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Route from Tibradden

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Ordinary hill transformed by conditions

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Cahas Surveying: Changes to Arderins etc

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Wicklow Area   W: Baltinglass Subarea
Place count in area: 116, OSI/LPS Maps: 28B, 55, 56, 61, 62, AWW, EW-DM, EW-LG, EW-WE, EW-WS 
Highest place:
Lugnaquilla, 924.7m
Maximum height for area: 924.7 metres,     Maximum prominence for area: 905 metres,

Places in area Wicklow:
Cen: Glendalough North:   Brockagh Mountain 556.9mBrockagh Mountain NW Top 549.5mBrockagh Mountain SE Top 471.7mCamaderry East Top 677.3mCamaderry Mountain 698.6mConavalla 734mTomaneena 682.4m
Cen: Glendalough South:   Carriglineen Mountain 456.6mCullentragh Mountain 510mDerrybawn Mountain 476.1mKirikee Mountain 474.5mLugduff 653.2mLugduff SE Top 638mMullacor 660.7mTrooperstown Hill 430m
N Cen: Tonelagee:   Carrignagunneen 561mFair Mountain 571.2mStoney Top 713.7mTonelagee 815.8mTonelagee E Top 668mTonelagee South-East Top 545.8m
NE: Bray & Kilmacanogue:   Bray Head Hill 238.9mCarrigoona Commons East 242mDowns Hill 372.9mGreat Sugar Loaf 501.2mKindlestown Hill 210mLittle Sugar Loaf 342.4m
NE: Djouce:   Djouce 725.5mKnockree 342.1mMaulin 570mTonduff 642mTonduff East Top 593mWar Hill 684.8mWhite Hill 631.1m
NE: Fancy:   Ballinafunshoge 480mKanturk 527.4mKnocknacloghoge 532.4mLuggala 593.3mRobber's Pass Hill 508.9mScarr 640mScarr North-West Top 559.8mSleamaine 430m
NE: Vartry:   Ballinacorbeg 336mBallycurry 301mDunranhill 342mMount Kennedy 365.9m
NW: Blessington:   Carrigleitrim 408mLugnagun 446.2mSlieveroe 332mSorrel Hill 599.5m
NW: Mullaghcleevaun:   Black Hill 602.2mCarrigshouk 572.5mCarrigvore 682.4mDuff Hill 720.8mGravale 719mMoanbane 703mMullaghcleevaun 846.7mMullaghcleevaun East Top 796mSilsean 698m
S: Aughrim Hills:   Cushbawn 400mKilleagh 249mMoneyteige North 427mPreban Hill 389m
S: Croaghanmoira:   Ballinacor Mountain 529.3mBallycurragh Hill 536mBallyteige 447mCarrickashane Mountain 508mCroaghanmoira 662.3mCroaghanmoira North Top 579.5mFananierin 426mSlieve Maan 547.8mSlieve Maan North Top 546.1m
S: Croghan Kinsella:   Annagh Hill 454mCroghan Kinsella 606mCroghan Kinsella East Top 562.1mSlievefoore 414m
S: Shillelagh Hills:   Lakeen 357mMonaughrim 206mSeskin 344mStookeen 420m
S: Tinahely Hills:   Ballycumber Hill 429.7mEagle Hill 296mMuskeagh Hill 398.2m
SE: Wicklow South East:   Ballinastraw 284mBallyguile Hill 188mBarranisky 280mCarrick Mountain 381mCollon Hill 238mKilnamanagh Hill 217mWestaston Hill 270m
W: Baltinglass:   Ballyhook Hill 288mBaltinglass Hill 382mCarrig Mountain 571mCarrigeen Hill 298mCloghnagaune 385mCorballis Hill 258mKeadeen Mountain 653mSpinans Hill 409mSpinans Hill SE Top 400mTinoran Hill 312m
W: Cen Lugnaquilla:   Ballineddan Mountain 652.3mBenleagh 689mCamenabologue 758mCamenabologue SE Top 663mCloghernagh 800mCorrigasleggaun 794.6mLugnaquilla 924.7mSlievemaan 759.7m
W: Donard:   Brewel Hill 222mChurch Mountain 544mCorriebracks 531mLobawn 636mSlievecorragh 418mSugarloaf 552mTable Mountain 701.7mTable Mountain West Top 563m

Note: this list of places includes island features such as summits, but not islands as such.
Rating graphic.
Spinans Hill SE Top Hill Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas) A name in Irish, also Brusselstown an extra EastWest name in English For origin of name, see Spinans Hill. Wicklow County in Leinster Province, in Carn List, Andesite & andesitic tuff Bedrock

Height: 400m OS 1:50k Mapsheet: 56 Grid Reference: S93044 91136
Place visited by 73 members. Recently by: No1Grumbler, nupat, NualaB, Kaszmirek78, mickhanney, John.geary, Ansarlodge, SenanFoley, oreills8, simoburn, annem, JoHeaney, hibby, loftyobrien, davsheen
I have visited this place: NO (You need to be a logged-in member to change this.)

Longitude: -6.616069, Latitude: 52.963284 , Easting: 293044, Northing: 191136 Prominence: 40m,  Isolation: 1.2km
ITM: 692972 691175,   GPS IDs, 6 char: Spn400, 10 char: SpnnsHlSET
Bedrock type: Andesite & andesitic tuff, (Donard Andesite Member)

Brusselstown Ring is at the SE end of Spinans Hill. This fort is mentioned in several Irish annals as Dún Bolg [PNCW].   Spinans Hill SE Top is the 959th highest place in Ireland.

Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/
COMMENTS for Spinans Hill SE Top (Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)) 1 2 Next page >>  
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MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Spinans Hill SE Top (<i>Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)</i>) in area Wicklow, Ireland
Picture: Rocky/grassy highpoint, with Keadeen in background.
 
Approach via Spinan's.
Short Summary created by Colin Murphy  27 Jun 2024
Usually done in conjunction with the main top. There is now no access to this hill from the south (see comment on Spinan's Hill.) Follow route from the north to Spinan's, then turn SE and follow the edge of the forest to point S92393 91110 starA, cross a fence and enter woodland - the mature trees make it quite walkable. When you emerge around 92776 91011 starB, you are about 350m west of the summit, although 100m of the final ascent is up through high ferns on uneven ground, making going potentially hazardous. Eventually you cross a wall on to a broad grassy area with a rocky/grassy outcrop at its centre, which marks the highpoint. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/5600/
 
MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Spinans Hill SE Top (<i>Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)</i>) in area Wicklow, Ireland
Picture: The Spinian Bull
wicklore on Spinans Hill SE Top, 2008
by wicklore  10 Oct 2008
Wary of csd’s forest ordeal on Spinian, today I sought and found an easy approach to Spinian which I did after tackling Spinian SE Top.
Initially I went looking for Simon3's starting point for Spinian SE Top. Having recently suffered the curse of a forest crawl and gorse field obstacle course I was anxious to have an easy walk on this wet and cloudy day. I found a new parking spot just off the road at S924 907 starC. I asked at an intercom in the gate across the road and the lady said it was ok to park there. A track led north and almost immediately I reached the edge of the forest which can be seen in Padodes photo of Spinian SE Top taken from Keadeen-I was at the corner of the long finger of forest stretching to the left. Keeping the forest on my left I crossed fences and fields and soon came to the summit. The bad weather meant visibility was down to a couple of hundred feet so I can't comment on the wonderful views I know must be available from up there. I would urge caution when climbing the large stone wall enclosing the summit in wet weather as it was quite slippy. I got a start when I saw what looked like a large bull sitting near the summit (see photo) but on closer (careful) inspection it turned out to be a large boulder! Leaving the summit I considered csd’s comments on the awkward route over to Spinian which he had done in reverse. I decided to explore the possibility of a direct route through the forest. I followed a fence west from the summit until it reached the trees. The fence continued into the trees with a track beside it and I followed it until the track ran out. The forestry grew denser and the fence disappeared into the murky darkness. In the interest of aiding future walkers I valiantly plunged in.
To my surprise and delight following this fence was easy and soon brought me across the ‘finger’ of forest to the fields on the other side. I emerged from the dense forest at a hut. To return to the parking spot from here simply turn left, keep the forest on your left and reach your car in a few minutes. Padodes’ photo from Keadeen makes it possible to visualize all of this. I would recommend this as a return route if parking where I did as it was easier than climbing across many barbed wire fences on the way up. Note-the spread of forestry on Spinian is much more extensive than shown on the OS map. From the hut I continued on to find the main Spinian summit. (See Spinian for the next section.) Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/3370/
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Brissels or Brussels
by Bunsen7  16 Dec 2017
Climbed both hills on 16/12/17, following the main route described by others here on MV.

The forestry between the tops has thinned out a little (or so it seems by reference to previous comments) and further inroads are being made into the forestry with machinery that make the route much more obvious.

When researching this hill before my visit I found myself confused as to the pronunciation (Spinnian's?, Spynan's?) and was enlightened by, well, you guessed it, google.

Apparently in the early 1800s there was an English geologist named Thomas Weaver charged with doing a little research into the geology of Wicklow. He seems to have spent quite some time traversing the range and commenting on the geology of many lesser known hills.

His publication described the hills of Spynan's (Spinan's), Brisselstown (Spinan's SE), Kilranela (Cloghnagaune), Tinoran, and others in the Baltinglass area.

On this hill, "Brisselstown" as he spelled it, he noted that "Craggy protuberances stud the upper part and form the summit of this hill which is encircled by three concentric mounds, [...], which with the crags above display a kind of mural crown, perceptible at a great distance. The object of these enclosures is not at present known, [...], and the craggy summit may have served as an altar."

I certainly found the summit more interesting than the main top to the west, which is flatter with a number of shallow bog pools.

The same publication, Transactions of the Geological Society of London, Volume 5 (1821?), measured the hill at 1330 feet, which seems fairly close! Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/19812/
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MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Spinans Hill SE Top (<i>Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)</i>) in area Wicklow, Ireland
Picture: Brusselstown Ring and Spinans Hill in the distance.
 
simon3 on Spinans Hill SE Top, 2007
by simon3  17 Dec 2007
Having seen csd's comments I had a look around and started from around S933906 starD. This makes for an easy ascent. Spinans Hill SE Top was mentioned as being an area with access issues as far back as this Dáil debate in 1993 see http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0431/D.0431.199306020075.html. and certainly there are some unwelcoming signs around, though not near the start suggested. I understand that the landowner for that part of this hill lives on the other side of the road so you can ask.

The summit itself is surrounded by a huge stone wall which appears to be part pre-historic part rebuilt as a modern sheep enclosure. The view shows the wall with Spinans Hill (409m) in the background. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/2920/
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MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Spinans Hill SE Top (<i>Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)</i>) in area Wicklow, Ireland
Picture: The view west from Spinans Hill SE Top
csd on Spinans Hill SE Top, 2007
by csd  22 Jul 2007
This shot shows Spinans Hill viewed from Spinans Hill SE Top. You can see the line of forestry blocking the way: I came from the right (north), handrailing the edge of the trees using the field visible. Even with this there was some pushing through forestry required, though the trees are not nearly as dense as on the northern approaches to Spinans Hill itself. The area around the summit of SE Top must have been a site of some importance in antiquity, judging from the number of cairns and other artefacts visible. Brusselstown Ring, which encircles the summit, is said to be the largest ring fort in Europe, and is supposedly the setting for the central action in the Bórama. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/2781/
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MountainViews.ie Picture about mountain Spinans Hill SE Top (<i>Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)</i>) in area Wicklow, Ireland
Picture: Looking into history
 
padodes on Spinans Hill SE Top, 2008
by padodes  19 Mar 2008
The most impressive way to become acquainted with Spinans Hill is, I think, to climb to the summit of its towering neighbour, Keadeen. The almost aerial view from there shows the low, twin-topped hill to advantage, and especially the great oval hill-fort on the nearby east top, the Brusselstown Ring, with its crumbling boulder rampart. (An obliging arrow of sunshine lit it up for me as I took the photo yesterday.) The remains of another hill-fort on the sister top to the west is now smothered in forestry. I’ve seen the Ring variously described as a Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age monument, which leaves me none the wiser. There is no exact agreement either on the measurement of the axes of the Ring, with 320 x 200m or 300 x 190m being given in different documents. Wicklow people seem happy, at least, to sing its praises as the largest hill-fort in Europe. I have read that an outer stone defence, about 5km in circumference, but now almost razed to the ground, encompasses the two tops and their respective forts, but it is hard to identify in the photo. As far as place-names go, learned heads have conjectured that the “Dún Bolg” mentioned in the Bórama (cattle tribute feud) episode in the Book of Leinster is the name our embattled ancestors gave the Ring. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/841/comment/3004/
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COMMENTS for Spinans Hill SE Top (Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)) 1 2 Next page >>
(End of comment section for Spinans Hill SE Top (Cnoc na Spíonán (mullach thoir theas)).)

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