In the Mournes with the Bannside Ramblers!
We had another great day walking in the Mourne Mountains, on the 5th April, with the Bannside Ramblers.
Here are a few shots from what turned out to be a day with fantastic weather, and good company as well. We made exceptionally good time travelling down, and we had the rare opportunity of a café, to start the days walking from.
Great Start!
We commenced our walk from Meelmore Lodge, and their café was open when we arrived. Having 45 minutes before the walk was due to start, we didn’t need much encouragement to try out the local cuisine!
Verdict….Excellent start to the day, with real coffee, and a very tasty sausage & egg buttie!
As you can see, we had great weather, with dramatic clouds never far away, leaving you with the knowledge that conditions could change rapidly…reason enough to be prepared for the worst conditions.
The views were fantastic, can you spot James and Kenny waving?
What do you think of this Landrover Jed?
This belonged to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team! Thankfully we didn’t require their services!
God willing, my next walk in the Mournes will be on May Day, where I will be supporting my companions for Kilimanjaro, as they raise money for the BCFC Academy, in Kitale, Kenya. Details can be found here, if you wish to join us!
It is a great way to spend the day!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Hill-Walking in Donegal
Last Saturday we had another memorable days hill-walking in the hills of Donegal. Irwin kept us a little in the dark again about the route we were to take, only telling us that we would finish with Errigal, the highest point in Donegal at 751m.
Wet.
We parked at the parking area at the foot of Mount Errigal, and headed up the road, away from it, continuing on the road for some way, turning off the road to the left, onto a track which led us eventually to Altan Lough.
Very Wet.
Altan Lough is in a valley, and I am sure it is absolutely beautiful, in good weather. It has a sandy beach…quite unusual for a freshwater lough, and at the waters edge, stands the ruins of Altan Farm, which was a summer residence for Glenveagh Castle (so I am told).
Did I mention it was Wet?
We started up the first ascent…Beaghy, a mere 392m (but it gets there pretty fast!) and before long, we were wanting to stop for a breather or two. The standing joke is asking me if I want to stop to take any photos!
As we proceeded across and down, the weather got increasingly worse, and starting up the second hill, we all thought it wise to walk round the windward side, for safety.
Also Very Windy.
We managed to find a sheltered spot beside a small waterhole for lunch, and we were ready for it! Raymond’s lunch-box was much lighter after this!
After lunch, we decided to at least start up Errigal, and see how the weather developed, and to our surprise, it gradually improved, although as you can see the visibility wasn’t great!
As we kept trudging on, however…the weather continued to improve, presenting us with some stunning views. A really welcome change from the wind and rain!
Please click on the thumbnails to see larger versions, pressing the “Back” button to return here.
In the first of these three, I love the way the wind is coming up from the left side, leaving it clear, while the right side of the mountain is totally in cloud.
As you can see, we were well rewarded for slogging on through the dreadful weather…God was good to us.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Treasure Island for the Trekkers!
As I sit here, trying to sort through the 300+ photos from our walk last Saturday (some will be posted soon), I thought I would show you what Jed brought home from school today!
I thought it was quite appropriate for us trekkers, and it looks intriguing.
I think we should land in Sandy Cove, and trek up through the Enchanted Forest to the Snowy Mountains. Go over to see the ruins, possibly and then make our way down to find the Buried Treasure (no point in carrying all that treasure, and spoiling a perfectly good walk!)
Sounds good to me!
Popularity: 10% [?]
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