the coum, is an East-facing triangular face set up high in a hidden bay. The corner is at the left edge of this face.
To gain access to the bay, it is necessary to climb the 50m vegetated cliff that guards it. Rock-purists might baulk at this and instead opt to abseil in but to do this is to miss out on the full experience [and the tick] and would be like eating pudding without dinner first. (For more info. see The Jolly Podger)
Pitch 1. 50m. Work your way up to the left of the bay. The line taken by H.F. on the day was different to that taken by G.F. on an earlier reconnaissance ascent [unseconded] earlier in the year but the overall impression was the same: harder than it looks.
Pitch 2. 50m. 5c. Follow the crack between the detached spike and the wall with surprising difficulty for 20m to its apex. Continue up the overhanging corner with good protection. At top, exit right to avoid jumbled blocks.
H.Fogg[1], G.Fogg[2], Hh.Fogg, E.Miles. 1/8/2015. Cleaned earlier on abseil.
THE JOLLY PODGER 100m HVS 4c,4c, 5a
The thin-edged crack in the centre of the face to the right of The Lizard has a bold start leading to more-relaxed climbing.
1. 50m As for The Lizard. To gain the Lizard bay, start well to the left. 1a. An initial 10m of exciting climbing on vegetation leads to a more-level section. Traverse right to rock. Two cracks give protection to next ledge and a good belay at a chimney. It is not a bad idea to bring your second up to this point. 1b. Climb the right-hand edge of the chimney. Looking across to the right, a tombstone spike is evident. Traverse to this and on into the bay.
2. 50m Climb the edge of the flake, a sling at the top giving the first reliable protection. Hand-traverse the top of the flake to gain the system that leads on left and up until it finally overjuts. A belay in a little corner above this allows a good view and communication with your second.
G.Fogg, B.McConnell 13/8/2016 Cleaned 2015.
WANDERWEG WALLS
This East-facing wall is to the West of Crotty’s Rock and lies in the upper part of the coum.
THE WALK 85m E1 5b 5b 5a 5a 4c
Location: at the start of the ledge, above the unclimbed lower tier, that leads to Wanderweg and For the Fallen
1. 20m 5b Climb the system of square-cut corners to a stance at 20m.
2. 12m 5b Climb the corner between the smooth back wall and the block with the stepped overhangs on the right. (See note on smooth and rough rock). To top out, perhaps do not commit fully to the sharp-topped jammed flake, but use a hold on the wall above. The belay seat thus gained is exceptional for its comfort, spectacular position and prospects.
3. 18m 5a Climb the cracks in the face on left to the arête and ramp beyond. Go past the heritage tat of Peter and Colm’s abseil point and belay on the ledge above. On the right of this ledge is a very large but relatively thin flake. The gap between it and the back wall is perfectly smooth and offwidth. This is the ‘chimney’ mentioned in Wanderweg.
[From this point, having found Wanderweg, it was followed. Independent pitches may well be added later]
4. From chest-height, the broken top edge of a thinner flake leads out rightwards and up across the face of the flake. Follow this to gain a good crack that slants leftwards to the top of the flake.
5. 20m 4c Move right over woodrush to a crack near the arete. Climb this and follow the ramp beyond.
6. Scramble off or locate and climb the top pitch of Wanderweg.
G. Fogg, M Griffin. 7/7/2026 On sight.
WANDERWEG, HXS 5a, P.B. C.E. 10/10/09
First climbed in wet/greasy conditions hence an element of wandering.
[The location of this route remains a mystery, despite the best efforts, over the years, of those climbers who both knew Colm and Peter and also the climbing at Crotty’s. The most recent and determined attempts in 2025 failed to identify any features that could be matched with those described. A possible explanation is that the original assumption that their route lay in this area was wrong. The search continues.]
1. 40m Start at steep left trending crack, step right to delicately pull up onto grass ledge. Traverse left past detached block and ascend long grassy corner. Belay below an obvious chimney.
2. 20m Climb to base of chimney which is avoid by a traverse rightwards along an ascending crack and past some blocks until a left trending crack is reached. Climb this crack to top of chimney.
3. 25m Ascend a rightwards trending ramp to its end and drop into the grassy gully below. Move further down to the base of a wide crack near the right edge of the wall. Climb this to the end of the crack. Then leave the wall by moving to a steep slab around its right edge.
Ascend easily up the grassy gully to a level grass ledge. Walk leftwards to the base of an obvious well formed corner and crack system.
4. 25m Climb the steep corner past a chockstone. Move left, at top to clean vertical cracks between detached blocks. Climb the second crack from the right.
FOR THE FALLEN 100m E3 5a 5c 5a
From the Carrick to Lemybrien road, from a few miles away, on a clear morning, the Wanderweg wall shines out from Crotty's Lough coum. From the coum itself, it is the bare face, parallel to the planes of faulting facing east. We have not yet located this climb relative to Colm and Peter's Wanderweg and it is too late to ask, but we will sort that later.
This route was initially graded E2 but on reclimbing it, it is E3. The utterly superb second pitch is very exposed and sustained, with the crack offering only the most tenuous of jams. The new top pitch is that originally intended had not failing light intervened.
The scruffy first pitch is in no way as easy as it looks.
The initial 30m of rock was avoided by grass-scrambling to the left up to a ledge. Step right into a comfy vee recess. At its foot is a horizontal slot with a pool of water hidden in the rock.
1. 30m 5a. Climb the corner and follow the rising ledges rightwards to the apex, then make a difficult [even for the initiated] grass-pull up to a small rowan tree and grassy ledge.
2. 30m 5c. Both climbers should make a protected traverse left onto an exposed bare ledge with a charnel-house of bones [a casual count gave 15+ leg rings].
Start below the small corner formed by the attached slab of rock above but go left to middle of face and follow crack to left to narrow rock ledge with luxuriant cowberry [lingonberry to the Scandinavians] on left(only sighting). Step right and follow left slanting crack to blunt arete and up broken rock to grassy ledge.
3. 15m 5a. Climb crack near right hand side of face, from half-way up ramp. This is not hard until [again] the committing grass-pull exit.
4. 25m of easier climbing remains to reach the top.
H. Fogg 1,2[after G ran out of steam at top of crack], G. Fogg 3. 20/8/2014 Onsight.
Alternative and better 3rd pitch
3. 25m 5c. From left of the ramp, climb the crack to the highest point of the face.
H. Fogg, G. Fogg 2/9/2014. Onsight.
