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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) | ||
| 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/ |
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| Colin Murphy 2023-03-07 19:23:01 |
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. |
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| kernowclimber 2023-03-07 11:33:58 |
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. |
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| 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. |
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| madfrankie 2023-02-27 20:01:27 |
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/ |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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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