The Summit

MountainViews newsletter for guestuser

Jan 2021

HILLWALKING
NEWS - INFORMATION - RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS - FEATURES - FORUMS and

Shannavara
This view of Lough Shannagh is from near Doan, Mournes
For original comment, click here.

View in the Monts Du Cantal
For original comment, click here.

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

CHALLENGE
A place for those interested in Challenge Walking

January 2021 Newsletter

Challenge Information

“….Curiously though, the day was very different for many . . . all depending where the Challenge Walker was fortunate enough or (as seemed to be the rule of thumb for me) unfortunate enough, to welcome these savage showers. . . Down in the valleys - Happy Days! Yet atop Binn Bhriocáin - and mother of Jaysus the wind would split a flea!!” 

Excerpt from Maumturks 2016 by Jim Holmes

“....At the trig pillar on Greenane the temperature had climbed to 27 degrees and the descent to O’ Loughlins castle was over completely dry ground rather the more usual sea of mud reminiscent of a World War 1 battlefield”

Excerpt from the The Galtee Challenge 2018, JohnFitzgerald.

Great quotes from yearly reviews of Newsletters past....

But alas this January, our usual year's look back at the Calendar that was... well, is understandably as scarce as genuine chocolate on the "chocolate flavoured biscuits that used to adorn our treasured tins of Rover Biscuits each Christmas!

And yet, last August, Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club and friends, managed with ease, to show how the Challenge Walk can indeed be hosted in a safe and restriction-friendly environment! In order for the only Challenge Walk to take place in 2020, no one was required to reinvent the wheel!! It simply took some common sense on the ground and The Fei Sheehy Challenge was once again its usual successful event!

"Any rain that fell during the walks was that lovely warm vertical stuff that you'd welcome on a muggy day. All-in-all a celebration of challenge hillwalking"

Gerard Sheehy, from The Fei Sheehy Challenge 2020.

Blackstairs Challenge, 2017

So what lies in store for the forthcoming season?? Well, there are green shoots definitely emerging...!

In the week when the ever popular Fei Sheehy Challenge all but sold out - Dublin based hillwalking club The Wayfarers have announced a provisional date for this year's Blackstairs Challenge. All going well, Saturday 28th August should see a wonderful outing where once again we set off up Mount Leinster and trace the Carlow / Wexford border up to the massive Blackstair Mountain and beyond!

The Fei Sheehy Challenge itself falls two weeks earlier on the 13th, 14th and 15th August 2021. Three mighty mountain ranges over three mighty days.... a lot of things have to fall neatly into place for the Challenge Hillwalker looking to complete the full Challenge.

Two months earlier, Saturday the 19th June 2021, is the scheduled date for certainty one of the tougher Walks on the Challenge Walks Calendar. Proudly hosted by The Irish Ramblers Hillwalking Club - The Lug Walk packs in an ascent of 2300m (and more often than not - way more!). But it's the thumper of the 52 kilometres that doesn't necessarily fall on soft or presented track that throws the curve-ball!! Mileage wise, it's a grand 37 in old money.... or new money, depending on which side of the Brexit pond you're on! [ED: it's not clear that this or others are definitely going ahead -- watch the MV space]

At time of going to press, it is not without surprise that unfortunately these are the only dates received so far, for inclusion on the MountainViews Challenge Walks Calendar 2021 and of course even these dates can’t be carved in stone!

I suppose it's a little similar to the Selection Box I was given just this week..... the Curly Wurly is way, way smaller! Two bites barely!

And don't go giving me the whole Wagon Wheels story..... in those days our hands were smaller and our eyes were bigger! No!

Nope, coming from an age when the aforementioned tins of Rover Biscuits were at least filled to the brim - we were more than well-acquainted with how to judge both "size and volume" AND "near....and far away"!!  We were the children of decimalisation for heaven's sake! So when I say I have issue with "fighting weight" of the Curly Wurly..... I know I'm totally correct Q.E.D.

No longer is the leviathan of chocolate chew the length of the packaging - nope, now it's barely the width! That said, it's still the chewy dreaminess of old!

So while the Challenge Walks Calendar of 2021 will no doubt be much more downsized - never will I doubt that whatever events do manage to take place - there'll be the reliable chew that the ever-eager Challenge Walker will be able to get their teeth into!

Onwards and Upwards, Boys and Girls,

Keep Safe and Enjoy your Day!

Jim Holmes.

The Fei Sheehy Challenge 2021

The Blackstairs Challenge 2021

MOTLEY GATHERING

The MountainViews ANNUAL, brought out in 2020.

emVee-Tube

Sněžka or Śnieżka

Sněžka or Śnieżka

Sněžka or Śnieżka (in Czech and Polish respectively, Schneekoppe in German) is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Krkonoše mountains. At 1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft), its summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic.  Fergal Hingerty (member FergalH)  visited this place and here is his report.

Happiness is not at the top of the mountain, but in how to climb.

Confucius

The dawn broke on a beautiful sunny day in July and we left the town of Szklarska Poręba at 5 am to head for the Polish side of the Mountain. My Polish Mountain expert Marta had advised that an early start was essential to avoid the crowds and who was I to argue as I usually defer to the experts on such matters.

We arrived at Karpacz at six am and got ready for the climb after ensuring all gear was ready and present for the day. The chair lift is also here for those who are lazy and are happy to queue but we were happy to walk. There is an admission fee for the National Park (Karkonoski park Narodowy) and for the parking in a machine. We paid for parking for the car for the day and headed over to the ticket office , however it was not open as we were to early

Karkonoski Park, Narodowy

So we started to head up the mist laden hill and the climb had begun.

We started from Rozdroże Łomnickie and headed up the well laid track marked yellow , the height here was 648 Metres and a long steep climb ensured until we reached the first hostel Strzecha Akademicka. We stopped here for a short break and then followed the track marked yellow around the side of the mountain until we passed by Kopa where the chair lift stops at a height of 1377 metres. From this Point you follow the Black track until Dom Śląski Schronisko Górskie

From here we caught our first glimpse of mighty Śnieżka and the next hostel at just below the final ascent. We followed the well laid out track and arrived at hostel Dom Śląski Schronisko Górskie at around 09.30 and got a glimpse of the final ascent with no one on it. I was advised this is a near impossibility normally, so it is clear that the early start helped.

Śnieżka

We were at this point on the  border with Czech Republic, there was two ways to go up the mountain one steep and one not so steep, so we climbed the steep one which was marked black and resolved to come down via the less steep one. After a short climb of less than thirty minutes we arrived at a fog laden summit. The highest point of the Giant Mountains and the Czech Republic is 1603 Metres and is shared by both Poland and Czech Republic as the border runs down the centre.

This mountain suffers from heavy snow and strong wind especially in the winter and the name in Polish roughly translate as ‘snowball’. Today though it was heavy fog we had to contend with.

Here it is a largely flat summit and dominated by three structures the ‘Polish Chalet’ which was built in a ‘science fiction’ style but has been badly damaged by wind. There was a monument at the top, a curiously shaped Czech Post Office (with one way in and one way out) and a very old wooden chapel called St. Lawrence’s chapel. After doing a tour and the ubiquitous photos at the marker for the highest point something was needed. But what ? ah yes of course…Piwo (beer)

Chapel at top.

We then went down around twenty metres to the small shop/cafe on the Czech republic side for a quick Piwo (beer) to celebrate. On the Czech side the cable car that comes from Pec pod Sněžkou comes practically to the summit and can carry 250 people an hour. Once we saw the crowds were starting to increase, we decided to head down.

We headed back up to the summit and took the less steep route marked blue down to the hostel Dom Śląski Schronisko Górskie. The crowds were starting to build here as well so we decided to continue on and followed the black route, soon there was a junction just after this hostel and we went straight on the track marked blue.

Hostel PTTK Samotnia

This route ensured we went towards the lake called Mały Staw and the wonderful hostel PTTK Samotnia beside it. A brief rest to take in the view of the lake and the fog capped mountains ensured and shortly afterwards we continued on down via the track marked blue until we arrived at Polana w Karkonoszach. From here we took the track marked green back to the starting point.

Most routes in the national parks are colour coded follow the colour to get to where you are going. It is common to change colours depending on the route you are going (see map for details naturally!) The markings are on trees or rocks every few yards which are especially useful in the snowy winters.

Trails

However there are park rangers around at all times and there are large fines if you wander off one of the many tracks. Furthermore as there are around 200 bears in the Polish mountains maybe the fines could be the least of your problems should you not obey the local regulations !

The route we took was 16.8 km and a total ascent of 951 metres over the day It took around five and a half hours. A most enjoyable climb but should you decide to go make sure you go early unless crowds are what you are after.

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

SITE NEWS

This month.
Kudos to our contributors.

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.
• Visit the MountainViews Facebook page.
• Visit the Challenge Walks Ireland page (jointly managed by MountainViews)

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