Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 62 total)
  • Which two points in UK are furthest apart, yet mutually visible?
  • A short, simple question, although there are variations, such as; within Great Britain, within the British Isles or entirely across land.

    I’ve heard it’s possible to see England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland from the Isle Of Mann, so I’m guessing one of those could be the longest distance across the sea.
    The Peak district is visible from Clee Hill, which is about 75 miles away across land.
    Any advances on 75 miles?
    Going outside the UK, I’ve also heard that Norway is visible from the Cairngorms.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Going outside the UK, I’ve also heard that Norway is visible from the Cairngorms.

    I’d be surprised, it’s 400km and the distance to horizon from 1200m (Cairngorm Plateau) is only 120km…

    In fact, earth curvature would scupper it: http://www.davidsenesac.com/Information/line_of_sight.html

    Pook
    Full Member

    I’d hazard a guess that going up Ben Nevis or Snowdon’s going to give you your answer. Or emley moor mast

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    towzer
    Full Member

    vaguely related

    I **think** from childhood memory max lighthouse visibility is up toish 28 miles.

    *and height makes a difference (lighthouse 110ish feet)

    MostlyBalanced
    Free Member

    You can see the New Forest (pretentious Nimbyland) from Totton (Pikeyville just outside Southampton). They’re pretty far apart.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    The furthest I have personally seen is around 100 miles clearly to Snowdonia from Coniston Old Man. This site suggests I could have seen much further from other Lake District hills on the right day.

    http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html

    That must be beatable somewhere in Scotland.

    From the site above:

    “The longest theoretical line of sight in the British Isles is 144 miles (232 km) from Merrick, in the southern uplands of Scotland, to Snowdon in North Wales.”

    Would need quite a day, though.

    gobuchul
    Free Member

    Visible horizon calculator

    It’s quite simple geometry really.

    njee20
    Free Member

    So from the top of Everest you could theoretically see 208 miles. Fun fact.

    Irrelevant in this context, as I don’t think Everest is in the UK, or Great Britain or anything similar.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Makes sense that the higher up you are, the further you can see. From Cairngorm on a cold, crisp winter day it’s possible to see Morven in Caithness, Torridon and beyond Ben Nevis. I’ve also seen Jura from the Pentlands just outside Edinburgh. I’ll get a map later and work out some distances.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Makes sense that the higher up you are, the further you can see

    And the higher the object you’re looking at, obviously.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    The Peak district is visible from Clee Hill

    I’m a little sceptical tbh. The Brecon Beacons are only just visible, Pen y Fan is about 80km from Clee Hill village.

    I’ve seen the IoM from Snowdon, I think, and I also think I have seen Northern Ireland but not quite sure.

    EDIT actually looking at the map, must’ve been Wicklow Mtns which are about 150km but not in the UK of course so disqualified.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    I’m a little sceptical tbh. The Brecon Beacons are only just visible, Pen y Fan is about 80km from Clee Hill village.

    Seems marginal – you’d certainly need to know where to look.

    http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/ENG/CLEE_B.GIF

    Footflaps, I think a superior image was the reason. A bit like a mirage, except that instead of the light bending upwards and looking like a reflection, it bends downwards, effectively allowing you to see beyond the horizon.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I also think I saw the Lake District from Snowdon (it was a ludicrously clear evening and a sight I’ll never forget) which is 160km away.

    I reckon I saw most of Wales that day, you could clearly see Cardigan Bay curving around to the South. The perspective looked a little distorted so perhaps the superior image thing was a possibility. It was at dusk with snow on the ground, clear skies and temperatures dropping fast.

    bigjim
    Full Member

    If I could be bothered I could do an analysis in GIS software to test the above, but I can’t. As well as the curvature of the earth you have to consider atmospheric refraction using an assumed refraction coefficient.

    Molgrips, I can’t remember the proper name for it, but there’s one of those brass maps on a stone pillar on the top of Brown Clee Hill with all the distant land marks on it.
    I’ve never been up there on a clear enough day myself, but I’m sure it says you can see the peak district.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    From my local trails in Ayrshire, on a clear day Northern Ireland and the mull of Galloway is visible to the south, as is Ben Lomond to the north.

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Lake District from Snowdon quite a few times

    And the hills in Eire esp when covered in snow

    70 miles or so

    aracer
    Free Member

    So from the top of Everest you could theoretically see 208 miles. Fun fact.

    If the surrounding land was at sea level. Though you could in theory see the top of another mountain the same height (bear with me, this is just theory) 416 miles away if the land went down to sea level in between.

    scotroutes
    Full Member
    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    I’d agree with martinhutch, the Merrick would be a contender for the farthest view, as there ain’t much to the south for miles, and again, the southern highlands around Loch Lomond are visible to the north.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Logically, Lakes from Snowdon should be the furthest – two of the highest points that are both close to the sea so nothing in between.

    northernmatt
    Full Member

    Went up Cairngorm one day and saw lots of other hill really really far away as it was a clear day. No idea what any of them were called.

    Useless post really.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’m a little sceptical tbh. The Brecon Beacons are only just visible, Pen y Fan is about 80km from Clee Hill village.
    Seems marginal – you’d certainly need to know where to look.

    Knowing the geography of S Wales pretty well, it’s very obvious. Small, but obvious. And it has to be pretty clear of course.

    tomd
    Free Member

    I’d hazard a guess at Ben More on the Isle of Mull or The Cuillins on Skye. Big old hills with plenty of sea around. Possible to see a long way from the top of either in good conditions, and to see them from a long way away.

    Houns
    Full Member

    Black mountains from Clent is perhaps the furthest I’ve seen

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Knowing the geography of S Wales pretty well, it’s very obvious. Small, but obvious. And it has to be pretty clear of course.

    I meant the Roaches in Staffordshire, not PenyFan. A bit more of a challenge.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Galloway from
    Snowdon? Around 140 miles

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Oh yeah, absolutely 🙂

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    tomd – Member
    I’d hazard a guess at Ben More on the Isle of Mull or The Cuillins on Skye. Big old hills with plenty of sea around. Possible to see a long way from the top of either in good conditions, and to see them from a long way away.

    Aye that was my kinda thinking, possibly goatfell on arran could be a good shout aswell maybe, dunno if you’d pick up any of the welsh hills from there(I shat it to go to the top! 😆 ) or how far north you’d get up the west coast.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    I can see into your bedroom window from here, ok so I need some binoculars but still a nice view. 😯

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    With or without binoculars/telescope?

    British Isles The longest theoretical line of sight in the British Isles is 144 miles (232 km) from Merrick, in the southern uplands of Scotland, to Snowdon in North Wales. I have found no longer sightlines, and none were found in a study by topographic researcher Chris Jesty in the 1980’s. A 1990’s Guinness Book of Records published this superlative, but gave the distance as 144 km (sic)….

    … Merrick would be practically impossible to observe from Snowdon, because of the very thin aperture it shows behind nearby Lamachan hill. To give an analogy: if a colleague and I were in neighbouring rooms, and I were at a desk but the colleague were looking through an empty keyhole, he would probably see my clearly, but I would not see him. The “keyhole” is Lamachan Hill, which is much closer to Merrick, so an observer on Merrick would see Snowdon much more easily than vice versa. Infact, Merrick would be impossible to observe from Snowdon other than with a telescope, and then only if there were a suitable contrast with Lamachan Hill (e.g. snow or sun on one but not the other) That is why Merrick is not shown on the Snowdon panorama.

    From this forum

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’d hazard a guess at Ben More on the Isle of Mull or The Cuillins on Skye. Big old hills with plenty of sea around.

    Yes but looking at the map, there are nearby hills that would obscure the view of anything further away.

    wanmankylung
    Free Member

    The mountains on Harris from the top of Hirta?

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    You can see Porthcawl from Ilfracombe and it’s about a 250 mile drive, if you don’t use the Severn bridge.

    EDIT – Oops sorry P-Jay, I missed that you’d already done that one!

    molgrips
    Free Member

    The mountains on Harris from the top of Hirta?

    Only 100km by Google.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    I think there is a faint possibility of standing on Worcestershire Beacon (Malvern Hills) of spying Dunkery Beacon in Exmoor (with visual aid, in particular conditions)

    aP
    Free Member

    No. 10 Downing street, everything outside the gates.

    kcal
    Full Member

    @wml – that post was on my mind — I’ve been up Cuillins on a very cold, clear day – we reckoned the smudge on the horizon would be – possibly – St Kilda…

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    P-Jay is Stacey from Barry, and I claim my £5!

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