On Good Friday a group of Beaver Scouts from the 3rd Westmeath Delvin Scout group headed to Wicklow in a bid to take on the mighty Sugarloaf Mountain. Having already taken on the summits of Westmeath and Meath, it was felt the time had come to take on a more challenging summit. After much debate between the leaders and Beavers, it was decided that the Great Sugarloaf offered the ultimate challenge for our group.

Standing 1,644 feet above sea level, our Beavers were struck with an eerie silence once this mighty mountain came into view as we travelled south along the N11. The mighty mountain towers above the small village of Kilmacanoque and because of its isolation it appears to stand much higher than its actual height. Nevertheless despite its awesome height, it failed to overwhelm our Beaver Scouts who eagerly disembarked the bus in order to get the climb underway.

Twenty-one Beavers along with six leaders set out on the climb which involved a great deal of scrambling as we made our final push for the summit.

It is only when we reached the summit we were able to realise the fruits of our labour as the whole of the east coast from Dublin to Wexford came into view. We could scarcely believe our luck as the sun broke through the morning fog to deliver a blue sky which allowed us not only to view the iconic twin stacks of Ringsend power station but also the spectacular beauty that is the gardens of Powerscourt. The Great Sugarloaf offers a fantastic view for minimum effort, however be careful on the descent as it can be tricky to negotiate.

With the Great Sugarloaf behind us but still bounding with energy our next port of call was Glendalough, where we were treated to several talks on history by a number of our Beavers. Alas it was time to return to the Lakeland County with our newly invested mountaineers.

Submitted by
3rd Westmeath Delvin Scouts