Longest line of sight (UK)

[nw1]

The longest line of sight ever taken was from the Pyrenees as well, on a mountain called 'Pic de Finestrelles' 20-30 miles west of Andorra. The photo captured Pic Gaspard some 440km+ away in the Alps thanks to the right atmospheric conditions.

443 KM | Finestrelles, Pyrenees – Pic Gaspard, Alps

Current Guinness World Record Longest Line of Sight A thin line of Mountains rises over the Horizon: The Alps, with Barre des Écrins (4.102 m) in the middle left of the image. Distance443 Kilometer…

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I feel like the conditions have to be precise to get it. Much like when I first posted in this thread, sometimes there is a slim or very wide window, depending on the conditions. It was indeed very sunny during Summer of 2022 when I crossed the Pennines and took that photo. But sometimes it can change with the snap of a finger. Hope you have another try!

Was going to post about another long sight I saw but I've ran out of time and will be back in a sec...

Interesting, I've actually been very, very close to Pic de Finestrelles, possibly even to its summit. Certainly did a walk along the summit ridge somewhere above Nuria, just to the south. Despite pushing 3000m, the peaks in this area are very non-technical and there are no more hazards than there are in the Lake District (excepting much more chance of severe storms).

It was July, but there was low cloud, so no chance of such views then. Even still, interesting that I was in the area which has the world's longest recorded line of sight!

 

[Taunton]

A couple of these recently have caught my eye, showing great visibility conditions from Liverpool at sunset. The elevated parts of Liverpool can give some great vistas and lines of sight.


The second photo was taken by Andy Mallins and posted in August this year. It shows the construction of Everton’s new ground, with the Isle of Man on the horizon.

I'm guessing the second, Isle of Man one, is taken from the top of Liverpool Cathedral.

That's interesting to me for, as mentioned upthread, we used to live on the seafront at Hoylake. Occasionally the Lake District came into view, but a neighbour said they had once seen the Isle of Man. We never did. Must have been fractionally closer to it than Liverpool. A bit of elevation is everything.

 

[Altrincham]

I'm guessing the second, Isle of Man one, is taken from the top of Liverpool Cathedral.

That's interesting to me for, as mentioned upthread, we used to live on the seafront at Hoylake. Occasionally the Lake District came into view, but a neighbour said they had once seen the Isle of Man. We never did. Must have been fractionally closer to it than Liverpool. A bit of elevation is everything.

Yes, elevation definitely helps.

I’ve heard similar about Anglesey being visible from Crosby beach, and the Great Orme is usually mistaken as Anglesey. From the Lancashire coast at sea level, Anglesey isn’t visible, but from the top of Blackpool Tower it is only just possible to be visible.

 

[Taunton]

Yes, elevation definitely helps.

I’ve heard similar about Anglesey being visible from Crosby beach, and the Great Orme is usually mistaken as Anglesey. From the Lancashire coast at sea level, Anglesey isn’t visible, but from the top of Blackpool Tower it is only just possible to be visible.

Anglesey was certainly visible from beach level at Hoylake, though not as often as the Great Orme. So was Crosby beach, and the top of Blackpool Tower came out of the sea.

 

[Altrincham]

Anglesey was certainly visible from beach level at Hoylake, though not as often as the Great Orme. So was Crosby beach, and the top of Blackpool Tower came out of the sea.

Over the last couple of years, I have visited Moelfre on Anglesey and have seen the faint tip of the Wirral peninsula through binoculars, and checking the map it confirmed that the low-lying area visible was indeed Hoylake. It was visible as it contrasted with the higher ground of Prestatyn mountain reaching into the sea in the foreground.

Panning further along the Mersey estuary from sea level on Anglesey, I had hoped to have picked out Seaforth docks or Blackpool Tower, but although the conditions were clear no other part of England was visible.

 

[Taunton]

Over the last couple of years, I have visited Moelfre on Anglesey and have seen the faint tip of the Wirral peninsula through binoculars, and checking the map it confirmed that the low-lying area visible was indeed Hoylake. It was visible as it contrasted with the higher ground of Prestatyn mountain reaching into the sea in the foreground.

Panning further along the Mersey estuary from sea level on Anglesey, I had hoped to have picked out Seaforth docks or Blackpool Tower, but although the conditions were clear no other part of England was visible.

Hoylake location was here (looking west to Wales)

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Point of Ayr etc nearest, along the road, then round to Great Orme, Anglesey furthest away, just before the right-hand pole in the sand.

Spin it round, the occasional Lake District appearance was through where the wind turbines out to sea now are, past Crosby beach, right round and you see the Seaforth docks. Over Crosby beach Winter Hill etc commonly appeared, though not on this day.

 

[Altrincham]

Hoylake location was here (looking west to Wales)

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Point of Ayr etc nearest, along the road, then round to Great Orme, Anglesey furthest away, just before the right-hand pole in the sand.

Spin it round, the occasional Lake District appearance was through where the wind turbines out to sea now are, past Crosby beach, right round and you see the Seaforth docks. Over Crosby beach Winter Hill etc commonly appeared, though not on this day.

This is the spot on Anglesey where I saw the Wirral, which was visible to the left of the Great Orme.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8XznPgWyP4FGcpua9?g_st=ic

On the day that I was there, it was possible to see the high ground leading down to Point of Ayr to left of the Great Orme, with the Wirral very hazy beyond (visible through binoculars).

 

[RogerOut]

Yesterday I was in on the M25 , going south from Dartford. If I looked to my right I could see London and the Crystal Palace transmitter in the distance.

On my left I could see in the distance , another transmitter, that I think was the Wrotham transmitter,which is just off the M20.

Further up the A21 by Tunbridge Wells you can also see a transmitter in the far distance, when going northbound, which I think is also the Wrotham transmitter.

So in two lines of sight you can see London and the Tunbridge Wells area via the Wrotham transmitter, if that makes sense.

Anyone got any local knowledge of the area to know if I’m correct.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Gut feeling, the first of those might have been Detling Hill Beacon? Wrotham is between Detling and Crystal Palace.

 

[Greetlander]

I forgot that I made it back to the UK in Dec 2022 and decided to investigate one of the famous views on this thread. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Isle of Man from the top of the Great Orme. I think.

 

[Ediswan]

I forgot that I made it back to the UK in Dec 2022 and decided to investigate one of the famous views on this thread. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Isle of Man from the top of the Great Orme. I think.

Is this a new version of "Spot the ball" ?

 

[Greetlander]

Is this a new version of "Spot the ball" ?

I was flat out spotting two paces in front of me. Ironically later in the day, the view from Conwy Castle was fantastic.

 

[DelW]

I forgot that I made it back to the UK in Dec 2022 and decided to investigate one of the famous views on this thread. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Isle of Man from the top of the Great Orme. I think.

I have had a similar experience in the opposite direction. The view from the top of Snaefell on the Isle of Man was almost indistinguishable from your picture above. Fortunately on another occasion I did manage to get good views in all directions, although we weren't certain whether the southerly view was of north Wales or just cloud on the horizon.

 

[route101]

Some good views on a flight coming into Manchester other day, while over Derbyshire could see the Welsh Mountains. Possibly Snowdon.

Coming out of Geneva the alps were on the left with Mont Blanc, looking further East one of the peaks in the distance could of been the Matterhorn.

 

[nw1]

I have had a similar experience in the opposite direction. The view from the top of Snaefell on the Isle of Man was almost indistinguishable from your picture above. Fortunately on another occasion I did manage to get good views in all directions, although we weren't certain whether the southerly view was of north Wales or just cloud on the horizon.

Reminds me of when I first went to Pen-y-Fan in August 2003, a famously hot and sunny month.

Of course, typically, the day I was there it was low cloud and drizzle and you couldn't see anything.

Ironically I had a much better experience with views in the Brecon Beacons in November 2015, a month famous for - damp and drizzle. The day I was there, the views extended all the way to Somerset.

Some good views on a flight coming into Manchester other day, while over Derbyshire could see the Welsh Mountains. Possibly Snowdon.

Coming out of Geneva the alps were on the left with Mont Blanc, looking further East one of the peaks in the distance could of been the Matterhorn.

I've always wondered what the furthest point northwest is that you can see the Alps from a plane at maximum height under perfect conditions. Is there a point where you could see both the Alps and the UK from a plane under crystal clear conditions (thinking perhaps of somewhere like over the Ardennes?)

I've flown over the Alps many times now, but on no occasion was it sufficiently clear to see the Alps from a great distance. (It's not unusual for the Alps to form the boundary between cloudier conditions over Northern Europe and clear conditions to the south).

A related point is the furthest northwest you can see the Alps from land. The Mont Blanc panorama gives a clue: http://viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/BLANC-N.gif

The answer appears to be Le Telegraph in the Morvan mountains in Burgundy, 258km from Mont Blanc, and slightly beyond Haut-Folin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haut-Folin). Puy de Dome, also visible is even further from Mont Blanc (over 300km) but not so northerly. Even further away are the Monts du Cantal at 335km, but they are south of west.

That then raises the question of what can be seen if you look NW of Morvan, to obtain the most northwesterly point intervisible with the Alps from a given point. Or how many "hops" are required to get from the Alps to the UK. (It's come up before but from Willingdon Hill near Eastbourne you can see hills behind Boulogne in clear conditions).

 

[route101]

Reminds me of when I first went to Pen-y-Fan in August 2003, a famously hot and sunny month.

Of course, typically, the day I was there it was low cloud and drizzle and you couldn't see anything.

Ironically I had a much better experience with views in the Brecon Beacons in November 2015, a month famous for - damp and drizzle. The day I was there, the views extended all the way to Somerset.



I've always wondered what the furthest point northwest is that you can see the Alps from a plane at maximum height under perfect conditions. Is there a point where you could see both the Alps and the UK from a plane under crystal clear conditions (thinking perhaps of somewhere like over the Ardennes?)

I've flown over the Alps many times now, but on no occasion was it sufficiently clear to see the Alps from a great distance. (It's not unusual for the Alps to form the boundary between cloudier conditions over Northern Europe and clear conditions to the south).

A related point is the furthest northwest you can see the Alps from land. The Mont Blanc panorama gives a clue: http://viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/BLANC-N.gif

The answer appears to be Le Telegraph in the Morvan mountains in Burgundy, 258km from Mont Blanc, and slightly beyond Haut-Folin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haut-Folin). Puy de Dome, also visible is even further from Mont Blanc (over 300km) but not so northerly. Even further away are the Monts du Cantal at 335km, but they are south of west.

That then raises the question of what can be seen if you look NW of Morvan, to obtain the most northwesterly point intervisible with the Alps from a given point. Or how many "hops" are required to get from the Alps to the UK. (It's come up before but from Willingdon Hill near Eastbourne you can see hills behind Boulogne in clear conditions).

After we took off from Geneva, I was looking Southwest to see how far we could see. There were distant mountains which I reckon were in the Massif Central or could of even been the start of Pyrenees.

 

[nw1]

After we took off from Geneva, I was looking Southwest to see how far we could see. There were distant mountains which I reckon were in the Massif Central or could of even been the start of Pyrenees.

Probably the Massif Central (the Monts du Cantal are in the western Massif Central) but I guess it depends how high you were.

As an aside, a visit to the Monts du Cantal in 1983 was the first time I ever exceeded not only the 1000m contour line but even the 500m contour line. Sadly, not wholly on foot: one peak was reached from a car park on a high pass and the other via a cable car. If it's mitigating circumstances I was a family holiday and I still had many years of school ahead of me.

Indeed, all other visits to 500m+ hills and mountains in the 80s were also on family holidays outside the UK assisted by car. I only finally exceeded the 500m contour line in the UK in 1991 while doing the Coast To Coast walk - it took me a while to get into mountain walking even though I've done lots as an adult, both in the UK and abroad.

 

[adc82140]

Slightly ot as this is a UK thread, but I thought you may appreciate this:

I'm away in SW France this week, and for the last two mornings we have been treated to a stonking view of the Pyrenees some 200km away. The conditions have been perfect. Not my photo, nicked (with permission) from the village Facebook group.



[photo shows distant mountains from a local viewpoint]

 

[nw1]

Slightly ot as this is a UK thread, but I thought you may appreciate this:

I'm away in SW France this week, and for the last two mornings we have been treated to a stonking view of the Pyrenees some 200km away. The conditions have been perfect. Not my photo, nicked (with permission) from the village Facebook group.

View attachment 152311

[photo shows distant mountains from a local viewpoint]

Where in SW France (roughly) incidentally?

In the early 80s we spent two weeks in the Landes, about halfway between Bordeaux and the the town of Dax, on the coast. I don't ever remember seeing the Pyrenees but my dad, when talking retrospectively about the holiday in the following years, said he saw "mountains" from the top of the sand dunes by the beach. Could this be conceivable?

I'd guess they would be less than 200km from there, would guess at perhaps 150km or so.

In 2013 I actually travelled to the Pyrenees by train but the air was so hazy that they weren't even visible from Pau, pretty damned close to them!

 

[Bald Rick]

In 2013 I actually travelled to the Pyrenees by train but the air was so hazy that they weren't even visible from Pau, pretty damned close to them!

A few years back I travelled to the Pyrenees and the weather was of sufficient Britishness that they weren’t even visible when you were actually cycling up the bloody things.

 

[adc82140]

Where in SW France (roughly) incidentally?

Tarn et Garonne, about an hour north east of Toulouse.

 

[najaB]

I'm reminded of a childhood trip to Saint Vincent which involved a five mile hike up the volcano to see the amazing views of the other islands and the crater lake.

Needless to say, the clouds rolled in just as we got out of the forest, limiting the view to no more than 20 metres. And the cherry on top? The lake had dried up.

At least the hike was interesting.

I wouldn't mind repeating it, seeing as the volcano blew it's top off on 2021.

 

[nw1]

Tarn et Garonne, about an hour north east of Toulouse.

Ah ok, thanks - so some way east of where I was. Nonetheless it's probably conceivable you could have seen them from where we were.

A few years back I travelled to the Pyrenees and the weather was of sufficient Britishness that they weren’t even visible when you were actually cycling up the bloody things.

I had better luck with the weather as it was hot and sunny with thunderstorms, but the visibility was mostly poor. (July 2013)

Main issue was very much more lying snow than normal for July, due to an extremely cold and snowy spring, meaning it was harder to get up high than it would be in a normal summer. Certainly the snow line was significantly lower than I experienced on trips to the Alps around the same kind of era.