Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => Meets, places, trips and reviews => Topic started by: ChuckMcB on November 02, 2010
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Did a night hike and bivvy on the SE side of Binnion Saturday last, clear, cold with no wind. Bivvied in the middle of a rather spooky collection of old very small quarry buildings (mostly just single walls, some had three/fours walls...but all where in very good condition). Could be worth another visit (esp. if you have kids who enjoy a game of hide and seek ;D).
Anyone know the story behind the buildings? Quarry workers shelters? Some where maybe six foot high but only about four foot square..all very strange..
Pics:
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1205/5140304459_5f9b92cf13_z.jpg) (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1183/5140319371_ecf120e226.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1264/5140963164_1002ec1a62_b.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1345/5140363075_3578caffbe_z.jpg) (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1121/5140969624_b98cd330de_z.jpg)
and a shaky cam video (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcrobert/5140455769/in/set-72157625299078696/) of one of the larger huts
more (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcrobert/sets/72157625299078696/)
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Looks very interesting and I will definatley check that out in the warmer months with my two boys who both have started their Xmas wish list and I'm happy to say both want their own bivvy bags and tarps so it looks like I will be getting the Xbox already purchased :-)
Your tarp setup is looking good and the spot looks cracking As usual you lucky sod , closest I got to bivvy this wkend was getting kicked out of bed for snoring and sleeping out front in caravan I might as well been outside as Donegal was freezing but worth it
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That looks like a cracking spot. We bivvied by the wall where you turned off but on the other side - if we'd known that spot was there we might have had a more comfortable night in the holwing gale we were lucky enough to get :)
Looks like it's either a shepherds hut or something to do with the granite quarry that was on Binnian.
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I'm happy to say both want their own bivvy bags and tarps so it looks like I will be getting the Xbox already purchased
Double win :D
Looks like it's either a shepherds hut or something to do with the granite quarry that was on Binnian
More likely the latter, there is dozens of them, in the large middle picture each of the grey blobs is a seperate hut or just a wall (flat on one side with a fireplace type thing and sloping on the other side) and the rocks lying around are all small as per the pictures, none of the large slabs like you see in Bloody Bridge quarry or up the right of Trassy Track....
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Anyone know the story behind the buildings? Quarry workers shelters? Some where maybe six foot high but only about four foot square..all very strange..
This could possibly be what you found:
Traditional Farming in the Mournes
Farmers in Mournes use extensive upland areas as shared grazing mainly for sheep, with dry stone built sheepfolds common in the landscape. Prior to this transhumance was practiced with upland meadows used for summer grazing of cattle and ‘booley huts’ built to accommodate families. Traditional farming activity shaped the heathland landscape as well as the distinctive dry stone walls. Blanket Bog was used as a supply of turf for fuel.
Found this statement in a document put together by the Mourne Heritage Trust. It's one possibility anyway.
Also this link: http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/Leean/Hutsites/BooleyHut/
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transhumance
well that's my cool word of the month sorted :D
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Looks like an excellent spot for a bivvy.
Dying to get trying out my brand new hunka!
Anyone know the approx grid ref/ directions?
Have hiked Binnian loads of times but never came across these huts.
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/me points to the map at the top for directions ;)
The grid ref is J 330 231/J 331 230
The wee wiggly bit of my GPS track is me walking from one to another on the way down, but there was loads more further to the south and west, all kinda interlinked with paths (that's what the dashed lines are on the map)
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Ahh!
can't see the map at one of the computers I use for the forum (IT restrictions!) but can on this one!
Cheers.