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The Summit

MountainViews newsletter for guestuser

July 2019

HILLWALKING
NEWS - INFORMATION - RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS - FEATURES - FORUMS


  International PIC OF THE MONTH

NORTH, SOUTH, WEST, EAST, ITALY, Route ideas and places to go.

Challenge Walks Lug Walk report and much more.

Donating to MountainViews MountainViews needs funding.

Hillwalking and Climate Change Start of a discussion.

Tough Soles announce Waymarked Way maps Great use of modern, free tech benefitting walkers.

One video featured this month. gerrym

UPCOMING EVENTS for HILLWALKERS

MOUNTAINVIEWS: Hillwalkers' Events

MOUNTAINVIEWS MEMBERS MEETUP WALK SUMMER 2019

The next walk is scheduled for Saturday 17th August 2019 and will be the iconic Eastern Ridge of the Macgillycuddy Reeks in Co Kerry.

Around 12kms and almost 1,000m of ascent.

A good head for heights and a high level of hill fitness will be required for this outing.

Ascending Cruach Mor, crossing the Big Gun continuing along the ridge to descend by the Zig Zags.

We will return to Killarney for a post walk meal, chat and liquid refreshment. There are lots of accommodation options and attractions in the Killarney area for non-walkers if you plan to stay and make a weekend of it.

If you are interested in joining us and would like further details please contact Liz at elizabethashton2014@outlook.com


Photo: Muzag. A previous MV group on the ridge to the Big Gun and from there on to Cnoc na Peiste (988m).

MOUNTAIN MEITHEAL: Mountain Meitheal are keen to find more people to help.

Mountain Meitheal make practical repairs to some of the more popular areas we walk on, using a voluntary community based approach. (More information at their website.)

 Picture of the month

The Eastern Pap looking towards the Western on a clear day.

For original summit, click here.


Photo: magnumpig

International Pic of the Month

Pico de la Fuente Nueva is the second highest point on La Palma in the Canary Islands. Look at this stunning pic from mcritchly and you won't be surprised to know that the largest optical telescope in the world is based near here.

For original track, click here.


Photo: mcritchly

Regions: MOUNTAIN COMMENTS - TRIP REPORTS - TRACKS - SUMMARIES
In short: Discovery

Featured Track of the Month
Sad but old sights on a mountaintop.
Somehow tearing himself away from the charms of the Wicklow Mountains, simon3 has rocked up in the Dolomites and has uploaded several tracks which outline the 'slight differences' between the two regions. This month's selection is a tremendously varied outing offering wartime remnants, Via Ferrata, adventurous river crossings and a high summit with vast views.

simon3 on Monte Piana, Battlegrounds, Via Ferrata, Difficult River crossings.
Main walk Start: 08:30, End: 15:01, Duration: 6h31m, Length: 14.3km, Ascent: 708m, Descent: 961m
Places: Start at Lon 12.2573, Lat 46.5884, end at Lon 12.2317, Lat 46.6413 6.2km N from Start (statistics such as Ascent or Length etc should be regarded as approximate. Duration depends on the speed of the person making the track)

This will always be a memorable and very varied walk. It has views of the iconic Drei Zinnen, a spectacular rocky mountain group reaching 2999m above sea-level. The summit of Monte Piana was on a World War 1 frontline between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian empire. Thousands died in what are now mouldering trenches and silent tunnels. There are commemorative memorials at several points, though on the occasion we were there an official war museum had not yet opened for the summer season.
Our visit also had added spice from various misfortunes such as missing bridges and misunderstood bus timetables.
Start from the car park near the north end of Lago di Misurina. This is reachable by bus services from Dobbiaco/ Toblach to the north or Ampezzon di Cortina to the south. Essentially private cars are banned from the route up Monte Piana. There is a paid 4wd service, however we had come to walk. The walking route officially designated the 122 is sometimes near and sometimes on the road and will bring you to the start of the summit area at Refugio Bosi and a commemorative chapel.

Silent artillery, distant "Drei Zinnen".

There is then a varied series of paths you can choose walking over the battlefield with a commemorative pyramid.

Battleground, from Enemy to Anemone Patens
There are huge views in all directions. On the occasion we visited in early June about a third of the top was covered in snow some quite deep. Given the tunnels and trenches walking on virgin snow can be hazardous.
We descended via route 111 to the east. It is essential to accurately find the top of this and not to deviate to other routes that are offered. There are signposts and the route is shown on our track and others that are published for example by Rother. Parts of the start of the route are via ferrata, that is they are narrow paths with steel wire handrails.

Via Ferrata

Once on the track navigation is reasonably easy as the route plunges some 500m down to the River Rinblanco. As of June 2019 the bridge from route 111 to 108 has disappeared following the extreme weather of late October 2018.
Signs of this weather which had extreme winds and extreme rainfall are everywhere to be seen.
Some of the locals said it was almost unprecedented and thought it was a result of climate change. When we were there the river was relatively low and we got across it easily enough without the bridge. However it cannot be assumed that this will always be the case.
Follow the 108 down the river until it meets another river the Schwartz Rienz. There is another river crossing here. Until the severe storms mentioned above this had been reasonably easy to cross however when we arrived in June 2019 the water had been channeled into one 3m wide channel moving very quickly.

Foaming river, impromptu bridge, walkers.
A group of trees had had their roots undermined and formed a temporary bridge, best described as "hairy".
It might have been possible to ford the river around there at the level of the water we encountered. Were it not then feasible then essentially a party could find itself in a seriously awkward position, several kilometres from safety or even a mobile signal. Given this situation it migh be wiser to do the entire route in reverse.

Final descent on newly rebuilt road.

After this last river crossing there is a straightforward forest road to the public roadand a very amenable restaurant Drei Zinnen Blick. This is immediately beside a bus stop. We had been reliably informed that there were a number of buses on a shuttle route with a frequency of around 30 to 60 minutes. We duly waited for the bus until we realised that said shuttle service only started for the summer the next day. Hence we were forced to return to said amenable restaurant to await a regional bus that came an hour later. A pleasant irritation with the merit of not being life threatening unlike crossing a torrent on unstable trees.




NORTH: A Scraig(s) on both your houses...
As it was mentioned earlier, it's worth highlighting the splendid little Donegal summit of Scraigs, rearing sharply above Lough Finn, and quite possible as an addendum to an ascent of nearby Aghla. Your track reviewer has uploaded a track detailing the obvious ascent from the road to the south-west...this is very much a 'make your own way' sort of outing with only a fence or two to halt proceedings. It requires an absence of only around an hour from the car, so plenty of time for other malarkey either before or after.
Peter Walker on Scraigs
As noted by previous visitors, Scraigs is a cracking mini-mountain, all rough and irascible as it rears precipitously ov| walk, Len: 2.9km, Climb: 231m, Area: Scraigs, Bluestack Mountains (Ireland) S ... Click here ...


NORTH: A fine outlier of the Bluestacks.
Simon3 provides an updated short summary for Aghla Mountain, which offers a relatively straightforward ascent and expansive views of the entire range.
group on Aghla Mountain, (An Eachla): A fine outlier of the Bluestacks.
Aghla mountain only just misses Vandeleur-Lynam status by 7 metres and has fine qualities such as a cliffy side facing Lough Finn and a characterful summit area.. Aghla could also be included in a walk from Scraig to the north east. Aghla may be approached from two places. The main way we would recommend is from the north with good parking near the local GAA club the the south western end of L ... ... Click here ...


NORTH: Wet Wet Wet
The headwaters of the Barnes River in the Donegal's Bluestacks are surrounded by a number of rufty tufty Arderins. Croaghconnellagh is one of them, but is often climbed outwith of the obvious circuit owing to its relative isolation. MV has entries detailing several ways to grind out an ascent of this tough little top, and simon3's track describes a dramatically wet one...most sensible folk are in the pub when conditions are quite as soggy as this. (See also mvtrack4150 for a route involving no crossings of watercourses).
simon3 on Character building tale of Croaghconnellagh in the rain.
Don't even think of crossing the Lowerymore.There are various routes published on MV for reaching Croaghconnelagh howeve| walk, Len: 5.5km, Climb: 303m, Area: Croaghconnellagh, Bluestack Mountains (Ir ... Click here ...


NORTH: Simple island ascent, mostly on roads.
Cluidaniller West Top on Aranmore in Donegal NW is the island’s highpoint and is surrounded by tiny loughs, and on a clear day (which ours wasn’t!) offers tremendous views of sea and land.
group on Cluidaniller West Top, (Cnoc an Iolair (Mullach Thiar)): Simple ascent, mostly on roads.
Take the ferry across from Burtonport. Whether driving or walking, take the road to the west that eventually finishes at Arranmore Lighthouse (signposted Teach Solais). At Point B 665 169, (beside a power/communications building) turn left for about 500m. The road eventually turns into a track and you will have to leave a car behind. Follow the curving track around Cluadaniller to the SW for a cou ... ... Click here ...


NORTH: Marvellous Marvin Aghla
Near the Bluestacks but of a somewhat different character, the more southerly of the Aghla Mountains in Donegal rears up slightly squatly above Lough Finn, and provided simon3 with an afternoon of damp late spring amusement, as per his track. The route provided (or minor variations thereon) is generally used to make an ascent, although as he notes in his text a longer walk could be made including the neighbouring summit of Scraigs.
simon3 on The Bluestacks Aghlas on a wet day.
The Bluestacks Aghlas can be reached as others have shown from a road leaving the R250 at the SW end of Lough Finn. Ther| walk, Len: 9.0km, Climb: 495m, Area: Aghla Mountain, Bluestack Mountains (Irel ... Click here ...


WEST: Not a fiesta to celebrate
Croaghmoyle in North Mayo may offer great views in all directions, but unfortunately its summit is marred by the presence of a burnt out Ford Fiesta, writes eamonoc.
eamonoc on Croaghmoyle, (An Chruach Mhaol): Traffic Jam Groaghmoyle
Visited Croaghmoyle on Wed 12th, plodded up the mast access road in very windy conditions to be greeted by a burnt out Fiesta. Great views from here in all directions if you ignore the Fiesta. ... Click here ...


WEST: Nephin ventured, Nephin gained
More extended shenanigans from GSheehy and the Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, this time out in the far west, and an outing that could be considered no more than 'moderately aspirational' rather than just 'brutal'. The track traverses the section of the Nephin Begs centred around Birreencorragh, covering some splendid and deeply lonely land, before tagging an out-and-back ascent of Nephin itself onto the end for the craic (which could obviously be omitted!). This is one of the very best mountain ranges in Ireland for long linear walks...do check it out.
GSheehy on Furnace to Nephin
When we set up Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club we said we’d travel to mountain ranges all around the country. I think it| walk, Len: 29.7km, Climb: 2030m, Area: Buckoogh, North Mayo (Ireland) Buckoog ... Click here ...


WEST: Faha from the madding crowd
A route often spoken about in hushed tones in Irish hillwalking circles is the monumental Faha Ridge of Brandon, a route offering obvious spectacle and potential technical complexity. It is possible to accomplish its ascent with no more than moderate scrambling though, as conormcbandon discovered. His track features some good information regarding the crux sections (see also the August 2016 MV Newsletter), and finishes with a wander north along the ridge to a climax overlooking the awesome inlet of Faill an tSáis.
conormcbandon on The Faha Ridge
I have been putting off the Faha Ridge for years having previously backed out in almost ideal conditions due to the expo| walk, Len: 14.8km, Climb: 1138m, Area: Benagh, Brandon Group (Ireland) Benagh ... Click here ...


WEST: Excellent ridge walk with scrambling
Among the many attractions of Corrababinnia SW is the fine ridge to the NE of its peak, writes, Geo, although there are also perils in the form of floating bogs.
Geo on Corranabinnia SW Top: From the Northwest
As per Peter1's comment and his uploaded track no 3472 (Many thanks Peter1) an approach from the NW from the end of a boreen at 'Blue Lodge' F866 072 may be attempted. June 1st 2019 millsd1 and myself crossed the Shannon and made our way fortified by bacon and sausage sandwiches in Castlebar and thence to the end of said boreen. Our general plan was to tackle a circuit which involved the two Corr ... ... Click here ...




Featured summit comment
Life, the Universe and Everything
Peter1

Bacon and sausages, a destroyed bridge, floating bogs that can swallow humans, and, ahem, a stool thickener. What more could you ask for? Yes, Geo's excellent post of June 4th, entitled "From the Northwest", has it all. Oh, and there's a mountain in Mayo mentioned too - Corranbinnia's South West top.

As per Peter1's comment and his uploaded track no 3472 (Many thanks Peter1) an approach from the NW from the end of a boreen at 'Blue Lodge' F866 072 may be attempted.

June 1st 2019 millsd1 and myself crossed the Shannon and made our way fortified by bacon and sausage sandwiches in Castlebar and thence to the end of said boreen. Our general plan was to tackle a circuit which involved the two summits Corranbinnias and Glennamong with track 3472 as our guide but doing it CW rather than ACW as our quest for VL glory continues apace.

As of June 2019 however the footbridge across the brook opposite the said Blue Lodge (parking for 3 or 4 cars) had been destroyed in January 2019, according to a local fisherman we encountered This means that one has to go further South and take a wider circuit than Peter's track to circumvent the many streams that come down from the coums and hillsides and this makes doing the circuit ACW much more practical. Peter1's warning that the bog should be crossed with care is well warranted. While it is generally easy going there are many areas of 'floating bog' which need to be traversed with extreme care as the underlying depth to solid ground is unknown and likely to be capable of swallowing an adult human! So leave it for good weather with a period of good weather beforehand is my advice. Once bog is crossed and when one reaches the spur at F894 038 it is a relatively easy climb to the top.

We then continued across the arrete (which interestingly is a propriety brand of stool thickener and perhaps required if you haven't a head for airy heights) on the Corranbinnia summit, thence to Glennamong and back down to the bog, at which point we could not directly return to car due to the bridge being out and had to do a large dog-leg west to cross a number of streams high enough up before they became unfordable and then turned North and continued across quaking bogs circumventing little ponds to return to car, All in all a 6.5 hour adventure

Photo: Peter1, Ridge to Corranbinnia from West of Summit

SOUTH: A harsh place with a harsh past
Great Blasket in the Dingle West area offers a fascinating glimpse of tough past times, along with marvellous views, writes TommyV.
TommyV on Croaghmore, (An Cró Mór): A harsh place with a harsh past
The Great Blasket Island was abandoned in the 1950's but in recent times some of the families have done up some of the cottages on the island and there is a couple who are now running a cafe and hostel (without electricity). We had to get a dingy out to the main boat which then crossed the choppy Blasket Sound before getting on the dingy again to get dropped on the island. The Eastern side of the ... ... Click here ...


SOUTH: One of the best short hikes in Ireland.
The trip up Bray Head in Iveragh NW is a simple pleasure, writes TommyV, offering wonderful views over sea and land, including the distant Skelligs.
TommyV on Bray Head, (Ceann Bhreagha): One of the best short hikes in Ireland.
The route described by others is still the same and it's now way marked. Just to mention that there is now a car park which is a discovery point along the Wild Atlantic Way which is the start point and there is a two euro charge (Sorry Peter Walker) to park here but it is money well spent. ... Click here ...


EAST: Room and Fjord
Those seeking refuge from the legions of hen dos that now seem to nest in Carlingford could do worse than to follow Onzy in a round taking in the historical summit of Barnavave with its summit cross. His route mixes two locally marked loop walks, and as such is relatively easy going (but note his travails on the descent). Obviously this can be used as a variation start/end to an ascent or traverse of Slieve Foye.
Onzy on Cooley Mountains: Barnavave
Route from Carlingford over Barnavave. The track is an attempt to link up two of the marked looped walks in the area. | walk, Len: 12.4km, Climb: 474m, Area: Barnavave, Cooley/Gullion (Ireland) Bar ... Click here ...


EAST: No love for this approach to cupid.
A speculative approach to Cupidstown Hill from the north by jgfitz proves rather difficult, with barbed wire fences and ditches to overcome
jgfitz on Cupidstown Hill, (Cnoc Bhaile Cupid): Accessing Cupidstown Wood from the North is difficult
I followed Track #2611, which starts at Slievethoul/Saggart Hill, and then heads south to Cupidstown Hill. No problem with Saggart Hill. However, the access into Cupidstown Wood at O 009 211 is very difficult as there are two barbed wire fences to overcome - one outside the ditch and the other just inside it. Having emerged from under the trees, the clearing in the wood from there to point O ... ... Click here ...


EAST: War and peace
War Hill is a tranquil setting, especially on a fine day, offering views of Wicklow and the far away Mournes and even Wales, says simon3.
simon3 on War Hill, (Cnoc an Bhairr): Clear day on a neglected summit.
Most of the times I have been on War Hill, it has been raining and I have just climbed up the heathery and exhausting slope from the Knocknacloghoge River. So it was a pleasure to be on the top on a dry and exceptionally clear day. There was a reasonable view of the surrounding hills and countryside, but also the Mournes and parts of Wales. (The small part of the Welsh coast visible, probably ... ... Click here ...


Sorry if we didn't mention what you posted .. there's a list of all contributors for recent months later.

MOTLEY GATHERING

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WayWalking on the island of Ireland: Toughsoles Announce maps for Waymarked Ways



Tough Soles Maps are a collection of walking maps for every National Waymarked Trail in Ireland, made available under the CC-BY license, allowing anybody to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon them, as long as Tough Soles is attributed. They show the National Waymarked Trails in detail, including landscape height, national monuments, towns, and many other features that might be useful to walkers!


Our comment: WayWalking or walking Waymarked Ways is steadily increasing as an activity in Ireland north and south. Apart from being an activity in its own right the following is significant for hillwalkers: Waymarked Ways represent one way to get reasonable access to upland areas. This is valuable particularly when there are so many cuts to traditional hillwalkers' access. MountainViews is also delighted to see that another group supporting outdoor activity has recognised the value of modern technology and cartography. Let's also say: they have joined the doers and left the dilettantes. We continue to salute Tough Soles who we had as speakers at our February Gathering.


Visit Tough Soles announcement on the web.


The usually crossable Lowerymore river in Donegal in spate.
Hillwalking, trips abroad and Carbon


Have you noticed higher rainfall when out hillwalking in Ireland? Well it comes up on us slowly I suppose so you need to have been walking a while. Certainly and shamelessly anecdotally I can remember winter walking some decades ago when there wasn't much rain in the winter - a whole winter season seemed to go by with perhaps two days seriously impacted by water. Halcyon days, but is this only nostalgia? It seems not. Ireland has some of the best rain records in the world. And using these climate scientists are definitively backing up claims of change. The following is from an article in The Irish Times. Link here.

"The most recent decade recorded 1,990mm of rain a year, compared with an average of 1,080mm over the 305 years."


Narrow river bed after deluge in Dolomites.

Rebuilding river bed in Dolomites
Recently (June 2019) I was walking in the Dolomites in northern Italy near the border with Austria. Severe weather events affected the region massively in the last year. A maassive lethal storm in late October 2018 caused every steep gully in the region to be turned into a torrent with vast numbers of small boulders and numbers of vast boulders taking away roads, bridges and trees. Unseasonal heavy snow in May this year caused many of the tracks we had planned to use to be clogged, particularly on the north face of mountains over 2000m. On one route we did, a bridge had disappeared and we had to cross a river using fallen trees. Of course inconvenience to European walkers is just the tip of the iceberg, with climate change likely to cause everything from crop failures to migration and war.

Unfortunately what is not the tip of an iceberg is that some of our most cherished activites are causing climate change. Recently I came across a calculator that will assess the weight in tonnes of carbon dioxide of various forms of travel. Take a look at Carbon Calculator. You can get some sort of idea of the amount of carbon dioxide you are adding to the atmosphere for different sorts of activity.

For a vividly described read on the topic take a look at this article from the New York Times (Link here Free for first use or after free login). After examining the impacts of travel on climate, demolishing the carbon reputation of cruises en route, the article takes a pragmatic look at purchasing carbon offsets. While this can assuage guilt, not a bad objective, the question as to whether it is effective is not yet answered.

Also in the news is this proposal that planting trillions of trees might be part of the answer. Link here. Essentially the authors claim that globally, new forests could store 205 billion tonnes of carbon, about two thirds of the 300 billion tonnes of carbon that has been released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity since the industrial revolution. And of course, individuals can plant trees or cause them to be planted.

Volunteering for 2019: Strengthening the MountainViews Committee

Currently we have a number of officers on the committee such as chairperson, secretary etc. We really could use some further committee members to achieve our strategic goals and spread the load.
Position In Brief
Ordinary members For those taking an interest in the MV committee or indeed committees in general we can also use some further "regular" committee members without a specific role. There are many smaller quite finite projects that might suit regular members.
Publicity MountainViews is a great resource based on over 1300 people's contributions over 16 years. Great that is if you have heard of it. And that's where we could use some practical publicity help.
The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth Quite apart from programmers, MV's progress can also use help from people who can really follow through on tasks like creating lists, checking stats, researching place names or geology. Whether on the committee or not we value such people's contributions.

Contact us at admin -at- mountainviews.ie

The MountainViews ANNUAL, 2018.

We published the annual in Feb 2019
60 pages in 13 Articles about walking on hills, mountains and islands here and abroad.

The ANNUAL  (Please save and read in a PDF viewer.) (Hi-res version.)

(Obtain PRINTED VERSION - Euro 15)

emVee-Tube

Videos this month:

MV user gerrym goes under cover in the Sperrins

Videography by Peter Walker.

CHALLENGE
A place for those interested in Challenge Walking


Click here for the Challenge Walk Calendar



Challenge Walks Newsletter July 2019

 


Lug Walk 2019 

". . .  or you are presented with a free "bounce" with every trot across Conavalla's famous boggy approach instead of "Acme Quick Drying Cement . . ." was the famous quote from the Lug Walk Report of 2017 - and this was all too pertinent to the labours of the Lug Walk 2019!

 

Up on these hills you're plenty high by Irish standards, with the Lug Walk having two entries in the Top Ten of highest Irish summits on the MountainViews Vandaleur Lynams List . . . .

 

When you consider that the highest summit on the Maumturks Challenge doesn't even make the top fifty - this is saying something indeed! So while it's definitely stating the obvious - the weather will always be more extreme with each 100 meter ascent ("More Math" to follow!).

After substantial rain fall over the previous days, many of the steps taken on this year's Lug Walk were accompanied by a labouring "sshlopp" of bog! An extra serving of both endurance and belligerence was very much a necessary requirement on this day!

Consistent rain easing to lingering mist dominated until at least Mullacleavaun. Then afterwards you would have to say that the weather was clear and certainly not bad.

Yet on this day well over 40% of the hardy souls who braved the day would not go on to receive the coveted Lug Walk certificate on completion! And no one doubts the massive effort put in by all. But as I've teased before, this isn't one of the toughest dates in the Challenge Walks Calendar for no unknown reason!


Lug Walk 2019

At Table Track Checkpoint someone turned off the lights and a cold dark gloom dictated the approach to Lug. There was rain but it wasn't raining. . . Why? Because as said, up here your plenty high and the clouds have nowhere else to go! The path home to the finish at The Glen of Imaal (over Camarahill) lasted for 47 years and 6 days . . . but then hard earned Certs and piping hot soup rewarded a day's honest graft.

The following week saw much improved weather greet the Hillwalker for the Tom Crean Endurance Walk. With plenty of sunny spells the refreshing breeze was perfect! The steady trickle of walkers that summited Mount Brandon were treated to wondrous views in all directions. Many knew to take an extra breath at the Checkpoint at Conor's Pass too . . . always important to remember to smell the roses! And both the good weather and the incredible vistas would continue on attack on the climb to An Cnapán Mór, then later on to Cnoc Mhaoilionáin and eventually home to the welcoming finish at Annascaul.

On a side note it was great to see how host club Annascaul Walks have championed the non-use of "single use disposable plastic bottles" - a Challenge Walk first, I wonder??

 

Previous stifling hot days had thankfully abated in time for the Galtee Challenge as hosted by the Galtee Walking Club at the end of the month of June. Some early mist soon cleared so the rest of the Day saw mixed sun and cloud as the most beautiful blues and greens shined through in all their vibrancy upon this mighty ridge.

Joyous Walkers cheerfully received their certificates and medals all with sun-kissed brows and cheeks!


Lug Walk 2019 

 

Rolling into July and this Saturday (the 6th) Dungarvan Hillwalking Club host the incredible Comeragh Crossing. A hugely popular Walk with at least four different walking options on the day . . . so there really is "something for everyone in the audience" and no excuse for not indulging in the county-famous Nire Valley Fayre!

Later in the month, on Saturday the 20th of July, is when Lake District Hillwalking Club treat the Hillwalker to one of Ireland's hidden gems atop the plateau of the Devil's Mother and Maumtrasna. The Joyce Country Challenge is a solid outing that has proved to be a very testing Challenge Walk on many an occasion, as reminiscent of The Lug Walk, if tough weather lands down - it can be easily trapped for the Day, as there's always "something else magical going on" to this part of the country's enchantment.

 

And finally, just before we kick out the cat and leave out the milk bottles . . . as promised, "More Math"!!

 

Lugnaquilla 925m

Mullaghcleevaun 849m

Bin idir an dá Log 702m

Onwards and Upwards Boys and Girls,

Keep Safe and Enjoy your Day!

Jim Holmes.



Also take a look at this resource managed by MountainViews:

www.facebook.com/ChallengeWalksIreland

SUMMITEERS and PLACE-VISITORS CORNER
A place for those interested in Summiteering, Bagging, Highpointing, visiting islands and coastal places.


A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits - The Vandeleur-Lynams & The Arderins
MountainViews first book available online and in some bookshops. The first reprint with numerous minor amendments is available.

Purchase from here.

simon3 on A Guide to Irelands Mountain Summits
MountainViews first book available online and in many bookshops.

As members will know, for over a decade, Mountainviews.ie has been providing unique information to hillwalkers on all aspects of exploring and enjoying Ireland's upland areas. It's been a collaborative effort by over 1000 of you, and currently contains over 6000 comments on 1057 mountains and hills on the island of Ireland ... ... Click here ...
Bulk sales to groups such as Scouts/ Guides: contact admin@mountainviews.ie for a discounted price.

This month.
Kudos to our contributors.

We welcome the following new members who enrolled this month. Gladius007, jmbyrne54, Kjtoner1961, Nozub, rohanm, TomDarcy, Trix (7)

Our contributors to all threads this month: GSheehy (1), Geo (3), Harry Goodman (1), Onzy (4), Pepe (1), Peter Walker (5), TommyV (10), conormcbandon (2), donieg (1), eamonoc (2), Communal summary entries (1), jgfitz (2), m0jla (6), magnumpig (1), march-fixer (1), omurchu (1), simon3 (3)
For a fuller list view Community | Recent Contributors

There were comments on the following places , An Cró Mór, Baraveha, Benbulbin, Bolus, Bray Head, Bunnacunneen, Castlequin, Clondermot Hill, Corranabinnia SW Top, Croaghmoyle, Crockdooish, Cupidstown Hill, Donald's Hill, Doonties Commons, Dromderalough North-West Top, Eagles Hill, Foilclogh, Garinish Island, Geokaun, Loughermore, Mullaghash, Mullaghcleevaun, Scarr, Slievekirk, The Paps East, War Hill
and these shared tracks An Cnapán Mór, Central Dingle Ireland, Barnavave, Cooley/Gullion Ireland, Benagh, Brandon Group Ireland, Buckoogh, North Mayo Ireland, Carhoo Hill, Dingle West Ireland, Cnoc Ramhar, Donegal SW Ireland, Croaghconnellagh, Bluestack Mountains Ireland, Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige , Leamacrossan Hill, Inishowen Ireland, Mallaig to Fort William Britain, Portugal, Porto , Scraigs, Bluestack Mountains Ireland tracks were created.

Thanks to all 1369 who have ever contributed place or routes info and forums.

For a full list view Community | Contributors Hall of Fame

Summary. MountainViews now has 9345 comments about 1773 different hills, mountains, island and coastal features out of the total in our current full list (2159). We want to get a good gps track showing each of the major ways to visit each of these places and summits in Ireland. If you see an option to add a "Short Summary" then do please consider creating one since another objective is to have a short summary for every summit and island and coastal feature in Ireland. There's quite a few (386) opportunities for you to be the first to comment on a place, not so many on summits, however lots of opportunities for islands and coastal features as we bring them out. We also have around 2000 shared GPS tracks, mostly in Ireland. Apart from a few popular areas, there is a need for more routes in many different areas. Plain shared tracks without descriptions are welcome however if you have time then do please add route descriptions with photos.

NOTICES

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. Ask permission where appropriate.
  • Take care if parking and do not obstruct roads, lanes and field entrances to access by farm machinery, which can be large. Exercise your dog in parks or forests but avoid countryside or open hillside where they may worry sheep.
  • Report suspicious activity to the police forces, as below.
  • If your car is broken into in an upland area report it to the PSNI or Gardai as this will help them be aware of the issue and tackle it in future. Store the numbers. In Northern Ireland use the PSNI non-emergency number 0845 600 8000. In the Republic you can find the local Garda District HQs phone numbers at www.garda.ie/Stations/Default.aspx. Specifically for the hotspot of Wicklow: the Garda Divisional Headquarters in Bray is 01 6665300.
  • If you hear of a problem area or route, write it up in MountainViews which does everyone a service.
    Report rubbish tipping in the Republic - ring EPA hotline 1850 365 121
    Report recreational quads in national park area (in which they are banned). They are also banned in the Mournes. For Wicklow please phone the Duty Ranger: 087-9803899 or the office during office hours Telephone: +353-404-45800. For the Mournes ring the PSNI (as above) or contact Mournes Heritage Trust. Put these numbers in your phone, take regs etc. Let MV know of contact numbers for other areas.
  • If you have visited some of the less well known places, we would appreciate a place rating and also "Improve Grid Ref" for summits and other places.
  • If you find errors in the basic information about places such as in their names, their heights, county name etc please use the "Propose Places Database Change" option.
  • If we can, let's make MV have more than one route up a summit or to a place so as to reduce the tendency for paths to appear. Your grid refs in comments for different starting points show up on MountainViews maps as well as shared GPS tracks.
  • MV Facebook page. Visit the MountainViews Facebook page.
  • ChallengeWalksIreland Visit the Challenge Walks Ireland page (jointly managed by MountainViews)

This newsletter

This newsletter Editor: Simon Stewart, Homepage: www.simonstewart.ie
Assistant editors: Colin Murphy, David Owens
Summit comment reviews: David Murphy
Challenge Info: Jim Holmes
Track reviews: Peter Walker
Book reviews: Aidan Dillon, Peter Walker, Mel O'Hara
Videography: Peter Walker
Graphics design advice: madfrankie
Development & support volunteers: Vanush "Misha" Paturyan, Mike Griffin
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE. View previous newsletters mountainviews.ie/newsletter
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