Maamturks

From Irish Climbing Wiki

Mám Ochóige

Location - The crag is at grid reference L 876 532 near Mám Ochóige one mile from the road. on west flank of col between Knocknahillion and point 2305, below and west of lake on the Maamturk ridge The crag is not too high up and often in the sun. It gives a good alternative to Binn an tSaighdiúra.

Approach - The crag is about a mile from the road and visible from the road up a short valley. The crag is steeper than it looks. The obvious feature is a large wall about two-thirds of the way up, above a ledge, reached by a traverse from the left. Better routes would be possible approaching and climbing the wall more directly.

Deceit and Deception 189m S
T. Kelcey, Fenner (alternate leads)
Start at base of crag under steep short wall 24m. to the right of prominent overhang and massive detached block.
1. 24m. Climb wall, trending leftwards, then finishing rightwards on heather ledges. Peg belay.
2. 30m. Scramble up heather and loose ledges in a faint gully, beneath an overhanging wall. Nut belay.
3. 39m. Climb left-hand side of overhang, then one above, move left to second overhang, then rightwards up a slab onto heather ledges. Continue up easily to a triangular heather ledge in a corner. Peg belay.
4. 24m. Traverse delicately right on brittle holds across to heather ledge beneath large steep wall which is main feature of crag. Flake belay.
5. 30m. Move up fingery wall to left of overhang, then move left, up to a detached block, then rightwards diagonally up to a ledge. Peg belay.
6. 42m. Continue up to top of climb on heather and rock outcrops. Scramble to finish.

The next climb goes directly up the best parts of the crag and gives a good solid clean VS, apart from a chossy approach pitch. The crag is often in the sun, not too high up and only a mile from the road down a pleasant valley. It is probably a good alternative from the Ben Corr routes.

From Apathy to Paranoia 133m VS
T. Kelcey/J. Wheaton (alternate leads)
Start at the slabs 10m right of the obvious pinnacle/detached block on the left side of the base of the crag.
1. 45m Climb pleasant slabs for 15m onto heather ledges, then scramble up into a gully and ascend this to where it ends at the foot of a leaning wall. Nut belay (end of pitch 2 of Deceit & Deception).
2. 15m (4a) Traverse diagonally up right through awkward steep rock onto an obvious heather terrace below an overhanging wall. Enormous obvious spike belay.
3. 30m (4a) Cross the overhang on good holds 3m left of the spike. Continue up on clean steep slabs to the long horizontal wall. Flake belay (end of pitch 4 of Deceit & Deception).
4. 43m (4b) From 3m right of the belay climb straight up the wall to the right hand end of an obvious downward-pointing overlap. Flake crack Friend runner. Go awkwardly over a slight bulge to reach good holds and then continue up exposed but less steep clean rock to ledges. Peg belay. A spectacular pitch. Scramble up to the lake above to finish.

Note: the following two climbs were first published in New Climbs 1982.

Dallamollóg 127m VD
Nick. Lynam (1), L. Convery (2), J. Lynam (4). 8.5.1982
Start from the grassy platform just left of the lowest point of the crag. This appears to be about 30m right of the start of Deceit & Deception.
1. 40m Climb straight up slabs to a big heathery ledge, the difficulty increases with height.
2. 27m Climb up behind the belay to a ledge. Climb the overhang and continue up mixed rock and heather to the big grassy bay in the middle of the crag.
3. 30m Traverse easily right across the grassy bay and walk right along the grass ledge below the overhang as far as an obvious weakness.
4. 30m Go up right on doubtful flakes for about 5m >From underneath a wall go left up a little slab which brings you out above the main overhang. Continue up a rib on good holds until it peters out under good vegetation. Scramble up to a ledge and block belay. Scrambling leads to the top of the crag.

Lazy Bed 88m HVS
A. Macfarlane (2), D. Stelfox (1). 28.5.1989
This route takes a more or less direct line up the middle of the crag between From Apathy to Paranoia, Deceit and Deception and Dallamullog. Start by scrambling up to the bottom of the second tier of rock in the middle of the crag.
1. 40m, 4a. Straight up a series of short tiers interspersed by heather ledges to belay at a small recess below a steeper wall.
2. 48m, 5a. Up wall on good holds to heather ledge. Up to bottom of small overhanging roof with good 'Friend' runner in horizontal crack, below bulge. Up over bulge on good incut holds to final easier wall. Scramble to top.

Some slabs on the side of this hill facing the Lough Inagh road are about 30m high and provide some problems of Diff. to VD standard. Many other long easy routes have been made which verge on scrambling. So new route claims on the central section of the Turks should be treated with caution.