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The Summit

Monthly newsletter of MountainViews.ie for guestuser

December 2014

NEWS - INFORMATION - RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS - FEATURES - FORUMS

PIC OF THE MONTH

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

Completion of MV 600m list by a twenty year old. Robert Lee (member Rob_Lee) climbs the MV 600m list before he is 21.

VIDEOS: Two videos featured and reviewed this month. emVee-tube, our video section.

Magazine revived From the publishers of Walking World Ireland

Why not buy someone the MountainViews book for Xmas? They are still available in some shops and definitely online

New website feature - changes to summit data Think you have improved names, other data or new summits?

Upcoming: MOUNTAINVIEWS - WALKERS ASSOCIATION - and MORE

WALKERS ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND:
For a full list of Challenge Walks, visit here.
MOUNTAIN MEITHEAL: Mountain Meitheal are keen to find more people to help. Why not take a look at their website. We publicise Mountain Meitheal because they 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

Robert Lee, age 20, completing the 600m and Vandeleur-Lynam lists. Robert is believed to be the youngest person to have done this. Click for article by Robert describing what he did.

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

NORTH: How not to go off half-co cked!
Terrible pun, sorry, but before you ascend Co ck Mountain in the Sperrins, you should definitely investigate ‘Spelga’ Gerry McVeigh’s movie, says Captain Vertigo. [Note. Our spelling for the male chicken is to circumvent censorious corporate email filters.]
CaptainVertigo on co ck Mountain: A McVeigh Spelga
There are many Spelga Circuits. Gerry McVeigh's MOURNE MOUNTAINS - HIGH CIRCUIT OF SPELGA will certainly give you the "feel" of the general area in autumn. It is , I am afraid, a little bleak. Heathcliff would be more than at home here. If ever a height "wuthered" it was one of these lakesiders. Gerry's film is restful, wistful even. I know that he took in co ck Mountain and Slieve Muck but he is ... Click here


NORTH: Like a Newcastle joyrider on a Saturday night...
jackill has had a wonderfully semi-random day out in the Mournes, starting with an ascent of Slieve Donard via the 'controversial' Glen River track, and then...well, it very much seems like he aimed for a random spot on the summit ridge of Slieve Binnian and then quickly ran for home lest any further delay should turn him into a pumpkin. This isn't a route necessarily to be repeated, but it does illustrate the ease with which long, stiff days can be constructed hereabouts, with clear easy tracks covering not only the tops but the valleys as well.
jackill on Near Slieve Donard, Mourne Mountains (Ireland)
walk, Length:24.7km, Climb: 1970m, Area: Slieve Donard, Mourne Mountains (Ireland) Slieve Donard, Slieve Beg, Cove Mountain, Slievelamagan, Slieve B Click here


NORTH: Derryveagh through the lens
New Youtube film gives the perfect lowdown on the Aghlas in the Derryveagh Mountains, says Captain Vertigo.
CaptainVertigo on Aghla Beg: A PATRICK ZERKOWSKI FILM
The closest I have gotten to the Aghlas to date is to observe them from Mackoght and Errigal. When I do get to walk that way I will be having another good look at Patrick Zerkowski's YouTube film "Aghla Mor and Aghla Beag" which is a very nicely put together piece. I think that serious walkers will much appreciate the fact that Patrick constantly identifies the mountains and lakes by naming them ... Click here


NORTH: If at first you don't succeed, so much for sky diving...
In what I hope is a rare moment of self-indulgence (cough) I'm highlighting the fruits of my own and my etrex's labours. A few months ago I introduced my new dog to the joys of hillwalking by attempting Tullybrack, a tree-encrusted pudding hiding in the Fermanagh interior. The vast majority of the walk is on forest roads and tracks, with only a short section at the end across rough boggy ground to the summit. Three hours later we arrived back at the car, but it was only that evening that my smug summiteering satisfaction was somewhat punctured by the discovery that I'd not actually visited the actual highest point. So, (much to my fiancee's bafflement) one man and his dog repeated the trip and made damned sure we visited the right spot this time. Neither top has any views that don't involve trunks, branches and photosynthesis, so let my travails serve as another warning to do a bit of research in advance. The dog looked almost as confused as my other half.
Peter Walker on Tullybrack
It is a decent length tramp to Tullybrack, but with about 98 walk, Length:16.4km, Climb: 203m, Area: Tullybrack, Fermanagh/S Tyrone (Ireland) Tullybr Click here


NORTH: Border Reiver
A fair number of lofty but understated hills are splattered around the western end of the border between the North and the Republic, and simoburn's ransacking of pretty much all the hills in the Breifne area begins with the least understated of them (namely Cuilcagh) before wending its way generally southwards to finish with a complete traverse of the Slieve Anierin hills (which are enough of a day's hillwalking in themselves for mere mortals). As a route it doesn't leave much room for extension, but it has potential for individual sections to be walked by the less 'committed'.
simoburn on PMG Walk 79 - Breifne Mountains
PMG Walk 79 - Breifne Mountains walk, Length:37.9km, Climb: 1319m, Area: Breifne (Ireland) Cuilcagh, Benbeg, Benbrack NE Top, Benbrack, Benbrack W To Click here


NORTH: There can be only one...
The final selection from simoburn's smorgasbord of outdoor delights this month is one of Ireland's classic challenge walks...the Glover Highlander. The route followed is very much the standard one, climbing Muckish by the Miners' Track, descending to the Gap, continuing over the Aghlas to the climax on Errigal. Under normal circumstances none of this would seem out of the ordinary (despite this being a tough day with a lot of ascent), but I'm mentioning it if only to point out that simoburn did this as his 27th successive day on the hill. Strewth.
simoburn on PMG Walk 89 - Errigal to Muckish
PMG Walk 89 - Errigal to Muckish walk, Length:28.7km, Climb: 2147m, Area: Errigal, Donegal NW (Ireland) Errigal, Mackoght, Aghla More, Ardloughnabrac Click here


WEST: One of Sligo/Mayo’s many hidden gems.
Knocknasliggaun Hill hangs majestically over the beautiful Lough Tait, which offer a perfect lake circuit walk, reports Captain Vertigo.
CaptainVertigo on Knocknasliggaun: A Lough Talt Circuit
You may feel that I am ill qualified to comment at all on Knocknasliggaun since I have not yet been to its peak. In fact I have been up what is probably the best part of the mountain which hangs majestically over Lough Talt, one of County Mayo's hidden gems. The Lough can be found on the road from Ballina to Tobercurry, about mid way. I approached from the eastern tip of the lake and took the road ... Click here


WEST: Wake Me Up Before You Go Goat
simoburn's epic Project Mountain Goat is drawing to a close, and the tension is almost unbearable...will he get there in time? November has been another month of classic marathon walks for our hero, and amongst them to my mind is the quartzite skating rink of the Glencoaghan Horseshoe in the Twelve Bens. Even without the considerable (c. 2000m) amount of ascent on this route, it's one for the experienced with the terrain being particularly challenging during (or just after) bad conditions. Variation finishes (of similar or greater difficulty) are available for those with transport.
simoburn on PMG Walk 60 - The "Bens"
PMG Walk 60 - The "Bens"! Well it has been awhile since I ha walk, Length:23.1km, Climb: 1914m, Area: Binn Doire Chláir, Twelve Bens (Ireland) Binn D Click here


WEST: Spectacular coastal tops
Illanmaster, Porturlin Hill and Glinsk are just a few of the gems to be found on this North Mayo coastal walk, says chalky.
chalky on Illanmaster: Spectacular scenery
Coastal walk from Glinsk to Porturlin along this very impressive coastline. Left Illanmaster Island for another day ! Click here


Featured track report
A linear route over the southern Bluestacks.
This is another huge route from Simon Byrne through much of the high ground of the Bluestacks, going east to west. Although using GPS measurements is not entirely accurate, the assessment given of ascent 2615m and distance travelled 42.5km clearly puts this walk into the top end of what goes as Challenge Walks in Ireland. It visits 17 summits, 7 of which are V-Ls, 5 more are only Arderins and the rest Carns. We have no idea how Simon then got back from the finish to the start!
simoburn on PMG Walk 87 - The Bluestack Mountain Traverse!
PMG Walk 87 - The Bluestack Mountain Traverse! walk, Length:42.5km, Climb: 2615m, Area: Croaghconnellagh, Bluestack Mountains (Ireland) Croaghconnell Click here


Whatever the length or terrain covered, please do submit suggestions for this "Featured Track" spot in future at admin@mountainviews.ie
SOUTH: Beautiful place, dreadful terrain
Swamps, rocks and fencing worthy of former East German border guards were among the obstacles encountered by ciarraioch on a visit to the otherwise beautiful Dereenavurrig in the Dunkerron Mountains.
ciarraioch on Dereenavurrig Hill: Beautiful Place, DREADFUL terrain
Nearly got fooled by this one, all 261m of it. Roughest terrain I've encountered and that's including the area south of Lough Cloon. In November 2014, we went for what we thought was a 'jolly' starting at V 635 651 as per three5four0, going across Beann Mhór, Dereenavurrig and diverting to explore the wild country to the southeast near the western mouth of the Sneem inlet V 68237 63114. Six hours ... Click here


SOUTH: Knocknagapple Green...
In a noble-but-doomed attempt to demonstrate that there was any significant hillwalking done in November that wasn't concerned with simoburn's amazing quest, allow me to draw attention to a little excursion made by onzy in the depths of Iveragh. Starting at Ballaghisheen Pass his route takes in the twin tops of Knocknagapple before working onto the more substantial eminence of Colly. From here it was back to the start with a little contouring to avoid reascents, but others with transport might choose to use this as a method of gaining the middle of the Glenbeigh Horseshoe from the south. Whatever you're intent on doing, this is truly excellent hill country.
Onzy on Colly via Knocknagapple
Route over the two Knocknagapples and Colly East Top (not MV walk, Length:7.2km, Climb: 495m, Area: Knocknagapple, Glenbeigh Horseshoe (Ireland) Knoc Click here


SOUTH: Flying colours
Beendarrig (Red Peak) in the Reeks, is one of a trio of mountains named for colours, and is well worth a stop en route to its neighbouring big brothers, says ciarraioch.
ciarraioch on Beann Dhearg: The Red Peak
The first of the trio of hills named for colours, this can be approached from either V76140 84006 or V 77955 81514. Better still, if you have two cars start on the Loch Acoose side and finish in a civilised manner in the excellent Stepping Stone Café just at the end of your descent into the Bridia Valley. Beann Bhán and Beann Dubh can be easily handled in the same excursion. The views are great bu ... Click here


SOUTH: The Famished Road
David-Guenot has uploaded quite a few tracks this month, with my personal favourite being his comprehensive exploration of the Beara behemoth that is Hungry Hill. Starting by skirting the eastern cliffs and climbing the northern outlier of Derryclancy, the route gains the summit and then explores the rim of the plateau to the south with its magnificent seaward views. A rough descent to the west completes the circuit.
David-Guenot on HUNGRY HILL LOOP
Did this walk in March 2014. Start at crossroads by R572. Cl walk, Length:17.0km, Climb: 985m, Area: Derryclancy, Caha Mountains (Ireland) Derryclanc Click here


EAST: An easy ramble for Dubs!
Carrigoona Commons East in Wicklow is a neighbour of the Sugar Loaf, and offers a pleasant 25 minute ramble to the top along with some great views.
group on Carrigoona Commons East: Easy ascent for interesting views.
This summit is a northerly extension of the Great Sugar Loaf, though separated from this by a road. It has some great views. One place to start is around O23156 15611 where there is parking for 2 or 3 cars. Walk up a boggy tractor track to the summit. There is an easy scramble near the top. Up and down in 25 minutes. Alternatively take a minor road on the left whilst driving up the Rocky Va ... Click here


EAST: Andean trees take root in Wicklow
Westaston Hill is a relative stroll at just 270m, but offers further interest through the presence of some magnificent Chilean Pines, reports Simon3.
simon3 on Westaston Hill: Puzzles of the hill.
The first puzzle of this hill is "Where is the top". Given the current covering in Sitka Spruce with razor wire briers I can't see any onsite determination of this at present and I am not so sure even modern technology like photogrammetry or lidar would do any better. So I think that considering the top to be beside the communications tower is unlikely to be disputable until the trees are matur ... Click here


MIDLANDS: Save it for a clear day
The relative isolation of Knockanora in the Shannon area means it offers tremendous panoramas on a clear day, says aidand.
group on Knockanora: An excellent viewpoint, save it for a clear day
This hill is known locally as Lanigan's Tower. Many years ago a large stone tower stood on the summit. This tower was erected by the local landlord. Only the base of it remains today. There is plenty of parking at R984 735. You can follow the forest roads towards the summit. O.S. sheet 59 has the details. For a quicker route, park at a muddy forest and field entrance at S01748 71417 room only f ... Click here


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

This month's featured article.

Various people have climbed all of the mountains of Ireland in the past (ie. the 2000 ft, Dillons, 600m etc). There have been a variety of lists and records set. Member pn_runner and a friend climbed such a list in under a year. I (your editor) claim the record of having climbed them in the longest time of around 45 years.

Member Rob_Lee chose to do the 600m list that MountainViews offers. This is much the same as the main list of this type that we promote, the Vandeleur-Lynam list, however the 600m list has a relaxed criterion for prominence and so has 278 summits rather than the V-L's 269.

Robert also chose to complete this list before he was 21. He is definitely the youngest to complete the 600m list as laid out by MountainViews. As far as we know he also is the first to complete a comparable list before 21. However if anyone /nows of someone who has done this before 21 earlier than this year, please let us know.

Well done Robert - we applaud what you have done! It will be an inspiration to others to take up summiteering earlier rather than later. We asked Robert to describe his achievement and this is what he sent us:

278 by 21
by Rob Lee


Rob Lee on his last summit, The Hag's Tooth,
McGillycuddy's Reeks.
My earliest memory of wanting to “climb every mountain in Ireland” goes back to when I was 8, sitting on a pointed outcrop of rock at the back of my friend’s garden. We called it The Mountain. We used to sit on the “The Mountain” for hours looking across at the Great Sugar Loaf and dreaming of the day we would be old enough to go and explore it. It was the definition of adventure to us and the gateway to a world of the unknown. It was of one of those days, longing after the adventures of the Sugar Loaf, that the thought of how amazing it would be to climb every mountain in Ireland began to form. It seemed an unimaginable feat at the time. Even at that young age I loved my country and felt a huge connection to the land. Climbing every mountain would surely bring me closer to the mysterious magic that oozes out of the Irish landscape.

As I entered into my teenage years, The Mountain in my friend’s garden lost its adventurous allure and seemed more and more like a lump of rock. The idea faded to the back of my mind. It was only in the year after leaving school that I decided that being a Mountain leader would be an interesting job, so I started at the bottom with a Mountain Skills 1 course. Here, I heard about the sport of “peak bagging” and the existence of an official list of mountains. The idea of climbing every mountain in Ireland came jumping back into existence. Google revealed the Mountain Views 600 list with a total of 278 peaks. It would take a while but I figured I owed it to the 8 year old me to give it a go!


Josh Doran and Rob Lee on Gravale Wicklow
It was slow going at the beginning as my ambition outweighed my skill and experience, getting myself and a number of friends into more than one sticky situation. There was one occasion we decided it would be ok to tramp up Mullaghcleevaun when it was meters deep in snow and ice with no crampons, no axes and no idea how to use a rope. It very nearly turned into a mountain rescue job. A lot of trips were cut short by bad navigation, bad route planning and bad weather. The Comeraghs plateau proved very troublesome as it always seemed to be covered in dense fog and the broken mess of bog made staying on a bearing almost impossible. It resulted in a few failed trips. On the last attempt we got stuck on a gully scramble and very nearly came to an untimely end! As I progressed in training and experience the trips became more and more fruitful. I hated walking on my own but luckily I had a great group of willing friends who were always delighted to come along and see new parts of the country. Walking ended up being a huge part of our social life which is unusual for relatively normal 19 year olds. We’ve had some amazing trips all over the country, the Reeks in particular were fantastic. The 2 days we spent on them, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the exposed scrambles on the warm rock made for the best experience I’ve ever had in the mountains.


Rob Lee with his brother on Knocksheegowna,
Comeragh Mountains.
As the progress gained speed, I started to realise that I could actually bag all the peaks before I turned 21 so this became my goal. A deadline would keep me motivated and I might even end up being the youngest man to do it. MountainViews.ie became my favourite website. I was full on addicted to ticking off peaks and I was chuffed when I got a mention in the MountainViews Newsletter for my ambitions. The comments and track lists were key to planning the best routes although I was also keen to plan my own routes and not get lazy copying others. I was averaging 2.5 peaks a week but when college started I had less time and the mountains I had yet to climb got further and further away so progress slowed. When I got off college for the summer (2014) I was raring to go.

Camping under Hungry Hill, Caha Mountains
I was on a very low budget so I was constantly saving to fuel my trusty Nissan Almera. I slept in the car once or twice but it was very unpleasant so I would mainly camp on trips unless there were friends nearby that I could stay with and occasionally I would treat myself to the luxury of a hostel. The first week I spent walking and camping on my own was in Donegal. It was mentally challenging but an incredible experience with gorgeous weather and stunning, rugged scenery. As the summer went on I got into a routine of finding work for a week and then getting up at 5.30 a.m. to blitz a few peaks in Kerry for the next week. I was flying through them with the good weather of 2014 and started to really enjoy walking and camping on my own. Showering under a waterfall in central Dingle, completely isolated, looking out through the valley at the sun setting over the sea is one of my best memories from the summer trips. I now find that I have to get out on my own to get a bit of head space.


From left to right Mike Lee,
Matt Hill, Connor Barrett, Ben Mangan,
Robert Lee on the Hag's Tooth
I had planned to finish on my 21st birthday on the 9th March 2015 but there were others things pressing on me and I’d been at it long enough, so finally on the 8th of November 2014 a few of the lads and I set off to bag Hag’s Tooth in the Reeks. We parked at Cronin’s Yard and skirted around the south face of the Hag’s Tooth - not the easiest or the safest route but it was a lot of fun and resulted in some fantastic scrambles. It was the perfect last peak with a lovely exposed bouldering move to get to the top. We popped the bubbly and ended the challenge with a very precarious party.


Opening the Champagne On the Hag's Tooth,
McGillycuddy's Reeks
The challenge has taught me a massive amount, not just about hillwalking/ mountaineering but about life in general and I feel I know myself better as a result. I hope to do my Mountain Leader assessment in March 2015 and to continue my mountaineering career by taking groups on walks in the Wicklow Mountains. The challenge has been extremely useful in motivating me to do the walks that I need for my ML log book and it has giving me a huge amount of knowledge about all of the Irish mountains. It will definitely stand to me in my future career. This summer I hope to go on a climbing trip in Romania and I have plans to work towards some higher peaks in the Alps and further afield.

-- Robert Lee, November 2014.

FURTHER NEWS

Mountain World Ireland
Walkers will remember "Walking World Ireland" WWI a mostly hillwalking magazine of considerable interest in Ireland. Regrettably that stopped about a year ago.
Recently we were in contact with Conor O'Hagan, who used to be the editor. He is relaunching the mag as 'Mountain World Ireland'.
Conor tells us "The first issue of MWI should be out around December 7 or so". Why not take a look? We would be interested in a review.

More broadly we were dismayed when WWI vanished leaving hillwalkers with a choice between Outsider which covers a much wider spectrum and Mountain Log which continues to treat hillwalking, a major sport in Ireland, as part of mountaineering, a biathlon or hybrid of two sports with a relatively small following.
OSI preparing 1:25000 maps for Dublin Wicklow

We now understand that there is now going to be a limited run of trial maps produced. Last month we thought this might be the case and asked for volunteers for those interested in getting pre-release copies. Given a slightly relaxed schedule, if you would like to add your name to the list, please register your interest by emailing admin@mountainviews.ie including your postal address - do it soon. This is strictly for the purpose of making comments to improve the maps.
This was previously done in the case of the Reeks/Killarney 1:25000 map. What we found in that case was that some volunteers did not come back with their comments quickly enough for them to be considered by the OS - so as and when you get sample copies, please respond quickly.
Windfarms make you sick - everyone knows that don't they?

Or so say some that oppose them.
Take a look at this www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/07/wind_farms_make_you_sick_claims_blown_away_again/
The relevance to hill walking is this because the complainants then want to move windfarms onto hills, preferably far away. Done indiscriminately this damages hillwalking and tourism.
I think however it is more than fair that people affected by windfarms should get some of the benefits not just the immediate owner of the land they sit on. This point is made in the study: "Annoyance was significantly lower among the 110 participants who received personal benefit, which could include rent, payments or other indirect benefits of having wind turbines in the area.”
One piece of idiocy we don't have to contend with here
The report starts:

"Before we get into the details of this story, let's get a few basic wildlife biology facts out of the way. Most bears in this world are much bigger than you, much stronger than you and much faster than you. They also climb trees, so that's not a foolproof plan to get away from one.
So why haven't bears conquered humanity and set up global honey conglomerates? Honestly, it's because most bears aren't conqueror types and typically don't attack humans unless they feel threatened or are starving.
So to keep this eons-long truce between our species in place, it is imperative that we reciprocate by not acting like clowns while visiting our beautiful forests and the other domains of the mighty bear."
More info here.

You already knew what not to do in bear country, didn't you?

emVee-Tube

Videos this month:
(gerrym)

Walking in Donegal - Bluestack Mountains
Antrim's foremost auteur has now turned his attentions (and often-featured boots) to the irritably rough granite playground of the Bluestacks in County Donegal. The result is another indication of his ever-evolving control of his craft (some of the shot composition wouldn't disgrace a David Lean film) and it's blessed with an uncommon level of atmospheric clarity.


(mcrtchly)

Five days in the Eastern Himalayas: The Sandakphu to Phalut Trek Once again the mcrtchly/kernowclimber team bring us one of the world's greatest walks, notwithstanding the fact that in the bits where the heavens are comprehensively open you could easily mistake the Himalayan interior for County Laois were it not for all the Nepalese natives who keep wandering into shot. It's the usual well-judged mixture of local culture and awesome landscapes: the sense of scale implied by the very distant shots of many of the globe's highest peaks is palpable. Videography and reviews by Peter Walker.

SITE NEWS

What if you want to change the details we hold for each summit?
By this we don't mean a summit comment or a Short Summary, but one of the pieces of information such as:
  • Alternative names, perhaps in Irish
  • The Name origin or data to do with the name - perhaps you have some local information
  • The mountain area (e.g. Donegal NW) or a subdivision of the mountain area (e.g. Fanad) - perhaps it's misclassified
  • County name - perhaps we have it incorrectly
  • Map sheets it's on
  • Height, prominence
  • Grid reference
  • Whether it has a trig pillar
  • And some other more technical details ...

we know some of detail is not as complete as we would wish. MountainViews is necessarily careful about this sort of data so we have introduced a proposal system. Essentially, you can create a proposal for any summit, suggesting changes for any piece of information. This is held on the system and at a later data a "Database administrator" will come along and deal with the suggestion. (They may accept, reject or modify.) Any logged in member can propose changes.

Proposing new summits
You can also propose new summits for addition to MountainViews. For example we introduced the "Local, Historical, Cultural" category some months ago. You can use the new change system to propose a new summit of that category. (Or any other Irish summit.) simon3 on New feature: Propose Changes to Summits.
Let's suppose you have visited a hill and realised that the name(s) MountainViews has for it could be improved, or the grid reference, or the height, or we have the county wrong or whatever. Now there is an easy way for your to propose a change. There will now be a button "Propose Place Database Change" for each summit (you need to be logged in). Click on this and you can then choose which sort o ... Click here
Late news - Geology
MountainViews has received a table geologically describing the underlying rock of every summit. This is an interesting added piece of information further enabling the interested person to relate what they see at a summit to what is known about it. In due course the information will be available through the website. Original sources: Geological Survey of Ireland, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. Compilation: madfrankie, to whom many thanks.

SUMMITEERS CORNER
A place for those interested in Summiteering, Bagging or Highpointing.


Summit enters witness protection. New name, alias, height, address.
Thanks to helpful advice from across the water, it turned out that the position of the highest ground in an area of Monaghan (North Midlands mountain area) was incorrect. Eight people and a dog (now sadly deceased) had climbed it. As this is not a small change, we recommend that previous people who had climbed it, now have to climb it again. Sorry. (PS - that includes me, drat) simon3 on Carrickatee becomes Bunnanimma
The position of the highest point of this general area was reassessed in Nov 2014 and replaced by Bunnanimma, which is some hundreds of metres to the west and slightly higher and with a different name. The former summit was called Carrickatee in MV with a possible position H72704 14804 near a water tank. This is the first time a summit has had such a drastic change. Nine people (including myself) ... Click here

Help wanted
MountainViews wants to compile a list of all of the 1:25000, 1:30000 etc maps available in Ireland (including all non OS maps). We already have such a list for the 1:50,000 maps. Now we want to get a list of all the other maps. We will be looking for the name of the map, any reference number it has and the grid references for bottom left and top right corners.
If you don't know all the maps, then send what you have. For example we are interested in all of the maps published by OSNI/LPS in Northern Ireland.
A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits - The Vandeleur-Lynams & The Arderins
MountainViews first book available online and in many bookshops. The first reprint with numerous minor amendments is now out.

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. antoin, avr_alan, barbarahamilton, bats, bray, Brendanjohnhoran, brenos100, carrigada, Cazalaza, Colm_Dolan, fedhlim, FRamblers, Geotours, gharte, Goodwalking, Grumpypensioner, handtight, ieu78389, izakrupa, johnleoquinn, ken127a, Kennyj, Lee-Hill, liam1968, loudotty, mad2walk, marianmc, Marty90, nobutada, On-the-hills, ozozo, Padoirnoir, paucls, pbubbs, Petmosquito, Psperoff, quinn, rjpep, seacas, sgarner, smallville2k, smallvincent, Stu114, svd, teahook, wooly, wsayre (47)

Our contributors to all threads this month: CaptainVertigo (5), Colin Murphy (2), Conor74 (3), David-Guenot (10), Fergalh (1), Onzy (4), Peter Walker (4), barrymayo (1), brenno (1), ciarraioch (4), conormcbandon (1), Communal summary entries (8), happymourneview (3), jackill (1), paddyhillsbagger (1), sandman (1), simoburn (35), simon3 (7), wooly (1)
For a fuller list view Community | Recent Contributors

There were comments on the following summits Aghla Beg, Ballyroon Mountain, Beann Bhán, Beann Dhearg, Beann Dubh, Beenduff, Bunnanimma, Caherconree, Carrickgollogan, Carrigoona Commons East, co ck Mountain, Croaghmore, Dereenavurrig Hill, Glanarough Hill, Knocknasliggaun, Knockshanahullion, Slieve Carr, Slieve Croob, Westaston Hill
and these tracks Aghla Mountain, Bluestack Mountains Ireland, Arroo Mountain, Dartry Mountains Ireland, Barrclashcame North-West Top, Sheeffry Hills Ireland, Ben Beg, Partry/Joyce Country Ireland, Ben Goram, Croagh Patrick Ireland, Ben Gorm Mountains Ireland, Bengorm, North Mayo Ireland, Benmore, Achill/Corraun Ireland, Binn Bhán or Maolán, Twelve Bens Ireland, Binn Doire Chláir, Twelve Bens Ireland, Birreencorragh South Top, North Mayo Ireland, Breifne Ireland, Búcán, Maamturks Ireland, Buckoogh, North Mayo Ireland, Cnoc na Searrach, Donegal NW Ireland, Cnoc Onna, Donegal SW Ireland, Cnoc Ramhar, Donegal SW Ireland, Common Mountain, Donegal SW Ireland, Corraun Hill East Top, Achill/Corraun Ireland, Croaghconnellagh, Bluestack Mountains Ireland, Currywongaun, Twelve Bens Ireland, Damph, Inishowen Ireland, Derryclancy, Caha Mountains Ireland, Devilsmother North Top, Partry/Joyce Country Ireland, Dooish, Donegal NW Ireland, Errigal, Donegal NW Ireland, Gaugin Mountain, Bluestack Mountains Ireland, Glanarough Hill, Slieve Miskish Ireland, Kings Mountain, Dartry Mountains Ireland, Knockbreteen, Shehy/Knockboy Ireland, Knockeenatoung, Galty Mountains Ireland, Knocklettercuss, North Mayo Ireland, Knocklomena, Dunkerron Mountains Ireland, Knocknagapple, Glenbeigh Horseshoe Ireland, Knockowen, Caha Mountains Ireland, Mullaghbane Mountain, Cooley/Gullion Ireland, Nephin, North Mayo Ireland, Ox Mountains Ireland, Peakeen Mountain, Mangerton Ireland, Raghtin More, Inishowen Ireland, Seltannasaggart SE Slope, Arigna Mountains Ireland, Slieve Donard, Mourne Mountains Ireland, Slievemartin, Mourne Mountains Ireland, Slievemore, Achill/Corraun Ireland, Sugarloaf Hill, Knockmealdown Mountains Ireland, Teevnabinnia, Mweelrea Mountains Ireland, The Playbank, Breifne Ireland, Tullybrack, Fermanagh/S Tyrone Ireland, Twelve Bens Ireland tracks and these walks were created (none in period)

Thanks to all 1157 who have ever contributed summits or routes info and forums.

For a full list view Community | Contributors Hall of Fame

Summary. MountainViews now has 7215 comments about 1300 different hills & mountains out of the total in our current full list (1385). We want to get a good gps track showing each of the major ways up every summit 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 in Ireland. There's a few (85) opportunities for you to be the first to comment on a summit.

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.
  • 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 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 summit rating and also GPS readings for summits.
  • If we can, let's make MV have more than one route up a summit 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 GPS tracks.
  • MountainViews are on Twitter as MountainViewsIE. Follow us and we will follow you back. Any queries to secretary@mountainviews.ie

This newsletter

This newsletter Editor: Simon Stewart, Homepage: www.simonstewart.ie
Assistant editors: Colin Murphy, David Owens
Track reviews: Peter Walker, Tom Condon
Book reviews: Mel O'Hara, Conor Murphy, Aidan Dillon, Peter Walker, Michael Kinahan
Videography: Peter Walker, Video Reviews: Paul Moore
Graphics design advice: madfrankie
Newsletter archive. View previous newsletters mountainviews.ie/newsletter
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