St Kevins Bed area of Glendalough 27/7/14

Call Out 34: At 1450 today, Sunday 27th July, the Gardai alerted Mountain rescue to an incident where two men were reported to be in difficulty at the St Kevins Bed area of Glendalough. Members of the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team were in the area, they immediately went to the scene set up a rescue base and assisted National Park Rangers in launching a rescue boat. Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue team also responded with a vehicle and crew. The National Park boat brought Mountain Rescue team members into the area. Meanwhile team 4x 4’s were sent along the Miners road with spotters to scan the area thoroughly with binoculars. Two men were located taking refuge in the ruins of Temple na Skellig church on the South side of the Upper lake in Glendalough. The men were surprised to be asked if they required help as they were enjoying a nice afternoon out and a scramble across the St Kevins Bed traverse! So thankfully all was well and the Rescue teams were stood down at 1535.
The St Kevins Bed area is well known for being a moderate scrambling challenge. The traverse is fine for those who are prepared and skilled however back in the early 00’s , prior to the establishment of the waymarked walks in Glendalough, more than 25% of all calls for Mountain Rescue assistance originated from this area. The Spinc boardwalk has taken a lot off that footfall off the lakeshore to a safer and more managable area.