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Post details Post   (Contract pics)
Colin Murphy
2023-06-01 11:06:39
"A screengrab from the Met Eireann site" from Colin Murphy Contract pics
Picture: A screengrab from the Met Eireann site (Contract pics)

Met Eireann launches 10-day mountain forecast
The Met Eireann app now features a forecast specifically for hillwalkers and climbers, where you can access the forecast for a good selection of individual mountains in the different provinces. Apparently one of the main drivers behind this was Evelyn Cusack, who previously was the main speaker at our annual awards event. Perhaps we put the notion in her head! Anyway, coincidentally, Evelyn retires today after 42 years at Met Eireann. Wishing her a long and happy retirement and a thank you for the mountain forecasts! You can access the mountain forecast page here:
https://www.met.ie/forecasts/mountains-forecast
simon3
2023-05-10 21:47:23
"Stones tossed around on Seefingan" from simon3 Contract pics
Picture: Stones tossed around on Seefingan (Contract pics)

Serious damage to cairn on Seefingan, Wicklow
A hiker was on Seefingan on Monday (8 May 2023) and noticed severe damage to the previously mostlyundisturbed tumulus! Very upsetting. It's been reported it to the National Museum, Mountaineering Ireland and the Gardai in Blessington. They’ve all said they will investigate. It is thought that somebody was trying to discover/uncover the chamber inside, if that still exists.
simon3
2023-04-07 09:53:15
Trying out the Mobile/ Responsive version.
Here's a sample track to look at using the upcoming version

https://mountainviews.ie/track/4844/?RWD
simon3
2023-03-22 07:57:14
Glenmalure zig-zags route closed.
Very bad news here about an assault on a sheepfarmer, favourably disposed to hillwalkers but not dogs on his land. An Agreed Access Route has been closed as a result.

https://wicklownews.net/2023/03/famous-glenmalure-zig-zag-walk-closed-to-public/
Colin Murphy
2023-03-07 19:23:01
"Evaporation fog on the River Maine, Kerry" from Colin Murphy Contract pics
Picture: Evaporation fog on the River Maine, Kerry (Contract pics)

The foggy dew
When it comes to the fog and mist that we all encounter hillwalking, as regards the different types, most people haven’t, well, the foggiest. So below is a brief guide to the different types of fog you might get lost in. BTW the difference between fog and mist is merely density - in fog the distance you can see (visibility) is less than 1km, but in mist the visibility distance can be 1km-2km.

RADIATION FOG
This forms at night and dawn when there is no incoming radiation from the sun and wind speeds are low, so the air cools to the dew point under clear skies. If the ground is moist, it is easier for the fog to form near the surface becoming denser. In mid-winter in Ireland, where the sun is low in the sky, it may stay all day. It commonly forms in the dips with sources of moisture such as streams and rivers.

VALLEY FOG
Valley fog forms where cold dense air settles into the lower parts of a valley condensing and forming fog. It is often the result of a temperature inversion with warmer air passing above the valley.

ADVECTION FOG
Advection fog occurs when moist air passes over a cool surface and is cooled. A common example of this is when a warm front passes over an area with snow cover. It is also common at sea when moist tropical air moves over cooler waters.

UPSLOPE FOG
Upslope fog or hill fog forms when winds blow air up a slope. The air cools as it rises, allowing moisture in it to condense.

EVAPORATION FOG
Evaporation fog is caused by cold air passing over warmer water or moist land. When the warm water on land evaporates into low air layers, it warms the air, causing it to rise and mix with the cooler above. The warm, moist air cools as it mixes with the colder air, resulting condensation and fog over the ground.

FREEZING FOG
Freezing fog is composed of super-cooled water droplets - which remain liquid even though the temperature is below freezing-point. One of the characteristics of freezing fog is that rime - composed of feathery ice crystals - is deposited on the windward side of vertical surfaces such as you might see on trig pillars or cairns.
kernowclimber
2023-03-07 11:33:58
"Cornishman, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney" from kernowclimber Contract pics
Picture: Cornishman, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (Contract pics)
The Bude Light & Cornwall's Forgotten Genuis
I read Colin Murphy's excellent article on Thomas Drummond in the recent issue of The Summit with great interest. I would like to make one small correction. The inventor of the light to which he refers was Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875) and as he was born at Treator near Padstow in north Cornwall to John Gurney and Isabella Carter, this makes him a Cornishman despite Wikipedia describing him as an Englishman. Sir Goldsworthy Gurney has been dubbed Cornwall's 'forgotten genius' (Porter 1998). Indeed, he was one of the Duchy's most inventive minds, having studied the new Enlightenment science at Truro School.
After training as a surgeon, in 1820 he gave up his practice to travel to London to join the 'Chemical Revolution'. He was a contemporary of our most famous son, the engineer and inventor of the world's first practical road carriage and pioneer of steam railways, Richard Trevithick. Inspired by Trevithick's experiments with steam technology, Gurney went on to build a steam-powered road vehicle which successfully travelled to and from London to Bath at an average speed of 15 miles per hour. Gurney built several more carriages and opened a passenger service.
Two years after his move to London, he was appointed lecturer in chemistry and natural philosophy at the Surrey Institute. Whilst there he invented the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, a system for producing an intensely hot flame from a jet of oxygen and hydrogen. After experimenting with different substances, he discovered that a brilliant light was produced when the flame was played on a chunk of lime. This was limelight which was so bright that it could be seen almost a hundred miles away.
Gurney then invented the Bude Light to which Colin refers in his article. In 1830 Gurney leased a plot of land in Bude in north Cornwall and set about the construction of a new house to be built amongst the sand hills. The original house called The Castle is extant but has been extended. Gurney's Bude Light was created by introducing oxygen into the middle of the flame of a standard oil lamp. The unburned carbon in the oil flame burned incredibly brightly and an intense, white light was produced. He lit The Castle using a single Bude Light with a series of prisms and lenses running down the hallways and taking the light into every room. The Bude Light was patented in 1839 and illuminated The House of Commons and also Trafalgar Square, where replicas of the two styles originally used can still be seen. Gurney was knighted in 1863 for his public service.
aidand
2023-03-03 15:26:00
New maps of the Dingle Peninsula
East West mapping have published 3 new maps covering the Dingle Peninsula. They are at 1:25,000 scale. They include a lot of detail not listed on other maps. For example, they include the sites of 4 wartime air crashes on the slopes of Mount Brandon. These maps are well worth looking out for.
madfrankie
2023-02-27 20:01:27
"Game changer? The 183 bus." from madfrankie Contract pics
Picture: Game changer? The 183 bus. (Contract pics)

Bus route opens up possibilities
I recently became aware of a new local bus route, the 183 service that runs between Sallins and Arklow. En route it stops at places such as Blessington, Valleymount, Wicklow Gap, Glendalough, Laragh, Roundwood, WIcklow town and Rathdrum.
We decided to give it a try, parking our car at Vallymount and catching the bus (well, a minibus, €3 and on time) to Wicklow Gap, and walking the St Kevin's Way back to Valleymount. Not terribly adventurous, but no doubt there are more ambitious possibilities. Say for example a long tramp from Wicklow Gap to Rathdrum. And the service seems reasonably frequent, running four times a day in either direction.
For more info and timetables etc visit: https://visitwicklow.ie/listing/wicklow-town-glendalough-bus-service/
Bunsen7
2023-02-08 18:26:15
No serious sanction for quad bikers that dama
https://m.independent.ie/regionals/wicklow/news/judge-orders-young-men-who-used-quad-bikes-in-wicklow-mountains-to-carry-out-habitat-restoration-work-42333541.html
IainT2
2023-01-18 14:50:05
Irish runners doing well in Spine Race
The Spine Race is a 268 mile hill run up the Pennine Way (the spine of England), held every January and is one of the world's toughest ultra marathons. Irish runners frequently do well in it and this year is no exception. As well as the main race there are two shorter versions, the Challengers North and South, of 162 and 108 miles respectively, and men's and women's podiums for each. Irish runners currently have either won or look like taking 5 of the 18 spaces available, very impressive given the numbers involved.
Dublin's Brian Hutchinson was joint winner of the Challenger North, and there was a lovely moment when he and Tim Bradley touched the finishing wall together, having kept each other going overnight through the dark and very snowy Cheviots. John Murray from Dublin is up there at the moment, he and his French running mate having just overtaken their nearest competitors to get into 3rd place. Fiona Lynch from Tuam isn't far behind in 9th (2nd woman). In the main race Joe O'Leary from Kerry is currently in 3rd, with 50-odd miles to go, while Corkman Eoin Keith (one of the race's legends, having won it three times) said he would be "taking it easy" this year,but is still 14th. There was only one Irish finisher in the Challenger South, Yorkshire-based caving guide Steph Dwyer, but she did come in as 2nd woman, 10th overall. Conditions this year have been snowy and extremely tough, especially at the start for the Challenger South (only a third of the starters finished). All runners are tracked online and anyone interested in following the final stages can do it at Https://live.opentracking.co.uk - beware, dot watching is addictive!b


RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 .. 22 Next page >>
Forum: General
Met Eireann launches 10-day mountain forecast
Colin Murphy an hour ago.
The Met Eireann app now features a forecast specifically for hillwalkers and climbers, where you can access the forecast for a good selection of individual mountains in the different provinces. Ap...

  
Track
A very tough outing in Glen Etive
eamonoc 3 hours ago.
With the prospect of some good weather in Scotland headed up to Glen Etive, having previously climbed Ben Starav a few... walk, Len: 28.5km, Climb: 2901m, Area: Glen Etive to Glen Lochy (Britain) Bei

  
Summit Comment
Knockalla: Anticlockwise loop walk.
Wilderness 14 hours ago.
I parked in Glenvar in-between the school and church and accessed the hills by taking the lane which leads up to the cross and grotto. 26303525. I walked from the north east top to the liste...

Summit Comment
Bloody Foreland: Easy going walk.
Wilderness a day ago.
I parked in the view point car park at Point E. From here the best way to access this hill is to walk down the main road a bit , and then turn right up a lane that leads to a small transmitte...

  
Summit Comment
Tonduff: Some nice views, but unexciting summit
michaelseaver 2 days ago.
Climbed Tonduff as part of circuit that included War Hill and Djouce. Parked in Crone Woods and followed the forest paths towards Maulin, then cut across a boggy path to Tonduff East Top and ...

  
Track
Windfarm eases access
Colin Murphy 2 days ago.
Approaching from Belhavel Lough, Google Maps directed me up a badly deteriorated road – only drivable with care t... walk, Len: 9.2km, Climb: 532m, Area: Lackagh Mountain, Dartry Mountains (Irela|...

Summit Comment
Slieve Carn: Working Bog and Wind Farm
TommyV 2 days ago.
Having read the comments about the approach from the East side, I followed a warren of roads on the West side of the hill and ended up parking at M29230 89101. From here I followed the approa...

  
Summit Comment
Carranarah: Electric Dreams
TommyV 2 days ago.
Followed the route mentioned by three5four0. The lane appears to be quite overgrown in parts now, but it's actually easy enough to push through. There is an extensive network of electric fenc...

  
Track
Access via rocky trail
Colin Murphy 2 days ago.
Parking for a couple of cars at start point. Continue N up tarred road, and around a bend, watching for a stony track... walk, Len: 5.7km, Climb: 401m, Area: Benbo, Dartry Mountains (Ireland) Benbo||

Summit Comment
Bockagh Hill: Short but Hard Bag.
TommyV 2 days ago.
Took the approach mentioned by Fergalh. There is room to squeeze a car at the mast. Then head North up the road for a few hundred metres looking for the summit cross on the left. Once you see...

  
Track
Minneapolis: Minnihaha creek walk
Onzy 3 days ago.
Urban park in Minneapolis... walk, Len: 3.1km, Climb: 61m, Area: Unid, Unid () ||

  
Summit Comment
Mullaghanoe: Forest harvesting and mast compound
TommyV 2 days ago.
The route already mentioned seems to be the only logical way to approach this very bland hill. I drove as far as far as a forest barrier and even though it was open I still decided to walk fr...


RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 .. 22 Next page >>