Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

General => General Chat => Topic started by: whoRya on January 19, 2015

Title: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: whoRya on January 19, 2015
I had a wee camp over Christmas and noticed a bit of a landslide.  One of those trees that clung impossibly to the steep side of the river embankment no longer does that!
As you can see below the top section of the bank has slipped all the way down and into the river.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7504/16133718490_80e94a771b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/qzFwqb)
Title: Re: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: RedLeader on January 20, 2015
Shame to see an old tree like that down but it would have been great to see (from a safe distance!)
Title: Re: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: whoRya on January 20, 2015
You could have surfed down on it.
Title: Re: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: spynappels on January 20, 2015
Is it fair game for firewood now?
Title: Re: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: whoRya on January 23, 2015
I'd say the tree may still be alive.  Once the river washes away the remaining soil it will not survive long.  I don't know a lot about these things but it will still probably take a wee while to 'dry' out before it burns well.
Title: Re: Landslide at Spinkwee River
Post by: sjh1 on January 25, 2015
Aww, disappointing to see! One of the few places I know of in the Mournes where there's natural regeneration of native tree species.

As I posted on here at the time I counted over forty wee silver birch saplings on that embankment and I think a few rowans and oaks as well. Hope some have survived.

To be fair it's probably only the landslide-inducing steepness that keeps them safe from the white plague!

On the subject of landslides I walked the Brandy Pad just after Christmas then again a few weeks later. Between those two dates there had been an epic landslide at one of the streams it crosses. Rocks I'd been sitting on had just completely washed away.