2020 Review - December

Click on any image to se a larger version.  All images copyright Leslie Ashe.

It's now 31 January so it's about time I got round to reviewing images from December. Three visits to the Mournes were the main feature of the month.  

3 December saw us over  Slieve Binnian and rather than simply following the wall back down to the Carrick Little track we detoured to visit the quarry works on the south and south-east side of Binnian.  A misty day with hoar frost over the tops and fleeting glimpses of the valleys below when the mist cleared from time to time.

Moon over Binnian North Tor and Douglas Crag on the left.

Path up to the North Tor overlooking Ben Crom Reservoir and about to enter the mist.

Two views of the North Tor as the mist cleared.

Along the ridge towards the Summit Tor

Looking back to the North Tor as the mist cleared

Brian and Ian at the Back Castles

Frost rimed granite

Slieve Donard from Binnian summit

Old quarry works 

The Annalong valley in its glorious winter colours

Swinley bay on a Sunday morning long walk. Since discovered that the line of rocks is part of an ancient fish trap.  iPhone image.

Meanwhile back home a sunset from the front door.

Planned day in the mountains turned out wet, windy and misty over the tops so we decided a long walk in Tollymore (10 miles) was a reasonable substitute.  No point in getting a soaking for a soakings sake!

We visited the remains of an old church and discovered that the Forest Service had felled a couple of trees to stop the mountain bikers riding through what was left of the church.

Also a visit to the White Fort - the site of an ancient circular settlement from c.500-1000 AD.  Brian  standing on the remains of the outer wall.

 Pre-Christmas family commitments and respecting lockdown restrictions meant that 17 December saw our final outing to the mountains for 2020.  Trassey Track, Slievenaglogh, Commedagh and a long hard descent after Commedagh ridge to Tollymore and back gave us a reasonable day out.  I had hoped for an image of the Millstone on Slievenaglogh (a previous one was taken with my phone) but the mist had other ideas!

The remains of an old jetty in Strangford Lough provided the foreground for an image of the back edge of a heavy shower at sunset.  Unfortunately the tide was higher the I had anticipated but at least the tops of some of the posts were visible.

Finally, on 30 December the setting moon taken from my back door.