Ulsters Only Fjord? EarthCache
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Strangford Lough is known for it's breathtaking heritage, a 10,000 year spectrum spanning Mesolithic flint and shell middens, and prehistoric tombs; early Christian raths; magnificent 17th and 18th century estates with their mansions and exotic gardens, for it's fishing and picturesque villages.
Strangford Lough, is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards Peninsula. The name Strangford is derived from Old Norse: Strangr-fjǫrðr meaning "strong fjord"; describing the fast-flowing narrows at its mouth. It is called Loch Cuan (formerly anglicised as Lough Cuan) in Irish, meaning "calm lough" (describing the still shallow waters of the mud flats), and Strangfurd Loch or Strangfirt Lough in Ulster-Scots. It is a popular tourist attraction and it is the purpose of this earthcache to give you, the geocacher, some information and understanding of the lough, and to take you on a scenic drive from Newtownards at the north end, to Portaferry, at the south.
Strangford Lough is an important winter migration destination for many wading and sea birds. Animals commonly found in the lough include commmon seals, basking sharks and most famously, Brent Geese. Three quarters of the world population of Pale Bellied Brent Geese spend winter in the lough area. The island studded sea lough is the largest inlet in the British Isles, covering 150 km². Almost totally landlocked, the lough is approached from the Irish Sea through the eight kilometre long fast-running tidal narrows, which open out into more gentle waters where there are 70 islands. Countless tidal rocky outcrops called pladdies litter the lough and mudflats, along with marshes, rocks, bays and headlands. The lough is a conservation area and its abundant wildlife recognised internationally for its importance.
What makes Strangford Lough so special is the fact that the previously mentioned islands are in fact drumlins. They are elongated features that can reach a kilometer or more in length, 500m or so in width and over 50m in height. One end is quite step, whilst the other end tapers away to ground level. The Stoss end is the steeper of the two ends and used to face into the ice flow.
The Lee slope is the gentler slope and becomes lower as you move away from the source of the ice. This means that the highest point will always be at the Stoss end of the drumlin, and the lowest point will be the end of the Lee slope. It is common to find several drumlins grouped together. The collection of drumlins is called a swarm. Areas with swarms of drumlins are sometimes referred to as 'basket of eggs' topography because of the rounded bumps that remind people of a basket containing eggs.
Whilst there are many variations in shape, the `classic´ drumlin is a smooth, streamlined hill that resembles an egg half buried along its long-axis. They tend to exist as fields or swarms of landforms rather than as isolated individuals, with a typical swarm comprising tens to thousands of drumlins. Viewed en masse, drumlins within a swarm display a similar long-axis orientation and morphology to their neighbours, and are closely packed, usually within two to three times the dimensions of their drumlin length. The majority of drumlins in a swarm have their highest elevation and blunter end pointing in an upstream direction, with the more gently sloping and pointed end, or tail, facing down-ice. The upstream blunt end is called the stoss end and the downstream end called the lee. A common measure of their shape is the elongation ratio, which is the maximum drumlin length divided by maximum width. Typical elongation ratios are 2:1 to 7:1. Variations in drumlin shape include spindle-like forms, two-tailed forms resembling barchan dunes in plan view, and they also exist as perfect circular hills with an elongation ratio of 1:1. There is a whole branch of investigation, called drumlin morphometry, which uses measures of shape, size and spacing to try and develop or test theories for their formation.
The coordinates given above are for the drumlin earthcache. From the carpark waypoint you should walk towards the gates at the reference waypoint. As you are not a vandal, you may proceed and carry on to the top of the drumlin, if you wish. We would recommend this as the views from up there are literally panoramic!
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT IF YOU INTEND TO WALK TO THE TOP OF THE DRUMLIN THAT YOU WEAR WATERPROOF BOOTS OR WALKING BOOTS IF THE GROUND IS DAMP - ALSO, THE LAST FEW METRES HAVE VARIOUS JAGGIES AND A FEW NETTLES WHERE THE TRAIL GETS A WEE BIT ROUGH, SO PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THE LAST FEW METRES IN SHORTS!
To claim the earthcache and log your find you must:
1. Either proceed to the top of the drumlin and note down what your height is above sea level (elevation) OR estimate how high the drumlin is. If you are in a wheelchair you can access near the trailhead and have a clear view of the drumlin so can estimate it's height.
2. Study the drumlin before you climb it and decide in which direction the ice travelled in order to make this drumlin.
OPTIONAL Take a photograph of the next nearest drumlin. If possible, with you or a member of your caching team, in the photo.
Please log your find after sending your email containing the height or your estimated height of the top of the drumlin above sea level and the direction of the ice flow. Please post your optional photograph. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION IN YOUR LOG.
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