Cookies.
This website uses cookies, which are small text files that the website puts on your computer to facilitate operation. Cookies help us provide a better service to you. They are used to track general user traffic information and to help the website function properly.
The Inaccessible Pinnacle
viewed from the summit area of Sgurr Dearg, Minginish and the Cuillin Hills Area, Skye, Scotland
. For
the original comment, click here.
Torre del Montale from Monte Titano
Monte Titano in San Marino, 739m is Europe's easiest country highpoint, probably. For
the original comment, click here.
Featured Track of the Month Long Night's Journey Into Day
This month's selection sees author Colin Murphy essaying the remotest summit on the MV lists: Tawnyanruddia in the midst of Mayo's Nephin Begs. It's a varied and challenging route utilising the Bangor Trail into the interior, some tough mountainsides and the reward of one of Ireland's very best views out to the far west and Achill.
Colin Murphy on Tawnyanruddia from the south
Main walk Start: 11:15, End: 19:05, Duration: 7h50m, Length: 22.9km,Ascent: 1160m, Descent: 1200m Places: Start at F95956 05761, Tawnyanruddia, end at F96884 05562 949m E 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)
Had the sole aim of bagging Ireland's most remote Arderin Beg. Started at the Letterkeen Trailhead and set out north along the Bangor Trail. Although the condition of the trail comes in for a lot of criticism, I found that the first 7-8km were in a fairly decent state.
The views as you progress along the trail are varied and beautiful, sometimes offering vast panoramas. The route was straightforward enough, simply following the trail most of the way, which meanders through wide valleys and rises and falls repeatedly, although any initial climbs should not tax your legs too much. After about 9km, I could see the mountain directly ahead, and also that the trail was about to descend to curve around the base of the mountain at an elevation of around 140m. (I would also discover on the return journey that the next section of the trail is in a terrible condition, very boggy, and actually disappears a number of times). So I turned NE and began to climb the western side of Nephin Beg, which would offer a more gradual ascent that directly up the southern or western sides of Tawnyanruddia.
This route brought me to the base of the unlisted hill Corslieve and a height of about 380m. The next section was steep but doable, despite a wind that made it difficult to stand at times, and took me to the minor col between Corslieve and my destination. The views of the vast blanket bog to the west dotted with small loughs were tremendous.
From there it was a simple 750m walk up a gentle slope, and through a few peat hags, to the summit, which is marked by a natural, pointed rock outcrop near its western end. I descended the steep slope in a SE direction, picked up the Bangor Trail again, and sloshed my way along initially until I reached the point where I'd originally left it. Then it was a long 9km walk back. My app informed me that I had walked almost 26km, which took me about 9 hours. Tough but very rewarding.
NORTH: Isle be back…
FergalH is enchanted by the hidden gem that is Tory Island particularly with its beautiful cliff views and rugged geological features.
Fergalh on Tory Island, (Toraigh):
Ireland's most isolated Island is 13.5 km from the coast, of Donegal. We got early ferry at 9 am, which takes around one hour. Arrived as the rain stopped fortunately and headed for a loop around the Lighthouse and Derek Hill's Hut. The loop walk will eventually lead you back to the capital. Than a few km east will lead you onto Dún Bhaloir the fort of the warrior of Celtic legend with the evil ey ... ... Click here ...
NORTH: Cry Me A River
Away from the obvious dramas there's a lot of rough and tough terrain within the interior of Donegal, replete with unfrequented summits. Summiteering machine eamonoc has visited a couple of these tops, Leahanmore and Cionn Bheatha, finding a lot of water underfoot (heed the warning about river crossings) but also some fine views. It could possibly be linked to Farscallop, but there's quite a deep col in the way.
eamonoc on A bit of a slog in the Glendowan Mountains
Parking just off the R254 at a small track, room for one car only. Headed over some very rough ground to Croaghanamph, | walk, Len: 13.0km, Climb: 657m, Area: Leahanmore, Donegal Central (Ireland) L ... Click here ...
NORTH: Good, well-defined summit with excellent views
Tievebulliagh in the Antrim Hills differs from most of its rounded neighbouring tops in its distinctive shape and well-defined, grassy, though unmarked summit area.
group on Tievebulliagh, (Taobh Builleach):
One relatively simple approach is from the north. There is parking for 1/2 cars between two farm gates, at D18767 27947 )although be careful not to block either gate. Cross the road to another gate, cross it and walk down the grassy track for about 70m until fence on left ends, then turn left down to the Glenann River. Cross river and proceed SE up the gentle slope (short grass underfoot & firm gr ... ... Click here ...
NORTH: Busy bees on Bessy Bell
A straightforward and gentle walk up tracks to this Sperrins hill was enlivened by displays of wildflowers with accompanying bees and butterflies, says Colin Murphy.
Colin Murphy on Bessy Bell, (Sliabh Troim):
Starting at H378804, it's a relatively easy trek up forest tracks the entire way. It's probably 3km from start to summit, over the course of which you gain about 200m elevation, so the slope is very gentle most of the way. Good views over the Sperrins and all the way to Donegal. I did it on a stunning summer's day and the wildflowers were out in force, as were the bees and butterflies, which added ... ... Click here ...
WEST: Walking on sunshine
Visiting Inishturk on one of the nicest days of the year, Tomaquinas enjoys magnificent views of Croagh Patrick, the Sheefry mountains, Mweelrea and the Bens.
Tomaquinas on Inishturk (1), (Inis Toirc):
I had the pleasure of visiting this island on one of the nicest days of the year. There were some magnificent views of Croagh Patrick, the Sheefry mountains, Mweelrea and the Bens from our ferry on the way out.
The route is very simple to follow. As previously stated, veer off north at The Tale of the Tongs structure.
If I could advise anyone going from Roonagh pier in the middle of summer ... ... Click here ...
WEST: Island hopping
Member Fergalh visits numerous islands off Mayo including Rosbarnagh, Inniscottle and Rossnafinna.
Fergalh on Rosbarnagh Island:
Parked at wide area at peninsula nearby, crossed over causeway and followed seashore north around to directly underneath high point. Headed up through boggy ground to high point in the trees, nice views back to mainland ... Click here ...
SOUTH-WEST: I wish I was on the N70...
The Ring of Kerry has multiple opportunities to make a short sharp excursion into the mountainsides and coastline lining the road. simon3 has made just such a diversion, visiting the Coastal summit of Knocknasullig near Caherdaniel, and discovered some great coastal views and a high percentage of rough, trackless ground. But it shouldn't take long and could form part of a day of multiple little treks like this.
simon3 on Turbulent terrain, great views.
This route goes over very rough ground which has multiple outcrops with gorse and heather in between. It is easy to see | walk, Len: 1.7km, Climb: 111m, Area: Knocknasullig, Dunkerron Mountains (Irela ... Click here ...
Featured summit comment
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know about Hedgehogs Wicklore
Ever wondered what hillwalkers and hedgehogs have in common? Quite a lot, as Wicklore explains in a very eloquent post called "The Hedgehog Awakes". This post was uploaded on Sep 21, outlining within it an adventure on Benbaun (Galway's county high point) and surrounding hills.
The Hedgehog Awakes
Hedgehogs emerging from hibernation feel unsure of themselves. They feel aches & pains from long unused muscles & joints. They need time to reorient & learn how to navigate through previously familiar territory. Indeed, as one article puts it “Hedgehogs coming out of hibernation are wobbly and confused, and even more likely than usual to stumble into trouble.”
And so it was, on a recent September morning, I emerged from a year-long hibernation. Like a bleary-eyed, freshly-woken hedgehog I gazed about me, overwhelmed & struggling to know how to start. The mountains of the Owenglin valley loomed about me, and I stared agog at the vast bulk of Benbaun. It appeared……big, and……menacing, and……big. And the valley floor before me looked….difficult, and ……wet and, ……difficult. My eyes slowly scanned north & west of Benbaun, taking in Benfree, Muckanaght, Bencullagh & finally Maumonght. This was the route for the day. I trembled before such a sight. My knees wobbled as I espied distant sheep clinging precariously to impossible ledges, below cliffs & rocky crags that had no sympathy for the faint hearted. Impossibly steep slopes led up to impossibly high summits.
There was so much to consider. Were my boots laced and tied correctly? Did I have enough water? Was I wearing enough layers, or did I have too much on? What if it rained? What if my walking poles snapped in half? What if my rucksack blew away or there was an earthquake or a flood or what if....…and so it was that a series of doubts & uncertainties cycled through my mind. Having not had a proper hike in over a year, I had clearly lost the plot completely. “Pull yourself together man” I told myself, “you have hiked all of these summits before. Hiking is something you have done countless times, in all weather and conditions. You are Wicklore, Walker of Hills, Explorer of Places, Finder of Things,”
“What did you say”, enquired a youthful voice, “were you talking to us?” Ah yes, I had forgotten in my momentary paralysis. I was leading a group of scouts on the annual Connaught Mountain Pursuit Challenge event. I turned to see several pairs of eager eyes watching me, waiting for the signal to leave camp and begin our gruelling hike for the day. “And why do you look like a frightened hedgehog?” one astute scout asked.
And so I learned once again how to navigate wet grass and high heather. I learned how to zig zag up steep scree slopes and descend to boggy cols. I learned how to breathe, how to stretch, how to manage a heart rate of 120, how not to fall over cliffs, and how not to stumble like a fool on perfectly flat and even ground. I learned how to suffer and I learned how to cope. And I learned how to lace and tie my boots.
Above all, as I descended to camp at the end of a tiring and joyful day, I learned how to once again gaze appraisingly at distant hills through eyes of chipped granite. The hedgehog was out of hibernation.
Photo: Wicklore, Climbing Benbaun.
SOUTH: Morning glory
Member mh400nt enjoys tremendous early morning views from the vantage point of Caherconree in the Slieve Mish mountains.
mh400nt on Caherconree, (Cathair Conraoi):
Having been up Caherconree a few times over the last 12 months(i'm relatively new to this walking) and its 50/50 for clear views.
for me, the easiest ascent is coming up via the fort, A.
You can set your target for the fort, then depending on the weather and how you're feeling you can push onto the summit.
Up through the Derrymore valley is spectacular, but the pull out the back of the vall ... ... Click here ...
SOUTH: Lucky horseshoe
Strong winds and rain didn’t detract from a circuit of the Glenbeigh Horseshoe, writes JohnFinn, and the weather even brightened up at the day progressed.
JohnFinn on Coomacarrea, (Com an Charria):
Five of us did the Horseshoe on the 20th August 22 using Track 3095 (with a few slight deviations due to weather conditions). It was very windy which caused some of the group concern about traversing the narrow ridge between Keamconneragh and Teeromoyle. In the event the concern was misplaced as crossing it presented no problems. We reached the summit of Teeromoyle in driving rain but thereafter v ... ... Click here ...
SOUTH: Short circuit
Member glencree describes a panoramic circuit around Kerry’s Lough Caragh.
glencree on Seefin, (Suí Finn):
For a short circuit with excellent and extensive views over Caragh Lake, park at V70355 91048 with space for a few cars. Follow the Kerry Way track initially and then climb south westwards to the top of Suí Finn. To descend, follow the eastward spur skirting an area of mixed larch/spruce forest. Rejoin the road at V70579 89906, with a short road walk back to the car.
The photo is of Suí Finn ... ... Click here ...
SOUTH: Drama and beauty await...
An approach from the NE up the ridge to Keamconneragh in the Glenbeigh Horseshoe is one of the most spectacular hillwalks in Ireland, writes Colin Murphy.
group on Keamconneragh, (Céim Conaire):
Usually done as an offshoot of the Glenbeigh Horseshoe, the Arderin Beg may also be bagged in isolation from the NE. There is parking for a few cars beside a ruined building at V63682 85204. Continue up the road and veer right up a track, through a gate, the track continuing for about 300m to V63181 85080. Turn NW up grassy/rocky slope for bout 150m before veering SW up the ridge. Generally firm u ... ... Click here ...
EAST: Light colours, uncertain future.
On a climb of Mullaghcleevaun, Simon Stewart reflects on the changing colours of the landscape and whether global warming might make such changes more permanent.
simon3 on Mullaghcleevaun, (Mullach Cliabháin):
During a heat wave in 2022 this was the view of Mullaghcleevaun seen from the slopes of Kippure to the North East. Overall the colour is much lighter than usual. The purple is of the heather, in very good bloom in mid August, the tan colour is deer grass. The overall lightness is caused by grass being dried out. Probably you of the future if you ever read the witterings of such as us, will r ... ... Click here ...
EAST: The Gap Band
An easy shlep (outwith of the August heatwave) from the Wicklow Gap (the Wexford one) courtesy of jgfitz, making an ascent of Annagh Hill via a new marked loop walk. There's a pub at the trail head too, as an added incentive.
jgfitz on An easy hike at the Wicklow Gap in County Wexford
Whilst this is an easy hike, it's still a struggle on one of the hottest August days on record. This is a recently i| walk, Len: 9.0km, Climb: 299m, Area: Annagh Hill, Wicklow (Ireland) Annagh Hi ... Click here ...
EAST: Access issues from Dwyer Mc Allister cottage
Access to the popular Keadeen Mountain in Wicklow has been somewhat restricted by local farmers, however a trouble-free route still exists, writes GerryCarroll.
GerryCarroll on Keadeen Mountain, (Céidín):
Yesterday (29/12/21) I parked at the Dwyer/Mc Allister cottage car park S9663491281 and walked along the road (350m) to the gate on the left S963914 to access the track to Keadeen (which I have used for access to Keadeen many times over the past 10 years). There was a sign on a closed gate saying “Private farm, Keep out".
Not wanting to cross any private property I walked back towards the car p ... ... Click here ...
EAST: Up, up and away…
Member Bunsen7 had a very unexpected encounter with a sight rarely seen in the hills…a hot air balloon floating high above Mullaghcleevaun in Wicklow.
Bunsen7 on Mullaghcleevaun, (Mullach Cliabháin):
Walking back from Mullaghcleevaun to Black Hill on Sunday 18/09/2022, I came upon the strange sight of a hot air balloon emerging from the west side of Black Hill. As I continued my westward march, the balloon crossed my path overhead and I caught this image of it with Mullaghcleevaun (right), Duff Hill and Gravale (left) in the frame.
Conditions were very calm and I had previously seen at leas ... ... Click here ...
SCOTLAND: Monarch of the Glens
A lifetime's ambition realised for march-fixer as he climbs the mighty Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. While pondering the very long ascent (it's pretty much a sea level start) and descent (it's worth noting that the descent of this mountain is particularly gruelling) he also sadly notes the attitudes that some folk seem to bring to the most popular summits. The crowds are unfortunate but understandable, the litter is unforgiveable.
march-fixer on Reaching for the Stars
It has been one of those mountains that has held a mystical fascination since childhood. It was time to see it for mysel| walk, Len: 17.4km, Climb: 1338m, Area: Ben Nevis, Fort William to Loch Treig a ... Click here ...
ITALY: Il nome della rosa
Seemingly so impressed by his surroundings or the heat that he forgot to turn his GPS app on, Colin Murphy has visited a magnificent part of Italy's Abruzzo region. There's rugged mountain scenery and glorious historic architecture of an ecclesiastical and defensive nature, some of it featured in several noteable Hollywood films of the 1980s. Looks like a classy way to spend time in the outdoors.
Colin Murphy on Near Italy, Abruzzo ()
Ok, the track I uploaded appears upside down as I forgot to start my AllTrails app recording until I was at the top. I b| walk, Len: 1.1km, Climb: 16m, Area: Italy, Abruzzo () ... Click here ...
Sorry if we didn't mention what you posted .. there's a list of all contributors for recent
month(s) later.
MOTLEY GATHERING
STACKS AND STONES
The redoubtable Cra, casts an eye on where to start from.
BleckCra on 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; anothe ... ... Click here ...
Volunteering for 2022: 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 1400 people's contributions over 19
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.
Completing lists of county tops enables the walker to see a lot of a country, and England is no exception. Summiteering supremo Fergal Hingerty goes over the sea.
Pinchback Marsh
Following on from the Welsh county Tops I also completed the English county Tops. There are 3 lists in England : The historic county Tops (49), The administrative county Tops from 1974 (45) and the current County Tops (120) which change quite regularly as boundaries contract and expand all the time. There is even a list for those who live in London and can’t get out of the city: The London Borough Tops (32) which also changes regularly along with the boundaries.
So for the purposes of this article, I will concentrate on the historical Tops and rather than listing each one, I will just write about the ones I found most interesting. The historical county Tops vary from the highest one (Scafell Pike 978m) in Cumberland to the lowest one Lincolnshire (Parts of Holland) Pinchback Marsh (8 Metres)
Despite the flattish nature of the south of England the numerous small hills there make for some interesting climbs as the surrounding land make the views interesting to say the least. (Apart from Huntingdonshire’s Boring Field 80m; yes it, is very boring!)
Looking down Eskdale on the approach to Scafell Pike
Highest : Scafell Pike (Cumberland). Rather than do this the normal tourist route I approached it from Eskdale to the south. I parked at Jubilee bridge and ascended via couple of small peaks with the final section alongside How Beck Falls (aka Cam Spout) to the summit. A quiet route until you join the multitudes coming up from the Wasdale car parks from the west, but all the better for it.
Arete on ascent/descent : Helvellyn (Westmorland). Myself, Onzy and Eamon OC approached this from the village of Patterdale and ventured along Striding Edge on a bit of a windy day. Caution is needed on this famous ridge that eventually led to the summit. Due to the weather we could not visit the other peaks nearby and descended along another narrow arete (Swirral Edge) back to Patterdale.
Unusual Name 1 : Old Man of Coniston (Lancashire) A well trodden track from the village of Coniston below leads to a summit with extensive views, although unfortunately I did it on a very wet day so there were zero views for me.
Unusual Name 2 : Brown Willy (Cornwall) Park at Rough Tor car park and a short walk along track to Rough Tor (scene of the denouement in Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Jamaica Inn’) and then onto Brown Willy. Great views for a small hill.
Summit of the Cheviot
Most Northerly Peak : the Cheviot (Northumberland). Done as part of a ten peak circuit. Parked at Langleeford to the east. The Cheviot was the high point with a short dog leg to a couple of peaks on the border with Scotland and then back down the far side of the valley to the starting point.
Most awkward : Mickle Fell (Yorkshire North Riding). As this is in an elite military training area, you have to apply for permission from the MOD for the one of the five days they allow walkers in. I applied in advance and my background check was accepted. I choose a day way ahead in July anticipating a good day, how wrong was I, awful weather! I parked at the county Boundary between Cumbria & Durham to the south and phoned the special number to say I was going in (Ed: I believe that’s a military term). I followed fence and small footbridges through mist and rain before finally summiting. Another call was necessary on the return to inform that I had left the area. Not a simple summit by any stretch of the imagination
Most popular outside Lake or Peak District : Whernside (Yorkshire West Riding) Normally done as part of the Yorkshire 3 peak challenge (Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent). Numerous well trodden tracks lead to a trig pillar beside a wall shelter with benches and an impressive vista.
Border crossing peak : Black Mountain (Herefordshire) A climb through the eastern Black Mountains in Wales would generally include this Peak on the English border as part of a circular walk I did.
Most awkward : Easy to miss peak : Kinder Scout (Derbyshire) Everything about this peak is wonderful except the summit! Parked at the village of Edale, walked up impressive valley and then up Jacobs ladder taking in the trig pillar at Kinder Low and a look at the famous Kinder Scout. This was followed by a plough over heather to an unmarked summit with limited views. On way down the Edale Stones are also a must-see. A perfect day except for the summit!
Island Peak : St. Boniface Down (Isle of Wight) There are numerous small hills on the Isle of Wight of which this is probably the least interesting a drive up over the village of Ventor. High point is just inside a security fence.
High Willhays looking to Yes Tor
Highest Tor : High Willhays (Devon) Dartmoor is famous for its 886 Tors (opinions as to how many tors there are may vary!) of which some are more famous and/or interesting than others. This tor can be accessed from the north east by parking in the wonderful village of Belstone. A number of tors and summits were climbed on my ascent, including the nearby Yes Tor. There are numerous tracks to follow in this area, however it should be checked if there is shooting in the neighbouring firing range as access will be restricted on red flag days. A pint of Doom Bar ale in The Tors Freehouse in Belstone afterwards is also a must.
Boggiest Peak : Burnhope Seat (Durham) Go 11 km south of the village of Alston then park opposite England’s only outdoor ski slope called Yad Moss. Then follow fence to top of slope and continue on to ridge followed by a boggy walk over to trig pillar. On the moors south of here is England’s highest Pub the Tan Hill Inn at 528 Metres, But watch the weather in 2005 this pub was snowed in on 50 days !
Lowest : Pinchback Marsh (Lincolnshire (Parts of Holland)) Park at Ship Inn at Surfleet and after a decent lunch (fuel for the big climb ahead of course!) head over road bridge to sluice gates follow drain and then the big scramble up the bank to the summit. Also worth visiting in the general area is England’s (indeed Britain and Ireland’s) lowest point (Minus 2.75 metres) at Holme Fen (in nearby Cambridgeshire) or England’s lowest trig pillar at Little Ouse (also in Cambridgeshire) at minus 1 Metre.
Doubles 1 : Great Chishall (Cambridgeshire) & Chishall Common (Essex) Two high points in field and reservoir close to each other near the village of Chishall!
Doubles 2 : Wendover Woods (Buckinghamshire) Pavis Woods (Hertfordshire) The advantage of this double bag is that you can pop into nearby Chequers for a party afterwards if (insert current PM's name here) is (still) around!
Map of mentioned highpoints
-- Fergal Hingerty
Changes to the Highest Hundred list and also Irish Peaks, a 2022 Edition
Irish Peaks is Mountaineering Ireland’s superb book about 100 mountains and routes up them, published in 2020. It covers much more including sections on Environment and Safety – see later.
MountainViews is connected to Irish Peaks, because the list it uses is based on is our Highest Hundred list. ( mountainviews.ie/lists/highest/ ) As a result of some routine surveying in early August this year, we uncovered that Cove Mountain in the Mournes should be in the Highest Hundred with 1.6m to spare over the needed 100m prominence.
It then became clear that MI were planning to bring out a revised edition of Irish Peaks, making various editorial changes, such as using better photographs or route changes caused by local conditions. And they want to do this for sales up to Christmas. This presented another challenge to MountainViews. The original list was based on the best we had in 2020. There were a few mountains where their status as a “Highest Hundred” was in question, mainly because they might or might not have the required prominence.
Seefingan is in because its prominence was found to be 101.5m. Finding where the col is was difficult amidst the peat hags. It was gratifying to find that an assessment of the height of the col courtesy EastWest mapping differed from MountainViews's by just 88mm.
After Cove Mountain the others that needed checking were: Mullacor, Seefingan, Lyracappul, Knocknagantee and Coomcallee. And so we started a gallop to Wicklow, the Galtees and the Dunkerrons (Kerry) in the mostly good weather of August and September.
It turned out as follows:
Out: Mullacor
In: Cove (new), Seefingan (new) while Lyracappul, Knocknagantee and Coomcallee stayed in.
Lyracappul in the Galtees retained its place in the Highest Hundred by having a prominence of 100.2m
As you can appreciate this meant various changes for the MI editorial team with two new mountains to be incorporated into routes.
The first book was a triumph for Irish Hillwalking and I expect Irish Peaks 2022 to be even better. I understand numerous improvements have been made including some superior pictures compared to the 2020 version as a result of a photo competition. So if you didn’t buy the first time or you have a relative or friend that you would like to give it to, this should be better.
Future Editions.
MI are to be commended for keeping the book in line with the best information available on what actually constitutes the Highest Hundred list, something not easy in the time.
In some countries, providing the data would be relatively easy since the advent of public and free lidar data which can accurately give the height of ground and therefore tops and cols to centimetres. This isn’t publicly available in Ireland so we need to actually go to places with a surveying or differential GPS. This is ultimately more accurate for most purposes than lidar would be, but obviously it requires a physical visit.
After this edition, the list will be more secure than before as all of the mountains of obviously questionable status have been measured. Changes in future are possible but less likely.
On another matter, since the original edition various important changes have taken place within Mountaineering Ireland such as the:
Hillwalking Committee (started 2020). This committee has already introduced important innovations (for Ireland) such as a walk grading system.
The Recognition of the Arderins (also 2020). The Arderins, 500m summits of at least 30m prominence are intended as Ireland’s headline list, like the Munros of Scotland.
The 2020 book took the opportunity to educate and enlighten on such as Ireland’s Environment ( 22 pg ), Access and protecting the environment ( 6pg ), Safety ( 5pg ), MI ( 2 pg ) , Joss Lynam ( 4 pg ) etc. Readers who come to understand these things will benefit and it will help all of us to know how to respect nature safely.
However, in my view, the book needs a chapter on Hillwalking as a Sport. How does a newcomer get into it? What are the club and other ad hoc ways of walking with others? What are the different activities (aka disciplines) of the sport to enjoy such as walking solo or with friends, or club walking or summiteering or challenge walking or backpacking? How do you get training from courses and then later progression to challenging yourself or understanding modern navigation? In short how do you get lifelong satisfaction from the wonderful sport that is hillwalking?
There is great willingness by the MI editorial team to support these MI developments and I understand a number of alterations have been made. Time however was against comprehensive changes.
-- Simon Stewart
CHALLENGE
A place for those interested in Challenge Walks
Reports of many of the Challenge Walks and indeed news, blogs and more - can be found on . . . CHALLENGE WALKS NEWS, REPORTS, BLOGS & MORE . . .
mountainviews.ie/challengenews
You should be able to find this link easily off the main Challenge Walks Page.
Another feature that's closely related to Challenge Walking and other services provided by MountainViews is our page listing Irish Compleatists of the Scottish Munros. We could use some recent compleaters reports for this!
mountainviews.ie/IrishMunroists
See some more info below on this new feature.
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 ...
(Information above and below are since we last presented such figures, which is generally a
month but can be longer when we don't have an html newsletter.)
Summary.
MountainViews now has 10032 comments about 1707 different
hills, mountains, island and coastal features out of the total in our current full list
(2204 on island of Ireland). 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
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
2700 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.
Visit the MountainViews Facebook page.
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 & cartoons: madfrankie
Development & support volunteers: Vanush "Misha" Paturyan, Mike Griffin
USING MATERIAL FROM THIS NEWSLETTER.
Other websites can link to MountainViews newsletters at
/newsletter
For clubs, individual users, non-commercial users some specified items in this
newsletter (principally, graphics, quizzes etc) are explicitly shown as Licensed for
reuse using this licence: CC
BY-NC-SA 4.0 Display link to MountainViews.ie as part of your attribution.
Commercial users for individual items: please contact us.
(If you have cookies on in your browser then you may be prompted as to username/
password. If you forget the password, the login page can email you a
replacement.)
DONATING TO MOUNTAINVIEWS Please help with running costs.
CHANGING EMAIL ADDRESS
Member, PLEASE make your own changes using the Settings feature, top right of the
page.
Only, if you can't get this to work let us know by email at admin -at- mountainviews.ie
Include the email address you got this at or your screen-name guestuser.
UNSUBSCRIBING
Alternatively let us know by email at admin -at- mountainviews.ie
Include the email address you got this at or your screen-name guestuser.
Quarterly May 2023
Colin Murphy on Tawnyanruddia from the south
Map of mentioned highpoints
Seefingan is in because its prominence was found to be 101.5m. Finding where the col is was difficult amidst the peat hags. It was gratifying to find that an assessment of the height of the col courtesy EastWest mapping differed from MountainViews's by just 88mm.
Lyracappul in the Galtees retained its place 
