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Picture taken by member simon3 of the NW end of Illampu, part of the Cordillera Real, a range of Andean summits in Bolivia.
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SCRABBLER
MEMORABLE VIEWS
"…and do you do much mountaineering?" he said, open-faced and empty-headed. "Where…?" she asked. "Sure, back in Holland".
The above is an excerpt from friend-chatsup-Dutch-girl-in-pub. V.unsucessfully. Or there was "Yeah Honey, ain't it cool they made Ben Nevis so near the railway station. Or on the Slieve Blooms "It's amazing he walked all the way here." "Who?" "James Joyce."
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" ... Hill .. which must remain anonymous .." |
As a child, I was taught for a term or two by a wide, gin-swilling matron of the old school. Her night-time interest unveiled itself in vast day-time intakes of replacement fluid, unbearable gout and an ability to teach things entirely back to front. "Children - do we know which is the highest mountain in the world ……? Well it is Nepal - and where is it? It is in Switzerland." A tonic water short of the whole pack. My favourite, at least for the moment, has to be one related to me last weekend: there is a Hill in the Western Mourne Mountains which must remain anonymous to save some sensibilities. Perhaps suffice to say it is in the "Birdie" walk, comprising itself, Hen Mountain, Pigeon Rock, Eagle - and who knows perhaps also Cassowary and Flamingo, anyway ….. as follows. Confidently peeling a large banana, she proclaims "You know the thing is, when you're on top of [this mountain's name], it's never as big as you thought it was" - and said without a hint of disappointment. And finally, in response to last month's Scrabbler, the irrepressible Wee Davie, thank God, on fell runners and lost causes, describes a hilltop encounter with Paul Gascoigne's under-15s predecessor, who has been running ever since Gazza usurped him. And back to Holland, Davie escorts 2 exhausted, fat Netherlanders off the Highlands "The byook eet say Scottish mountains is very like walkings our own canals".
[Ed for those new to MV, every time said Hill is mentioned in this newsletter, whatever about sensibilities, we get dozens of corporate mail filters returning mail with a chorus of admonition about indecency.]
Your comments or suggestions to The Scrabbler.
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WALKS SECTION
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Pigeon, Slievemoughanmore, Rocky Mountain Circuit
gerrym has included this horseshoe route in the Mournes.
 gerrym on More than just a Pigeon fancier!
Overview This is a walk in the far west of the Mournes taking in the seven hills surrounding the Rocky River valley. For me this walk is not about big hills - it is about continuing to explore and find something different in an area that i have been visiting for over 15 years. This i did and had a really enjoyable day - finding distant views, new perspectives on often visited hills, what loo ... Click here
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Crockalough Cliff Walk, Donegal
Right up on the northernmost coast of Ireland experteesLtd has put in this 10k cliff walk.
 experteesLtd on Crockalough Cliff Walk
Overview A Linear coastal walk from the ‘Wee House of Malin’ to Glengad, with dramatic cliff scenery, sea stacks and views of the Garvan Isles and Inistrahull to the north. Probably the most remote, and finest coastal walk in Inishowen. Approaches From Derry to Carndonagh, continuing north on the R242 to Malin Town. Take the Glengad road east and leave a car about 1 km beyond Glengad, o ... Click here
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Walkers Association Items:
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This month there are a number of Walkers Association Items which we have grouped to gether as we expect they will be of interest to many MV members.
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General Meeting of WAI - Sat 20th September 2008
Just over a year on from its inaugural meeting the WAI (Walkers Association of Ireland) is holding its first general meeting on 20th September 2008.
The venue – to be confirmed – will be in the Dublin area.
The purposes of the meeting are
* to review what has been achieved so far
* to involve walkers in other planned activities, for example, the photo group and the holiday group
* and to agree the future structure and a renewal mechanism for the WAI organization
And there will be an entertaining talk by a guest speaker.
All walkers are welcome!
Watch out for further details at
www.walkersassociation.ie
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Modern Navigation Course
The WAI are planning to run another Modern Navigation course most probably on Sat 4th October in the Dublin or North Wicklow area. The draft program includes use of OSI Trailmaster and will have a practical section in the hills with GPS units. When there are more details they will appear on the
Walkers Association Website
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Walkers Association: Challenge Walks Calendar.
The Mourne Sevens (9th Aug), the Marathon Walk Western Way (9th Aug) and the Burren Walk (23rd August) are coming up this month. See all at
Challenge Walks Calendar
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Hill Damage by Bikes and What to Do About It - Ena Rafferty (Wayfarers Association)
Why has there to be terrible damage done to sites of great importance in Ireland before anything is done to protect them?
Full article
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Space on Pyrenees Trip - Interested in going?
The Walkers Association is pleased to pass on this information about Walking in the Pyrenees with Louis O'Donoghue (Irish Ramblers Club) 10 nights Friday 26th Sept to Monday 6th Oct.
This trip is suitable for experienced hill walkers.
More Info
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Mountain Photography
The Walkers Association has created the first version of a gallery for photography.
You can enter pictures into this - at a later stage the WAI will have a competition for entrants.
Pictures must be of mountain and hill interest, should include a comment about where they were taken etc. They can be of any mountain area, not necessarily Ireland.
the Gallery
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Recent Contributions and News
The injustices in hill golf
CaptainV tells of the cruelty of cutbacks visited upon a glorious vision.
Warning: as with Bleck Cra's contortions this piece requires you read the thing at least twice. Loved the bit about "an Airgid Yanki".
 CaptainVertigo on All These Highs n Lows
The sight of young Harro shaking his sore wrist at the Open made me leap from my seat and slam the door behind me. I mean “Come off it, Harro! Whatever bit of damage I did to your precious wrist on Corranabinnia last week was NOTHING compared to what the Government did to me!” I had spent years working on the Mountain Golf Project as Chairman of Comhairle Gailf na Sleibhe. Our vision... Sheiks, Ya ... Click here
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OSI Trailmaster going online, including for Northern Ireland
OSi Trail Master, the popular interactive route planning software for hill-walkers, climbers, cyclists, tourists and outdoor enthusiasts is going online. The new online service, to be launched in August 2008 and run by Star-APIC will provide people with the ability to download maps of Ireland, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and in the coming months Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.
Info on WAI site.
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Another way of reaching Benwiskin
 gerrym on Benwiskin
The dramatic profile of Benwisken seems to have been overshadowed by the difficulties over access. These difficulties where very much in mind when planning a visit to the the plateau, from which Benwisken extends northward. I approached from Glencar - taking the opportunity to walk along the line of hills and cliffs to Kings Mtn and Benbulben on the way. A late start necessitated an overnight camp ... Click here
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Where's the adventure in Ballynatona?
wicklore has started to describe many of the less well known bits of Wicklow ( & Mournes & Sheeffrys )
 wicklore on Ballynatona
I was tired and sunburnt when I parked at the forestry track and barrier at O 045 147 to bag the last of Sundays 6 Hill target list. I followed the track for a few mins before turning right and striking my way bravely into the Blair Witch forest. I calculated that I would reach the summit in 15 minutes. Despite the forest's best efforts I emerged scratched and gasping 25 minutes later. A lot of ti ... Click here
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Weedavie on Access
Irishmen and women awake! Your birthright’s being trampled on and the hills are free no more! Ah, so there we go then, a scenario from any time in the 18th century. I’m a foreign agitator with the loosest idea of the facts trying to get a native rebellion under way. Well the French used you and let you down and so did the Spanish. Now it’s the Scots, but, hey, I’ll be with you in spirit.
More here ...
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Monster trig pillar spotted
Members Harry Goodman and csd climbed this one during the month - seems it's nothing spectacular unless you are an afficionado of microwave repeater masts.
 Harry Goodman on Wolftrap Mountain
I climbed this hill as part of an evening walk over Arderin and Stillbrook Hill. It is an easy ramble up and down in twenty minutes on the eircom acess road MR N 266 040. The top is crowned by the highest survey colum I have seen in the irish hills. By all means visit if in the area but do not go out of your way to "climb" this hill. Click here
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Touch of ropework on Fauscoum.
 Al on Fauscoum
Having had a scary experience on a gully scramble in W Cork described in the book "Munster's Mountains" i was keen to find out how the coumshingaun gullies would fair as described in the same book so i headed out with the father figure saturday 19/07/08. The car was parked at a layby where the Ira river flowing down from the coum crossed the clonmel-dungarvan road, S350115. 45 minutes had us at th ... Click here
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Sinless bagging?
pdtempan reassures us.
 pdtempan on Kirikee Mountain
It seems from several of the comments on this page that some of you feel guilty about bagging a summit with such a great view as Kirikee with so little effort. So specially for those members, I can recommend the following guilt-free route from the SE. We walked all the way from Rathdrum hostel, but equally you could start from Ballinderry if you have a car. The route through the forestry was qu ... Click here
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Newcomer three5four0
has ranged around the island with some interesting trip reports. This one is on Inishowen, right up at the most northerly parts of Ireland.
three5four0 on Mamore Hill
After being rained off on a stormy day several weeks ago, we returned to complete the Raghtin More - Urrishills ridge, this time starting from where we left off, at the car park above Mamore bridge. The track up to the col was of the usual soft type, but quite good despite that. There was however an unusual amount of clegs, forcing the better half to quickly change from her shorts to trekking pant ... Click here
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Best newly described summit
Gorgeous photo too.
 gerrym on Kings Mountain
A great way to reach Kings Mountain is via the heights above Glencar Lough. Parking next to the lough at a small carpark (758437) a short walk brings a road heading steeply uphill (757436) through forest. This corkscrews it way up 200m above the lough in the small space between the lough and cliffs and offers tantalising glimpses of the water further and further below. The track enters open hillsi ... Click here
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An interesting route up Tonduff, Wicklow
 padodes on Tonduff
Tonduff is usually described as a dull, unexciting top, but a good approach can make amends for that, and the rugged Ravens’ Glen offers at least three of them. (Ravens’ Glen is the name given in the Harvey Map, though not in the OSI, to the little valley that some glacier chewed out of the eastern side of Tonduff. It lies within the square kilometre that has O 170 130 as its lower left-hand corne ... Click here
Read also Cormac_L's comment on this route "Word of warning to those using the wall route, along the northern side of the Raven's Glen, to climb Tonduff."
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Mullaghareirk Mountains - more
Last month we had the first comment recorded for any summit in the Mullaghareirks, a group of seven in north west Cork. john_desmond has included a couple more including one for Knockacummer which someone felt had enough of a view to put a trig pillar on. But that was before the trees!
 john_desmond on Knockacummer
Knockacummer can be aproached easily from the North. From the R576, turn off at approx R246 152 and drive South for about 600 metres on a tarmac road until it ends in a small junction. There is limited parking available here. Take the left hand fork and follow the obvious forest track. About 100 metres West of the the sharp bend at R256 139, you can take a short cut by going left and South for abo ... Click here
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Wicklow area Mountain Rescue Fundraising Walk - follow up
The Wayfarers organised a selection of hillwalks in Wicklow on 12th July in aid of Mountain Rescue. We are informed that twenty took part on this inaugural event and around 1000 Euro was raised.
The Wayfarers have expressed an interest in having other clubs or groups consider helping in the organisation of this event in future - so what about it?
More Info Here on the WAI site
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Sorry if I didn't mention what you posted .. there's a list of all contributors for the month later.
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| Site notes |
If you can set-up your email to get web-format ("html format"), you should be able to get more out of this newsletter. Previous Newsletters
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| Getting a map on your GPS. |
Would you like a map on your GPS so that you can visualise summits, contours etc? Well, depending on whether you have the right sort of GPS and your willingness to do a bit of uploading, we may have the answer.
 simon3 on GPS for Ireland, article, download.
Currently MV provides GPS information in the form of waypoints that indicate the summit positions of all of the mountains in our list. While better than nothing this still does not use the full potential of GPS units . Essentially these can show maps and points of interest. There is no commercial product for GPS units at present, however we are pleased to announce the results of various communi ... Click here
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This month.| We welcome the following new members who enrolled this month. a04bf55e, ailishslack, aixplorateur, aizkomendi, Al, alina111, alpwhite, am, angieknox, arcadio, archiescreek, ashimmons, astrid, awjcwjs, axeshack, balbo, bambs, barry1, barrycrowley, basdeboer, BenBowe, Bernieor, bianca, Big-Foot, Bobthebarbour, bourkeji, boyleb, brandon1, bredamcs, Brendi0176, britta, bunty, Cabaal, callaghanrusty, Captainpat, caver68, Cfhatsquirrels, chiefwes, chrisoc, ciaram, clarkie, coholana, conorc, coosheen, danny, dans, DaveX, davidblake, ddfcw, DeclanC, delcarraig, Dougal, dp_burke, duffyfj, dunleavy, eimear, Endor, eodwyer, Eraserimp, Fear-leisciuil, flhut, Frank12345, fseigneur, gdobbs, Gerlah, gipo, glanteenassig, gmcg, gmcguirk, gonzo, grandbert, Gremlin, grizzlywolf, hammer, hardypete, into_the_wild, Ipcress, jaklaudek, janetvet, jayphill, jenny, jerome-gyves, jm, JoannaS, johngfitz, julien, kane, KapKremmen, KarenL, kathyclegg, kenp, Kilkenny1, kincanons, kjskathryn, knowotar, korvin, lazing, lenno, leonc, Linda, Ludo, mabel, Mac4, maco, madalena, Maeve1982, markm, martina75, martingallagher, martinlynch, martinmcverry, mcgon, McVitites, medic143, meeko2, merve, mickosullivan, mikehayes, mikieconn, morleyt, mountainman34, mrmmrm, msherid, nige, nkavanag, northeast, nynkevdv, od990, ollieglee, orangebar, orladeane, oshead, paddyscot, padraigkelliher, paudy1974, Paulmci, paulpcarroll, PaulRevere, pawel_a, peterkerry, polly28, quarryman, rdowling, rgcarson, rhickey, riaan, richard_hennessy, RobinPercival, rodge, rossbeighed, router, shamstanley, shane-dav, shanem, shaylydon, sineadskrba, skydiver, slievegullionwhe, smyth87, sog1, sonandheir, spd, spoon, Steffi, stevebond, steven_kok, stucktree, sull, Thylacine, Token, tommymr, tomoro, TomRea, tzagozdzon, vb, VertigoBob, vinceu, walk-talk, walker21, warspite, wmctiernan, wmullen, wmullen1, xxxpipxxx, zedlomania (185) |
Our contributors to all threads this month: Al (2), Alex92 (1), CaptainVertigo (1), Colin Murphy (4), Cormac_L (1), Harry Goodman (3), Michael McA (1), MickHanney (1), Moac (1), PaulRevere (1), Peter Walker (1), Thylacine (1), VertigoBob (1), csd (2), eflanaga (1), experteesLtd (2), gerrym (4), hillwalker59 (3), john_desmond (2), madfrankie (2), mcgon (1), oakesave (1), padodes (1), pazapas (1), pdtempan (3), simon3 (3), three5four0 (10), wicklore (13)
and Contributors to GPS information this month were: csd (2), john_desmond (18), madfrankie (1), simon3 (7)
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There were comments on the following mountains Anglesey Mountain, Ballynatona, Bartonny Top, Baunreaghcong, Benwiskin, Binn Bhán, Binn Ghuaire, Carriglineen Mountain, Cnoc na Searrach, Cratlieve, Crenville, Croagh Patrick, Crohan West, Eagle Mtn, Fananierin, Fauscoum, Kings Mountain, Kirikee Mountain, Knockacummer, Knocknagun, Knocknalougha, Lugnagun, Lugnaquillia, Mamore Hill, Mount Leinster, Mullaghareirk, Mweelrea, Owenreagh Hill, Pigeon Rock Mountain, Prince William's Seat, Ridge of Capard, Shanlieve, Slieve Binnian, Slieve Binnian North Top, Slieve Carr, Slieve Commedagh, Slieve Donard, Slievecorragh, Slievemartin, Slievemeel, Slievemeen, Slievenisky, Tawnyard, The Ravens Rock, Tonduff, War Hill, Wee Slievemoughan, Wolftrap Mountain and these walks were created Crockalough Cliff Walk, More than just a Pigeon fancier!
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Thanks to all 556 who have ever contributed (including summits, forums and routes)
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| The five who have contributed most to the site are simon3 (451), csd (235), jackill (147), Bleck Cra (131), gerrym (130). |
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Summary.
MountainViews now has 2864 comments about 607 different mountains out of the total in our current full list (840). We need more comments, better comments and more balance for every summit as our rate for "data completion" now that the 400m summits have been added is currently around 35% There's plenty (233) of opportunities for you to be the first to comment on a summit. Listing summits in "Lists & Logs" (tick MV completion information) allows you to see what information we need to get more even coverage. |
Notices| If you are contributing, please be careful to respect the interests of landowners.
Suggest access routes well away from houses, gardens or that could conceivably impact farming activities. When walking, keep away from gardens or farm buildings. Use stiles or gates wherever possible. Never do anything that could allow animals to roam where the farmer did not intend. |
If you hear of a problem area or route, write it up in MountainViews
which does everyone a service.
Report rubbish tipping in the Dublin/ Wicklow area - ring PURE 1850 365 121
Report quads in national park area (in which they are banned). For Wicklow please phone the Duty Ranger: 087-9803899 or the office during office hours Telephone: +353-404-45800. Put these numbers in your phone, take regs etc. Let MV know of contact numbers for other areas. |
| If you have climbed some of the less well known places, we would appreciate a mountain rating.We could use your help in making ratings for the unrated mountains which you have climbed, such as: Cnoc Onna, Hangmans Hill, Croaghmeen, Croaghbrack, Shaking Rock, Cloghervaddy, Crockalough, Balix Hill, Commaun Beg, An Leathchruach and some 4 others. and also GPS readings for summits. |
| If we can, let's make MV have more than one route up a mountain so as to reduce the tendency for paths to appear. Your grid refs in comments for different starting points show up on MountainViews maps. |
| This newsletter |
This newsletter is from Simon Stewart for MountainViews
Homepage:
www.simonstewart.ie |
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