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UpToWhere · Can you see it?

Can you see Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland from Scafell Pike, England?

Yes — you can

178 km line of sight toward the west (bearing -99°), computed on 30 m Copernicus terrain with Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction.

England's highest summit comes with a boast: on the clearest days you can see four countries — England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Irish leg is the long one, all the way across the Irish Sea to the Mourne Mountains.

3D terrain view from Scafell Pike, England toward Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland
Straight-line distance178 km
Direction-99° west
Observer eye level976 m
Target elevation845 m
Curvature drop at the target2,170 m
Clearance margin+25 m

From Scafell Pike, England, at an eye level of 976 m, the sightline to Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland runs 178 km and clears every ridge in between. Over that distance Earth's curvature drops the target 2,170 m below a flat-earth line — but at 845 m, it still rises above the horizon. The view is geometrically real: whether you actually get it depends on haze, not terrain. The tightest squeeze is mid-path, where the sightline passes just 25 m above the terrain at km 178.

The line on the map

Satellite map with the sightline from Scafell Pike, England to Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland drawn in red
The 178 km sightline over satellite imagery, drawn as the great-circle path light would follow.

The terrain profile

-0 m2,000 m sea level (curved) sightlineScafell PikeSlieve Donard 0 km178 km50100150
Elevation profile from Scafell Pike, England to Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland. Like every elevation profile, the vertical axis is stretched (≈15× here) — but the geometry is real: mid-path, Earth's surface genuinely stands 624 m above the straight line between the two points (the dashed arc is sea level). Light bends only slightly around that bulge, so whatever it covers stays hidden.
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Frequently asked questions

Can you see Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland from Scafell Pike, England?

Yes. The terrain-limited line of sight is clear across 178 km, accounting for Earth's curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. Atmospheric haze is the only thing that can hide the view.

How far is Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland from Scafell Pike, England in a straight line?

178 km great-circle distance, on a bearing of -99° (west).

How much does Earth's curvature hide over 178 km?

At the target's distance the curvature drop is about 2,170 m: anything lower than that (relative to the observer's horizon plane) is hidden behind the bulge of the Earth. Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland is tall enough to rise above it.

How was this calculated?

UpToWhere walks the full terrain profile between the two points on 30 m-resolution Copernicus GLO-30 elevation data, applying Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction (k = 0.13) — the same physics surveyors use. You can run the same point-to-point check between any two places on Earth.

More famous sightlines

Wondering about a different pair?

The free calculator shows how far you can see from any point on Earth. Pro adds point-to-point checks — this exact analysis, between any two places you choose.

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