It was a wet, windy and cold day but we decided to embark on a walk up Sliabh Binnian and through to the Ben Crom reservoir. We did debate whether the weather was really suitable for such a hike but we had three alternative routes planned if things began to get unsafe. We headed up from the Carrick Little carpark through to the style and Mourne wall. Walking along the wall towards the top of Binnian saw a change in the weather with the winds really beginning to pick up and so we detoured past Binnian Lough and down through the valley.
The Binnian Lough looked daunting as we passed through the surrounding marsh land back towards the valley but the blue Lough (below) was stunning at this elevation and I still struggle with the fact that some walkers swim in this Lough on their return from a day in the hills. This detour from the main Slieve Binnian route reduced the walk from 8 miles down to 6.4 but it was just too cutting with the ice cold wind driven rain to go much higher.
As we got to the edge of the valley the view across Ben Crom with Slieve Bearnagh in the distance, was as breath taking as normal. We didn’t hang around long as the rain was quite painful given the wind factor. Ben Crom reservoir created by the Ben Crom mass gravity dam that is designed that its own weight provides the stability and has a capacity of 1,700 million litres of water it is quite a view from this point.
The Walk
Below are the details of the walk, the weather information is confusing as that really wasn’t our experience in reality. Please note these details are provided for information only and are used at your own risk. Make sure you are properly equipped for walking in the hills and prepared for sudden changes in weather check out this site for great deals in outdoor wear. I have this route in my Garmin Connect account if anyone needs it.
Cameras
I was travelling light as I didn’t know how long we were going to be out. I had hoped to pack my Lee filters but ended up with the Fujifilm X100T in the its leather case and a little lens cloth to tackle the moisture from the air. I am still a massive fan of the Fujifilm panoramic mode (in camera). Click here to see the image below at 5000px on flickr.
It was a great, yet challenging day, you can see photos from a more pleasant trip on the same track here : Slieve Binnian walk.
Links
The Fujifilm X100T Review
65 Photos taken with the X100 Series
Understanding Depth of Field
