Guestuser: Login or enrol?

CHOOSE in Belfast Hills Cairngaver Divis Slievetrue CHOOSE an area Achill/Corraun Antrim Hills Arigna Mountains Ballyhoura Mountains Belfast Hills Ben Gorm Mountains Blackstairs Mountains Bluestack Mountains Boggeragh Mountains Brandon Group Breifne Bricklieve/Curlew Burren Caha Mountains Central Dingle Clare Island Clare SW Comeragh Mountains Cooley/Gullion Croagh Patrick Dartry Mountains Dingle West Donegal NW Donegal SW Dublin/Wicklow East Coast Fermanagh/S Tyrone Galty Mountains Inishowen Iveragh Keenaght Knockmealdown Mountains Maamturks MacGillycuddy's Reeks Mangerton Mizen/Sheeps Head Mourne Mountains Mullaghareirk Mountains Mweelrea Mountains Nagles Mountains North Kerry North Mayo North Midlands North Wexford Ox Mountains Paps/Derrynasaggart Partry/Joyce Country Purple Mtn S Donegal/W Tyrone Shannon Sheeffry Hills Shehy/Knockboy Slieve Bloom Slieve Mish Slieve Miskish South Connemara South Midlands South Wexford Sperrin Mountains Twelve Bens West Limerick Wexford N Wicklow/Dublin Summit or area: Set min height for summits. 150m 400m 500m 600m ; Map of 150m+ Summits (clickable) - (Map Zoom) Local 150m+ Summits Divis, 478m   This session you have viewed Derrynafulla SW, Crenville, Cloonacool, Binn an tSaighdiúra, Baltinglass Hill, Slieve Snaght, Divis Users Online: wicklore Guests online: 35 Conditions and Info Use of MountainViews is governed by conditions. Hillwalking is a risk sport. Information about the site and about safety is here. Opinions in material here are not necessarily endorsed by MountainViews.   RSS Feed for Recent Items.

Belfast Hills Area Printable format Maximum height for area: 478 metres Summits in area: 3 OS Map(s): 15, 21 for all tops Set Area Map On     Divis Hill Antrim County Dubhais A name in Irish (Language) (Ir. Dubhais [DUPN], 'black ridge/peak') Height: 478 metres OS 1/50k Mapsheet: 15 for top Grid Ref: J28077 75480 Latitude: 54.611279 Longitude: -6.018467 ITM: 727998 875474 Prominence: 380m   Isolation: 15.1km For a long time dominated by a Ministry of Defence military zone, Divis was acquired by the National Trust in 2004 with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Department of the Environment NI. About 1 km W of the summit on Armstrongs Hill is the site of a cairn, which is named Carn Sheaain Bhuidhe (Yellow Johns Cairn) on the 1:25,000 OS map of Belfast City LGD. F. J. Bigger suggests that the Seán Buí in question was one of the O'Neill dynasty (Proceedings of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, ser. 2, vol. iv (1893-94, 105). There were several chiefs of the name Shane O'Neill. Although Divis and Black Mountain are nowadays perceived as names for two separate peaks, both are ultimately derived from the Ir. Dubhais [DUPN], 'black ridge/peak', Divis being an anglicisation and Black Mountain being a (loose) translation. The name Black Mountain is now applied to the lower peak which immediately overlooks West Belfast. This has given rise to another Irish form, An Sliabh Dubh, but it is important to realise that this a recent back-translation or re-Gaelicisation from the English form. Divis is the highest hill in the Belfast Hills area and the 522nd highest in Ireland. Divis is the most southerly summit in the Belfast Hills area and also the most westerly. Our data has reached 82% of the goal for this summit. (Details)     COMMENTS for Divis Page 1 2 Next page >> Picture: Looking across the slopes of Divis to the distant Mournes Expand pics.   Well kept hill near Belfast City Short Summary created by wicklore  5 Jul 2010 Divis can be easily reached from J 265 742 (Point A) which is the start of the access road to the summit. The access road is approximately 3 kms long with a climb of 100 metres ascent over the last few hundred metres distance. There are great views down into Belfast City and further afield in all directions to the Mournes, Lough Neagh, the Sperrins and the Antrim Hills. The summit consists of two masts surrounded by a double security fence sitting atop a much larger area of concrete. There is also a neat modern stone cairn overlooking the city and Belfast Lough. Cattle graze in the fields along the access road so keep dogs on a lead. Divis is remarkably well kept considering its close proximity to the city. Point A: J265 742 (turn area map On) Comment Rating (3.00) by cullens  4 Jan 2008 Coming from Belfast I have climbed Divis on several occasions. It is quite rewarding to reach the summit as you are presented with bird's eye views of the area in which you live. For those who love challanges I would not recommend Divis as a concrete path from the car park to the summit lines the gradual ascent and spoils the areas beauty. At the summit you are rewarded with bird's eye views of the city, Belfast lough and Scotland, on a good day, to the east. To the North you can see the beautiful scenery of the Antrim Plateu. To the South stands the summits of Donard and Commedagh above the summit of the nearby Black Mountain. The best time in my opinion to climb Divis is two hours at least before sunset in order to see the sun just above the Mournes on the horizon. Looking West you are rewrded with panoramic views of Lough Neagh in all its glory with the Sperrin Mountains dominating the far shore (Comment Rating 4.00) Your Score: Very useful <<  >>Average Picture: looking over belfast Expand pics. by gerrym  7 Sep 2009 I have been driving over the hills past Divis on my way to work in Belfast for the past 5 years and thought it was about time i paid a visit! Starting point is the new National Trust carpark (265742 (Point A)) at nearly 1000ft and with good information boards. The carpark was doing good business on a not great day and i met numerous people walking, running and biking on the way - great! There are a number of colour coded walks and a good map can be printed off at walkni.com. Cross the road to start the long walk along the road heading for the masts in the distance. Red and white metal posts mark the edge of the road - guiding traffic on its way to the masts and previously the military base on the summit. A National Trust building provides information and facilities on the way and a strong wind and a lengthy shower kept me company. Ignore the turn uphill for the time and head past the very large transmitter mast for Black Mountain. The path crosses bog on raised platforms and plastic tiles to reach the trig (293748 (Point B)) in just over 2 miles. Great views over city and lough, protectively ringed by the lower Belfast hills to the west and the Craiganlet hills to the east. Views also south to the Mournes and Slive Gullion and west to the Sperrins. Return to the steeper road ignored earlier which quickly brings the summit of Divis (3.5 miles and just over an hour). This has a large bare surfaced area which is presumably where the military base was - with some new masts being erected on a small area. A walk around brings extensive views in all directions - E over the city, belfast lough, strangford lough and to Scotland, S to the Mournes, W over the entirety of Lough Neagh to the Sperrins, watching jets land and taxi at the international airport and N to the Antrim HIlls - not bad i would say. Drop back down to the hairpin bend in the road where can drop E down hill to reach a track which heads north - beware cows tramp these parts and the ground is none to even. This passes a standing stone at the Trust boundary before turning west at 286766 (Point C) on a rough track across the bog. This circles back around the mountain over waht was very wet ground before reaching a track which comes back to the road and carpark. A walk of 7 miles and nearly 2.5 hours reaching the heights above Belfast and giving fantastic views over the city and alot wider. Busy in parts but quiet on the tracks to the north. Point A: J265 742 Point B: J293 748 Point C: J286 766 (turn area map On) (Comment Rating 4.00) Your Score: Very useful <<  >>Average Picture: The top of Divis showing the newly cleared summit area. Expand pics.   by Harry Goodman  19 Jan 2010 This is the hill listed in MV which is nearest to my home. When I was there earlier in the summer I was pleased to note that work was in hand to remove the high, rusting, metal security fence that had, until relatively recently, surrounded a military installation which was based on the top for many years. While it had been possible to walk around the lengthy perimeter of the fence and speculate whether, you may or may not, have passed over the summit this was far from certain. In view of gerrym's recent comment's that the summit is "now a large bare surfaced area" I decided earlier this week to go and have a look. I was very pleased to see that all the old security fencing has gone and has been replaced by a much smaller stand surrounding two communications masts. This is set to the side of the large cleared area which now encompasses the unmarked top of Divis. There is a well constructed stone cairn, over two metres high, at the top of the tarmac access road up to Divis, which looks out majestically over Belfast, North Down and Cave Hill, but this is some 150 metres from the summit and was built when access was denied to the top. I have no information as to who built it. Maybe the National Trust, or the many walkers who go to the top of Divis, may consider it worthwhile errecting a small cairn to acknowledge the "re-claimed" high point of the Belfast Hills. There is plenty of available material to assist any cairn builders. If Divis had a Trig. Pillar in the past it is no longer there. Although Divis is a strollers hill with excellent and easy access to the top the walk can be varied to add a little sparkle to the climb. Although I started at the car park J265742 (Point A) and walked up the tarred road to pass through a gate and then the track going off to the left (Tipperary Road) I decided about 1.5 k into my walk to take to the open hillside and make straight for the top of Divis across the open moorland to add a little spice to what was otherwise an easy ramble up a tarred surface. Once across the top I dropped down NW along an ancient, grass and sod covered raised stone ditch J279755 (Point D). I followed this down to cross a stone surfaced track (Tipperary Road) and then up to the small rise of Armstrong's Hill J269756 (Point E). From there I continued down W along the ditch to the boundary fence of the Natioal Trust property where I turned left and followed it back to the start of the walk. However be warned although the Boundary is marked as a walking route by the National Trust there is little by way of a path and it can be very wet and boggy in places. Since first writing this comment on Divis I have now been advised that the original Divis Trig Pillar has been located by the National Trust and plans are being made to restore it to its rightful place to mark the highest point on the hill. Point A: J265 742 Point D: J279 755 Point E: J269 756 (turn area map On) (Comment Rating 4.00) Your Score: Very useful <<  >>Average Picture: Stone cairn overlooking Belfast City Expand pics. A hill reclaimed by wicklore  5 Jul 2010 The walk along the access road to the top of Divis was pleasantly enjoyable as I had expected a ruined landscape. In fact the access road is neat, well maintained and lacking any litter. In comparison, other access roads to mountain tops are often littered, pot-holed and showing evidence of antisocial behaviour. (Kippure, Cupidstown Hill, Saggart Hill for example). The access road on Divis passes through attractive swathes of bog and fields of grass. It is a busy track with the many cyclists, joggers and walkers mentioned by gerrym much in evidence. There are several masts visible on Divis and surrounding land. There is evidence of site work with warning poles erected to limit high vehicles passing under electricity wires. Notwithstanding all these distractions I enjoyed the ramble of about 3kms along the road to Divis. Everyone said hello, and I was left with a great feeling about this hill. I got my first views down into Belfast, with the famous Harland and Wolff twin gantry cranes visible at the old dockyards. I used the map to locate some rather famous place names around Belfast, with Belfast Lough very prominent behind the city. I also enjoyed the views of Lough Neagh, the distant Mourne Mountains and the hills visible to the north. The summit, as described by Harry Goodman and others, retains the large concrete ‘floor’ that supported the military base of previous times. The reduced security fencing surrounding two masts could possibly encompass the high point. However I got a good GPS reading next to the fence on its NW side. The high stone cairn just to the east of the masts has a large stone in its base with a scratched message saying ‘Built ‘09’ with the names Jim, Tom, Freddie, Jean, Ned, Annie and Eric also carved into the rock. Whether these guys really built this large, neat and cylindrical monument is debatable, especially as many others have also carved or written names and memorials on the various rocks in the cairn. The summit trig pillar hasn’t yet been returned by the National Trust, and it will probably mark an important psychological reclaiming of the mountain by the people when they do. As I left Divis I thought of some of our Northern Ireland based MountainViews colleagues- Harry Goodman, Bleck Cra, gerrym, slemish, Trostan, three5four0 and pdtempan to name but a few, and I got a warm feeling of community and the shared love we all have for the hills. (Comment Rating 4.00) Your Score: Very useful <<  >>Average by Bleck Cra  20 May 2007 You know you’re approaching Newry when you get speed bumps on the tow path. Hello alex92 and ref your kind enquiry: the Cra has been indisposed of late, on account of an arrangement with the PSNI. Cycling on towpaths has been the way of it, but as Cra is entirely imagined, so are his clipped wings. Divis is named after the people who used to sleep on top of it. If you sleep on top of a mountain in trouble-striven Belfast, you are a divvy. So thanks to the crowd in combats. Good bye. Enjoy Iraq. Take a man, give him Irish grandparents, then send him to some anglophile hole like Edinburgh and what do you get? An expert on all things Irish and of course …… Republicanism. In the misguided cornmonger, Kevin Toulis’s genuinely bad book “Rebel Hearts”, by default, but accurately, he describes Divis as (and I paraphrase the fool idealist) grey and miserable. And it is. The meteorology of this hill and the other Belfast hills, in the queue, goes this way. Often when the sun would split the stones in the Belfast streets, the hills would kill any ingenu venturing into them. Does an Atlantic front pelt the bejasus out of Donegal, then what’s left of it empty out on the Belfast Hills, and knackered, flurry into the Irish Sea before it can subject Belfast to the last miserable drip? And so, Divis - accessible by driving virtually to its summit, which may be advisable given the milieu. It is not a challenge although it would be, from the Lagan up. Trot up a tarmac-ed track and see where divvy used to sleep. But better still, revel in fabulous bog flora and a bird’s eye view of the wonderful city - yep all of it. (Comment Rating 3.80) Your Score: Very useful <<  >>Average COMMENTS for Divis Page 1 2 Next page >> (End of comment section for Divis. Recent comments about other mountains below.) RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS Page << Prev page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 .. 42 Next page >> Summit Comment Sugarloaf Mountain: Shipwrecks and the French jackill a week ago. The Sugarloaf with its whitewashed pillar stands sentry over Bantry bay. The bay itself has seen the devils own share of history and tragedy. The town of Bantry was the place where an attempt t...    Summit Comment Little Sugar Loaf: Spirals three5four0 a week ago. Climbed Little Sugar Loaf after the ascent of Great Sugar Loaf, earlier that morning. Found the spirals cut into the rock on the summit, but not those on the north top mentioned by mcrtchly. New o... Forum: General CHALLENGE TRAINING CHALLENGE Bleck Cra 6 days ago. “The nimble and very lithe Bleck Cra”, according to a clearly disfunctional kernowclimber, (who incidentally avers that diamonds are not always a girl’s best friend - so.., you get my point), cont...    Summit Comment Great Sugar Loaf: Mad Dogs and Sugar Loaf three5four0 a week ago. Caught the 145 bus at the Dart station in Bray and followed badulake's description, as far as the GAA ground. From there I followed the road south first, then tracks & paths that swing right round... Summit Comment Glendoo Mountain: An ideal route for those using the Dublin Mountaineer Bus serv three5four0 a week ago. Climbed Glendoo Mountain by the paths starting from the car park in Cruagh forest. Continued over Knocknagaun and Prince Williams Seat to the Wicklow Way and back into Glencullen, to catch the Dub...    Summit Comment Luggala: A long, sublime approach route kernowclimber a week ago. Appreciating mountains isn’t always about standing on their summits. Sometimes it is just as uplifting to traverse their hidden glens, to follow the course of babbling brooks that meander through ... Forum: General Knocknamuck... Conor74 a week ago. ...don't know it myself but the OSI online map suggets its on the Tipp side, with the Munster River in the valley to the east being the boundary    Summit Summary Mweelin: A small effort, excellent views for all the family. Collaborative entry Last edit by: jackill a week ago. Park at the start of the tarred road at W14146 71751, room for 5-6 cars.Follow the very obvious gravel track uphill, passing through one gate to the summit trig pillar of Mweelin. Summit Summary Lackabaun: Got an hour for a stroll? Collaborative entry Last edit by: jackill a week ago. Park at the start of the tarred road at W14146 71751, room for 5-6 cars.Follow the very obvious gravel track uphill, passing through one gate to the summit trig pillar of Mweelin. Pass by the pill...    Forum: General Knocknamuck - Premier or Cat shaunkelly a week ago. Climbed Knocknamuck recently. It is listed as Tipp. I don't have an OS map for it but suspect it may be on the Kilkenny side of the border. Please confirm. Summit Comment Cratlieve: Beware the Dragon gerrym a week ago. Starting point is the attractive amenity site at foot of Slieve Croob (301453) with plenty of parking. This is already at a considerable height of 350m, making tops in the area an easy enough tas...    Summit Comment Slieve Croob: Viewpoint central! gerrym a week ago. Started this walk at Drumkerragh Forest (330460) which has ample parking. Walk back onto road and turn right past a white washed cottage, at the next abandoned building go through the gate , past ... RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS Page << Prev page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 .. 42 Next page >>