Binocular strength for Irish hillwalking and hiking

Eight power is about the most you can hand-hold. Get the biggest lens on the front end (bigger lens, more light in, better in poor light conditions) that you can find that keeps the weight/size down to what you feel you want to tote around. I use a monocular since it fits in my pocket better for the limited use it gets. You'll find that you can usually get right up to any of the stones and tromp around them (absent their being in a field with a herd of mean-looking cows). You'll probably use them to look at birds more than anything else. Apropos of zilch, Wales has some really great hill forts (some earlier than bronze) and the best castles in the world. If you can slip over there for a week, you'd really have a great time.

We may just do that-we are looking for adventure and it sounds great. I once took the ferry & bus from Dublin to London and noticed how utterly green and gorgeous Wales was and wishing we had more time & money to do just that.
Sounds like you have done the exploring- what is the attitude with strangers walking on someones land? It seems far more acceptable in Ireland than it is here in the States. I don't want to trespass, but I get the feeling that those rocks walls are meant to be climbed!

All binoculars come with 2 numbers on them - something like 7x25 or 8x40, etc. The first # represents the magnifying power of the binocular - so in this case it magnifies the object either 7 or 8 times. The second number is the size of the opening (the larger the number the better the light and hence the image). For most folks an 8 or a 9 power is the max for birding. If you have very steady hands a 10 power may work. Anything higher will generally have you seeing blurred images due to your hand shake.

That said, there are lots of new binoculars (try Canon) that have image stabilization technology built in that will allow you to handle binoculars with higher magnification. These however will set you back many hundreds and even over a thousand $.

You'll find that most of the dolmens/cairns/tumuli/whatever are pretty well known (at least to locals) and that the national-old-stuff agencies have erected small signs (maybe a foot long and a few inches high in some cases) pointing off the road across a field. If there's an anti-animal escape device, open it, go through, and close it benind you. There'll be a worn path of some kind so you'll have no problem figureing out where to walk. Some standing stones, however, have no marker. It doesn't matter; use the same care with the gate affairs and help yourself. If you don't let the livestock out and don't toss your beer bottles, nobody gets upset. People hike all over the place, all across private land.

Hill forts, it seems, seldom have markers and you have to keep your eye out for them or their remains (rocks were moved to make fences/houses, that sort of thing). You need to look not only at the topographical crest but at the military crest to find them. To find more than you'll ever want to explore check megalithic.co.uk. I sometimes carry a small, hand-held gps to help me find them.

One other way to tell where something might be is to watch for small worn areas on the side of the road (like where the postman would pull over to service a mailbox, but there's no mailbox). This is probably where others have parked to go look at whatever's over there.

In a couple of places in Ireland where dolmens were on private property, the landowner had put a small collection box at the gate for donations.

Well, I am just starting out on this and am trying to figure out the difference between birding, hiking, trails,hunting...ect binoculars. Is there a difference? I have a pair of Bushnell9x20-27 (I think) and while the FOV is quite large,(yes, my hand does shake) I wonder if they are TOO large. Plus, they aren't waterproof, and I would think thats nessasary in Ireland.Since I'll be in Ireland for over 6 weeks, I have to downsize when I can in weight and in bulk.
So, if I wanted a small/compact pair,then I should get 7 or 8x what-12 or 15? Will any of them do if they are waterproof, or am I looking for different features for my uses? I greatly appreciate your expertise and patience with this Arnold!

I have seen that sight abd have it bookmarked-a great resource!
What is a military and topographical crest? I suppose the web sight will explain it?

I also am bringing a gps because I have been introduced to geocaching and love it. However it is also one of those things I have to learn to use before I go. I have a Garmin SMAP and just bought the Road map for Ireland, but there is no topo map. I guess I can figure it out as I go-hopefully!I understand there is a huge amount of these forts, dolmens, etc in Kerry so I think thats where we will do a lot of our exploring.

Would an owner put a Do Not Trespass sign on his property if he didn't want to be bothered at all? I really don't want to be a pest, and at the same time don't want to be afraid of climbing over the wall or gate because I might miss something great.

Nancy, what would be a respectable donation for these boxes?

Thanks everyone for all the great help!

Diane:
Based on the activities you mentioned, your birding requirements will take top priority. If the binoculars work for birding, they will do fine for sporting events, hiking trails, and for long distance viewing. The only place where they will probably not work is at the opera or indoors where the high magnification will work against you.

That said, the binoculars you have will do just fine. I personally think you can get buy without a waterproof pair. I would assume that a hat and a waterproof jacket will generally provide enough protection for the binoculars. Further, I don't think you would actually be using them in a heavy downpour. Lastly, carry a few packets of silica gel to absorb any excess moisture. Hope this helps.

Brad,
I like the idea of monoculars since I already own a pair of binoculars.

On binoculars.com, most of the waterproof monocular are 10x25. Do you think there would be a lot of jitter or shaking with that magnification?

Military crest is hard to define without defining other terms and without a pencil and paper -- once you understand it, it's purpose becomes obvious. See wilkiepedia for good drawing.

As for the donation, we just put in whatever change we had - maybe a euro each, maybe less. And yes, you could see No Trespassing signs. On our first trip, Ireland was trying to protect itself from the foot and mouth disease going on in Britain at the time, and there were many fields that were posted to keep people out. They didn't want people bringing soil into their fields from somewhere else that could contain the germ.

As has been said, the second number is important. I've purchased some high powered binocs that had a low second number and only work well with a tripod.

Another suggestion for getting something good for travel is to consider a monocular instead of a binocular. I have a monocular that fits in my pocket and works well for viewing distances, architechtural details and wildlife.

You can check out an assortment of options at binoculars.com. I've purchased items from them and they were delivered promptly and in one piece.

Hi Arnold,
Well you hit the nail on the head I think, abt the pair I currently possess working well for everything I plan to do. You are also correct that I wouldn't be hiking in a downpour purpously, but if I get caught in one while hiking is another matter.
Would the silica be enough to dry out the binoculars if they did get damp or wet? Where would I buy this?
I live in the desert of CA where we have no rain ;- >

Okay, another stupid question- if I wanted to go smaller, what strength would I look for-haven't decided if I will go smaller, but just in case!

I know you all are rolling your eyes in your heads as I would be myself trying to explain all this!

I am glad I checked wikipedia as suggested. I thought it would be a piece of metal that would signify its importance in history, not a certain hill formation. Thanks for mentioning it and will keep my eyes open for such things.

I can't wait to go!

Diane: I would not go for a smaller pair if the one you have works fine. For silica gel, you may want to try a camera store. If you can't find it, don't worry about it. Just make sure to keep the lenses dry in case any water gets on them.

If you go the monocular route, make sure you are comfortable with it. Also, it won't be great if you are going to spend significant time birding.

I don't really thnk we'll be doing a lot of that-we are basically going to enjoy the views.

You've been great, thanks so much!

8 to 10 power is about as large as I would go. The higher field of view number you can find, the better you will probably like it.

The nice thing about a monocular in a rainstorm is you can just put it in the pocket of your rain shell and it will stay dry - plus it doesn't take up space and weight in your luggage.