Annalecka Buttress
This small buttress is only two or three minutes walk from the road. Although short, each route presents its own difficulties. Protection is mostly good apart from one or two routes which require confidence. The rock is a very rough granite with a high volume of quartz. Seamus Crowley discovered the area back in 2005 and developed some bouldering problems. Dave Flanagans "Bouldering in Ireland" has a couple of pages dedicated to the problems to be found here.
Note: Some of these routes may or may not have been climbed in the past but were never recorded. Please see [1] and [2]
Approach: Coming from Laragh take the R756 over Wicklow Gap and descend down the western side. Park on the left hand side just before the bridge for Annalecka Brook with white railings. Walk up the track until you see a St Kevin's Way signpost. Continue to follow the track around to the right for a about fifty meters. The buttress is down on the left hand side.
Google Maps crag location: https://goo.gl/maps/G9GU4AhfWkRQKeef9
Crag Coordinates: 53.053918, -6.423820
1. Picnic Basket VS 4c
Aodhnait Carroll, Danielle Rosenberg Polak 11/3/12
Gain the short crack and finish strenuously to the top.
2. Becky HVS 5a
Rob Davies, Debbie Davies 10/3/12
Start below the right hand of 3 diagonal cracks in the middle of the buttress. Using ledges and a good hand hold move up onto the small sloping ledge. Arrange gear in the left hand crack (good Cam and large Wire) then make bold moves on small holds to the top. A final good cam can be used to protect the final move.
3. Shannon VS 4c
Terrance Glancy, Aodhnait Carroll 14/1/12
Gain the short crack in the middle of the buttress and continue up to better holds then follow the deep crack out left and to the top.
4. Sixteen Mississippi HS 4b
Terrance Glancy, Aodhnait Carroll 14/1/12
Start as for Shannon. Follow the small right trending ledge for a bit then follow the crack rightwards to finish.
5. Shush Your Mouth S 4a (Not HS as topo shows)
Aodhnait Carroll, Terrance Glancy 14/1/12
A crescent shaped route. Gain the rightward trending crack and follow the left curve to finish. Well protected.
6. Mudhammer S 4a
Danny Kennedy, Marco Waddock 11/3/12
The deep crack is flared and dirty!
7. So Does Straight On VS 4c
Aodhnait Carroll, Danielle Rosenberg Polak 11/3/12
Start up the right trending crack and delicately make your way up to the fading cracks to finish.
8. So Sideways Works S 4a
Aodhnait Carroll, Terrance Glancy 14/1/12
Start as for So Does Straight On and follow the narrow ledge and cracks out right to finish.
9. There's Always a First VS 4c
Piotr Berlowski, Rob Davies 08/04/12
Start 1m left of "Becky". Move up and right on delicate feet with hands on the sloping ledge. Gain the ledge and step right onto the ramp with balancy move without hands. Traverse along the ramp and through to the right trending crack. Finish as for "Sixteen Mississippi". Bring many "friends" and keep your second in mind when arranging the protection.
10. Pesto Special HS 4a
Dave Gillard, Alison Gillard 25/3/12
If you nip around the corner to the right from So Sideways Works the crag reduces in height quite significantly, but there is one major line which really stands out. Gain the very obvious large niche/ledge by a slightly dynamic move before trending leftwards to reach the top.
11. Grand Canal (Shannon Direct) VS 4c
Piotr Berlowski, Natasza Berlowska 28/08/21
Start directly below the crack at the top of Shannon using sidepulls on delicate feet. Climb straight up to gain the ledge and then to finish as for Shannon. Only sketchiest protection is available until the bomber cam at the bottom of the ledge.
12. Skadoosh E3 5c
Dave Ayton, Caroline Harney Ayton 11/07/23
Climb direct to the right hand end of the obvious rising horizontal break. Good cams. Leave the gear behind and climb straight up to the highest point on the face exiting left. bold.
13. Move on E2 5b
Dave Ayton, Caroline Harney Ayton 12/07/23
Use a short vertical crack to get established standing on the horizontal break. Patter up the face to a jug at the top.
