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| General | Whatever you want to say that doesn't fit under the comments about places or another forum. |
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| Post details | Post (Contract pics) | ||
| Colin Murphy 2022-09-14 16:53:28 |
Easy country highpoint
Besides the likes of the Netherlands, Malta and so on, probably Europe's easiest country highpoint is Monte Titano in San Marino, at just 739m. Although that's a fair height by Irish standards, you can actually drive up to about 650m, that's if you can get parking, which is unlikely, especially in the summer. Most people choose to park somewhat lower down (around 500m), and walk up the zig-zagging streets of the capital, San Marino town, which eventually leads to a pedestrian only area. From there it's a climb up a wide, cobbled and tree-lined street, that's also lined with stalls selling souvenirs, to reach the highest of three towers (the centre one) on the ridge-like summit. Only when there do you get a sense of being on a mountain, which affords great views of the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region. The walk to the lowest tower - Torre del Montale (in pic) - is through woods and is the only section that gives any sense of being truly in the countryside. But if you're in the region, it's worth a diversionary hour or two to bag a country highpoint! |
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| Djouce 2022-08-16 18:52:48 |
Place Names
Do any readers know how the Devil's Punch Bowl beneath Mangerton got its name or who the Roger (of Roger's rocks on the West Pap) was? Many thanks |
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| simon3 2022-08-10 05:11:00 |
Re Crohane
So far as I am aware there are no objections to some smaller groups occasionally visiting the place provided they behave responsibly. There were objections to routes being published in a book however. |
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| Djouce 2022-08-09 20:01:53 |
Crohane
I am looking for info on access to Crohane. It has been excluded from MI's Irish Peaks book (2020) due to "access concerns". Does anyone have an update or more details on this? Thanks |
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| Colin Murphy 2022-05-09 15:24:58 |
Gathering 2022
A grand night indeed in the Lansdowne Hotel on Friday May 6, with renowned Irish and Scottish hillwalking author Anne Morrissey and mountain runner Richard Nunan the fascinating speakers. And then there were two years of awards to catch up with! |
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| Bunsen7 2022-05-03 15:57:24 |
Vartry Upper Reservoir Trail Closed due to le
A section of the scenic way-marked flat national trail looping around the upper Vartry reservoir near Roundwood, Wicklow, has been closed to the public due to the landowner withdrawing access. The relevant section runs along the perimeter of a paintballing business, effectively rendering the would-be loop trail completely impassable.Opened to fanfare in 2018 by none other than Leo Varadkar himself, (and then advertised on RTE's tracks and trails - by presumably some likeable man and his mammy) the route is sadly now blocked by a terribly impressive metal fence, which extends over the lake via 2 elongated wooden planks with a large piece of corrugated metal to boot. This fence is utterly impenetrable, I would be shocked if this was constructed by a council worker, definitely VAT and premium private sector rates charged on this bit of work. If you prefer a triathlon to a Sunday stroll, you could still access this section if you swim or canoe around, and good luck to you. Speaking to some local gents further along the way, the wholly unsubstantiated rumour circulating is that a (dog) walker may have suffered a close encounter with a paintball, which splattered paint onto the walker's coat. However, the walker alerted the authorities and the rest as they say is, well, in the pockets of the lawyers. [My detest of this trail closure is tempered by memories of newspaper reports on a recent legal case where a man shot himself in the eye with a paintball and was left holding said eye in his hand, and the reality that a sizeable number of would-be paintballers are Call of Duty computer game playing lads on Stags that might get a kick out of popping someone on the back of the head with their weapon.] Alas, signage at the trailhead is not very clear, and you can unwittingly find yourself caught out if unawares, so be warned. https://www.sportireland.ie/outdoors/walking/trails/roundwood-reservoir-upper-vartry-trail |
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| BleckCra 2022-04-27 14:56:15 |
STACKS AND STONES
Touring Ireland, always remember not "to start from here".Croagh Patrick? "Well, I wouldn't start from here." O'Connell Street? "I wouldn't start from here". The Atlantic Ocean? "Not from here." I have the Blue Stacks on the bucket list and have started from every wrong "here" .... there. Still, I am tracking them down - with a run out into Brown's Hill, Croaghanirwore and Croaghnageer; another, a loop 'round the Croaghgorm high range proper; and recently Binnasruell, Lavagh Beg and Lavagh More. Having checked out all the wrong "heres" for Carnaween, an imposing, rocky Ben on the range's Western flanks, I expect to start from one of them in due course. .... but then we run into placename etymology (a hobby horse of mine) and a busted stile before we even get started. It never fails to amaze me how placename translation into English is bad and so often very bad. Coming from airts where English and Lallan Scots are spoken but all the placenames are Gaelic or GalGael, I have been fascinated by placename etymology .... for... well ... ever. Don't start me with Carrauntoohil or Slieve Donard .... !! So the given for Carnaween is Carn na nEan from "bird" or "wealth" or some other concoction. Carnaneen is never going to be Carnaween. Into English, "meen" is high pasture. In Irish, lenition (or seimhiu) softens mathair to mo mhathair and meen to (pron) ween. If the translators could get their noses out of the library books and look at a map of Carnaween they would see meens everywhere. Some beginner Irish wouldn't go wrong either. Coming to mountainviews for some thoughts on an ascent, I discover an even more outlandish translation. "Cairn of the Hero". When there are tens of named high pastures staring you in the face, you do have to ask why - and I guess the answer is fiction is more exciting than fact. Hero or High pasture? No contest. Not a good place to start from - I definitely wouldn't start from here. Incidentally ..... Carrauntoohil - Toole or O'Toole's Cairn. Although to be honest, "Carn" is fine with me. Donard - High Fort or High Brown Hill (in context). That's it. No sickles, no saints. (Note - this is not a pop at mountainviews translations or mudandroutes/hillbagging (the bird theme) but at the whole procedure in general). I would welcome thoughts. Also available in Irish. |
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| Onzy 2022-04-20 07:47:45 |
MV 2022 Gathering!!
After missing a year, the MV Gathering is back! |
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| Bobbio1969 2022-03-25 20:37:55 |
Lon/Lat via Extra Details
Excellent, Simon, thanks very much. Loads of info there.Is there any way to persuade Lon/Lat to appear instead of, or in addition to, grid references in a list of summits, as in e.g. Arderins? |
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| simon3 2022-03-24 08:06:59 |
Re Unsatisfactory Irish Grid to Lat/Long
Bobbio, if you click Extra Detail for a summit, MV will give information such as this: Longitude: -8.085518, Latitude: 52.624451 , Easting: 194259, Northing: 152539 Prominence: 158m, Isolation: 1.6km, Has trig pillar ITM: 594209 652583 Note: instead of Lat/Long MV like many other websites uses Lon/Lat. Reason? To keep the form consistent between grid refs which always easting/northing with earth centred lon and lat. |
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