This is the business section of the Transept Trampers Page where we record all our walks whether they turned into diasters or a bloomin good day out. Some of the walks are rated according to their level of difficulty. Level 1 being "easy peasy" to level 10 which is as difficult and demanding a walk as it is possible to do by the average person between dawn and dusk during any single day.
You will sometimes see odd looking references such as:- J223:256 these are map references to give an accurate location of something. If you wish to learn how to do this then click here:- MAP READING.   It is not important that you know how to do this if you are a casual walker. However if you are thinking of becoming a serious walker it is an essential skill.

This is a sub-page

          We made our way to the Banns Road car park following the very precise instructions that Louis had printed for us, we arrived before the appointed time of 10.15 AM. The day was reasonably good even though it was overcast with thin cloud and there was a gentle to playful breeze blowing from the North. When Marion and I arrived there were some folks waiting for us in the car park so we knew we were at the correct place. Others arrived soon after making up a good crowd of walkers on this my first outing with St Mary's. Some were obviously experienced walkers and others to my relief were just ordinary people hoping for an enjoyable walk to Lough Shannagh amid the splendour of the Mourne Mountains. The walk is not a long one and suits inexperienced walkers as there is a well defined path from the car park to the lough. The round trip is about 9 kilometres and should not take more than three hours depending on the time you spend picnicking on the shores of the lake. While the path may be well defined it is not well surfaced and good comfortable shoes are a minimum. Boots are better as they give some ankle support in the event of giving the ankle a twist.

This walk should not cause a beginner any problems at all as you hardly notice the rise. This walk gets you out into the fresh air in a beautiful place and it brings feelings of being in nature rather than stressing you out. I brought just my basic walking kit the same clothes as I use for archery with the addition of two small bottles of wine. One for Marion and one for myself. Marion only sips sweetish white wine while I enjoy gulps of very dry red so that is why I had two bottles in the backpack.

The starting altitude for the walk is approximately 200 metres and the maximum height of the walk is a mere 400 metres so you only walk the equivalent 200 metres in actual height. The path leads a few degrees East of North and follows a reasonably straight course almost to the lake shore. The Yellow Water a small river flows South almost parallel to the Banns Path. To the right of the path is Slievenagore which just manages to reach a height of 335 metres a mere hump in mountain terms. There would be little difficulty in taking a slight detour simply to bag it for your list of conquests. The next mountain we pass by on our right is Slievenaglogh which peaks at 445 Metres.
We cross the Miners Hole River using a small bridge and we all stopped for a rest. Some of the group had walked well ahead by this time and Louis made a quick dash to them to tell them what we had planned. Louis returned within a few minutes and we all set off again.
On the left side of the path is Slieve Muck which tops at a more respectable 674 Metres. Ahead of us lies two peaks, to the left, Carn Mountain 588 Metres and to the right, Doan 594, Metres in height, between them lies Lough Shannagh. You can't see the Lough just yet because of the local topography, but walk on and you soon will.

Marion and I soon reached the lake and stopped, others went on ahead to bag Carn mountain and skirt round the Northern end of the Lough and bag Doan as well. I spread the ground sheet in the shelter of a turf wall and raised the umbrella to shield us from the wind. We started to snack on our lunch and opened the bottles of wine. We were having a right old time enjoying the food and wine when the Rector and his wife Gillian caught up on us. He spotted the wine but before he could say anything Gillian said, "I told you to bring some, but Oh no, ...........", and pushed him on ahead.

This is a lovely quiet place well worth the effort. As we left we could see the advance group just getting to the top of Doan about 1,500 metres away. As we descended we lost sight of them but we knew they were on the descent back towards the path. We returned to the car park and about 20 or 30 minutes later the advanced party arrived safely back. This was a good walk, just enough to get you breathless and the heart ticking over a little faster. The views are good and with a little extra effort the next time I visit I will also bag Carn and Doan.

NOTE:- I often abbreviate names on the map and it takes some getting used to:----
Mountain can be shortened to Mt.
Slieve which means mountain can be abbreviated to resd simply S' with the remainder of the name after the apostrophe.
Insted of road names you will find the Road Number such as B27 where there is insufficent space.

Route of walk on Saturday 28th April 2007
Difficulty = Level 4.
The first excursion into the Mourne Mountains took us to a location between Hilltown and Bryansford i.e on the Trassey Road some 2.5 miles South West of Bryansford. Our starting point at Meelmore Lodge is 210m (689 feet) above sea level. This is a private Pay and Display carpark adjacent to a cafe, where I purchased an egg soda, otherwise known as an egg banjo, I forgot my lunch.
For those interested in grid references, the grid reference for Meelmore Lodge is J 305 :: 307 on the OS Map “The Mournes” scale 1;25,000 where 1 centimetre on the map is equivalent to 250 metres on the ground.
We started the walk up the Trassey Track (a gentle slope between Slievenaglogh and Meelmore) towards the Hares Gap. As we approached the gap the route became much steeper and about 200 yards from the gap we turned right into the valley between Bearagh and Meelmore. We passed through a quarry and headed towards our first stop in the shelter of the Mourne Wall (1,017 feet above where we started) at the bottom of Bearnagh and Meelmore. It was here that the miracle of turning "wine into water" was discussed and the Rector decided that he was also capable of working that miracle. Enough said.
After a light refreshment we climbed over the wall and followed the path around the bottoms of Meelmore & Meelbeg (these to our right), gaining a height of 131 feet until we came to the Mourne Wall at the bottom of Slieves Loughshannagh and Meelbeg. The going here is very easy and the slope was gentle. The main lunch was consumed here and as there was a strong wind we took shelter on the outside of the Wall. Then it was off again up the leeward side of the Mourne Wall to the top of Meelbeg which is 708 metres (2,323 feet) above sea level.
VIEW FROM MEELBEG
The ascent was quite steep and everyone managed it without any problems. It must be remembered that we are only beginning to train and with each passing walk this sort of slope will become much easier.
The descent was down towards Meelmore then left in the valley towards the Shimna River. Shortly before reaching the Trassey Road we turned right and crossed a stile and headed back to our starting point about 1.3 miles across the easy lower slopes of Meelmore.
The weather was glorious, sunshine all the way with a light refreshing breeze to keep us cool. For a first training walk I think we all did very well and I am looking forward to the next training walk. The total distance was 6.8 miles and the total climb was 1,798 feet.
Louis says,
" I think everyone enjoyed today and I am delighted that everyone got round without (as far as I observed from the way people were moving in a steady way, which is how we want to approach the accent of Ben Nevis) much difficulty. We are making good progress and the training is paying off. October is a long way off so we simply need to keep the training going. Our next Mournes walk will be Saturday 2 June and for that one I will be aiming for a total height of around 2,300 feet. Hope there will not be too many aches and pains tomorrow."
Adrian says,
"The only pains I suffered were the muscles in the front of the leg above the knee. A good rub with horse liniment will soon sort that out."

Route of walk No 2 on Saturday 2nd June 2007
Difficulty = Level 4.
Route of walk on Saturday 2nd June 2007 The weather forecast was bad for the day with frequent showers forecast but we can't choose the weather for Ben Nevis and we decided to forge on. We parked at our usual watering hole at Meelmore Lodge. The parking is supervised and it is safe, the other advantage is that there are toilets and a good clean cafe to have a cup of tea or a good feed. We set off up along the route we had walked on the previous outing. I must confess that I found it easier than on the last trip as I had put in a good bit of training on Scrabo which seemed to help a lot. Instead of heading directly to the Hares Gap we turned right for a short distance and then left to go up a high level path which brought us to Hares Gap. We crossed the Mourne wall into the catchment area ( we call this the inside of the wall ) and turned left up Slievenaglogh. The ascent was assisted as the path was partly staircased to help prevent the erosion caused by hundreds of feet tramping up and down the mountain.
The higher we climbed the visibility decreased and the wind grew stronger. On occasions ghostly figures would emerge from the encircling gloom as they headed towards the Hares Gap in the opposite direction to us. "Lead thou me on, Louis, amid encircling gloom" I would not venture up into these hills without Louis's expert local knowledge. I have described the dangers of white outs in another section of this page and it would be very easy to become confused, disorientated and thoroughly lost in these grey misty conditions. The visibility never improved much beyond 100 yards and was often reduced to as little as 35 to 45 yards.

It is sad to report that a 35 year old un-named contestant in the Welsh 1000m Peaks Race 2/06/07 became disorientated in low cloud and fell to his death. This happened at the same time we were in the Mournes. Requiescat

We reached the top of Slievenaglogh reasonably easily, even though I stopped several times to ease my leg muscles, the lactic acid problem is getting easier as my body becomes used to the effort. Once the group gathered together we rested for about 10 minutes and then set off again towards Slieve Corragh. We crossed the summit of Corragh hardly noticing its presence and headed towards Commedagh. When we arrived at the tower which is 17 metres below the summit where we crossed the wall to the outside. The summit was only a short distance away but under the conditions of severely reduced visibility it would have been pointless as there would be nothing to see. On the decent towards Donard I began to use my walking poles to reduce my forward speed, they helped a lot. The descent to the saddle between Donard and Commedagh was not a problem for any of our walkers. We stopped for lunch in the shelter of the Mourne Wall. I sat down and noticed a young lady sitting there reading a book, she was the picture of perfect contentment, wrapped up in her warm, cosy and dry mountain kit while the raging winds blew all around her.
After Lunch we crossed back into the inside catchment area and following Louis we eventually joined the Brandy Pad and headed towards the Hares Gap once again. The Brandy Pad is supposed to be an ancient smugglers route and is easy to follow as it is well defined and is staircased in difficult places making progress very easy. Because of the speedy progress the group began to spread out along the path and the tail enders were invisible in the gloom. Under such conditions it is essential to stop and await the arrival of everyone and do a head count to be certain that everyone is there. I noticed that certain colours of clothing are not good in these low visibility conditions. I was surprised to observe that one person who was wearing a lime green safety jacket was almost invisible in comparison to the person he was walking with. In normal bright clear conditions that jacket sticks out like a sore thumb but not in mist and fog. The best colours to use under such conditions should be researched for safety reasons....... See below
        The Brandy Pad is a very busy path and several times we had to let large groups of children pass us as they did their Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Some of these redoubtable young folks were going to camp on the mountains and I did not envy them one little bit. It did not take too long to reach the Hares gap and we made an uneventful return to the car park at Meelmore Lodge. This was an excellent walk regardless of the wind, I think that everyone secretly enjoyed it, I know I did. The effort was not as great as I expected and I feel fresh enough to sit down and write this within an hour of returning home. Louis will supply the technical content of this blog sometime in the near future and I will upload the updates.
STATS 20,980 paces, 13 Km exactly, 635 calories burned, 4 Hours 6 minutes and 37 seconds of walk time.

INDEX

Third Mountain Walk Saturday 30th June 2007
Difficulty = Level 3.
We met in the Church car park at 08.20 am for an 8.30 departure.
The weather forecast was not good for the day but being typically optimistic we headed off on time for Meelmore Lodge. Conditions were bad, raining with a thick mist on the hills. We decided to go into the cafe for tea and wait for it to clear up. Unfortunately the weather did not improve and we decided to drive to Tollymore Forest Park in the hope that conditions there would be better. In the woods there was virtually no wind, but now the rain was coming vertically instead of sideways. Not to be beaten by the weather we changed into our walking kit and started off towards the Tollymore River (Shimna River) and followed the Westwards path upwards towards Parnell's Bridge. This is a glorious walk through some of the most beautiful woods to be found anywhere. Even the changeable weather did not stop us appreciating this place. We simply do not get out often enough to appreciate the beauty of our country. The walk along the river is well worth a return trip with the camera just to take some pictures. The rain stopped and we thankfully shed our wet weather gear as it is too warm to walk in it because of the reasonably warm temperature. We soon reached the boundary wall of Tollymore and passed Turnip House, some wag said that it was a guest house which gets its name from, "Just turnup and you're in."
Just then the rain started again and it was back on with the waterproofs, at least now we were out of the woods and the breeze would help cool us down. Within a short distance we came out onto the Trassey Road and turned left onto the Trassey Trail leading upwards towards the Hare's Gap. We quickly walked beyond Clonachullion Wood where we decided to stop for something to eat. There was a sheep pen which provided us with shelter from the breeze. Everyone tucked into their grub and we discussed what happens next. We decided to make a quick dart up the Trassey Trail towards the Hare's Gap and see how far we could get before we needed to return. Time was beginning to turn against us as some of us had to be back in Comber and ready for the 7 pm Somme Commemoration Parade at the Cenotaph in the Town Square.

As we ascended we passed several groups coming down the trail, one group we did not recognise until we were well past was from a neighbouring Parish. We apologise for not stopping for a chat but it was a case of head down and full speed onwards and upwards. Lets hope we at least exchanged fraternal grunts as we raced past one another.

The walk up the Trassey trail is getting easier for the group as we zoomed up it with no problems whatsoever. As usual Don took point accompanied by Robin and they set a cracking pace upwards into the gloom. We all followed and eventually they vanished into the mist even though they were wearing high visibility clothing. Don in fluorescent lime and Robin in fluorescent pink. Eventually we ran out of time and needed to return but Don and Robin were way beyond shouting distance. Out came the mobile 'phone and this presented two problems. The signal in that area is poor and the battery on the 'phone was very low. Lewis took off into the gloom in pursuit and in the meantime we were able to get a message to Don and Robin to return. Within minutes they were back within sight of us and we headed back down the valley. Would you believe the weather started to improve the further we descended. We stopped at a waterfall and stripped down to our normal summer walking outfits. This waterfall had more water flowing over it than it had when we passed it on the way up. Out came the cameras and we all posed for pictures. The results can be seen at the bottom of this page. To look at us in our outfits you would think it had been a wonderful summers day. As time was against us we took the shorter route back to the cars. Apart from the rain this was a great walk which I thoroughly enjoyed. While the walk was low in altitude it was fairly long which is what we need to build up endurance. According to the map we did just a little under 6 kilometres distance one way So that is roughly a 12 k return trip. Sorry, I forgot to start my pedometer until we were about 3,000 paces into the walk.
STATS:- ..The stats are 15,404 and add 3000 equals 18,404 paces. Distance shown on the pedometer was 9.55 kilometres but add a good bit for the unmeasured part. Walking time 3 hours 20 min continuous. Don't forget this pedometer stops timing when I stop for food, rest periods and clothing changes and starts again when I start walking. It times only the active period and not the rest periods so this represents a good result for the day.

INDEX

DANDER on DONARD
Difficulty = Level 4.
Friday 8th June 2007
Stefan and I hauled our sorry hides out of bed and set off to Newcastle with the intention of a short stroll on Donard. The sky was cloudy with little wind and the temperature was about 16 Deg a little too warm for comfort. The lower woodland section is the most difficult section as the trees stopped what little cooling breeze there was, the roots make the descent more risky than anywhere along the entire path. We reached the first bridge and crossed the river to the opposite bank and continued the climb.
This is a beautiful section, the rhododendron in bloom, and the sound of crystal clear water babbling over the rocks. We crossed the second bridge and continued upward on the right hand bank. I would advise anyone doing this walk to bring the camera it is a magical place. We did not cross the third bridge and continued up until we left the wood and the mountains came into view. Before we reached the Ice House we discovered a rock which looks exactly like an Elephant drinking from the river. See if you can find it. The air was a little cooler and fresher which gave us the encouragement to continue.
A few days earlier I had been talking to Louis about the next section and he gave me a few words of advice which I put into effect. This cut about 20 minutes off the time it had taken me before. Obviously I am not going to tell you, using this medium, but I will whenever we walk this with the group.

In the distance there were two small specks which I shall call Waldorf and Statler on whom we were steadily gaining ground. Suddenly a rocket in her mid 40's shot past us and soon overtook Waldorf and Statler and charged up the slope leading to the saddle, vanishing over the crest and into the mist.
Waldorf and Statler stopped at tent rock and we had a chat with them. It turned out that Statler was a man of 78 years of age who had suffered two heart attacks and underwent by-pass surgery. Waldorf his friend was a few years younger with just as many medical problems. These old geezers walked 100 yards then took a rest another 100 and rest again and just kept on going steadily making progress.
This is the perfect way for relatively inexperienced walkers to travel, it may take that bit longer but they will get there, when others over exert themselves.

Before we reached the saddle the female rocket was heading down again after running to the top of Donard. The only time we saw her stop was at tent rock to throw water over herself and then whiz off downwards towards Newcastle. There were other walkers heading up and we were overtaken by some of them. Two lads, one an Australian and one local walked passed us while Stefan and I had a light refreshment stop at the Mourne Wall. This is the place that the Church Group stopped at last Saturday 2nd June for refreshments. The Australian was not equipped for walking and was making heavy going in his short trousers and fancy deck shoes. While Stefan and I had our lunch Waldorf and Statler came over the hill and sat down to eat. They were making good progress.

We decided that we both felt able to attempt the summit and headed off taking the climb very carefully. It was not long before we overtook the Australian and his pal labouring bravely towards the top. Naturally, Stefan and I gave words of encouragement such as, "It is wonderful to meet Australians they are such gracious losers."

When we reached the top we climbed the stile to the other side of the wall and took pictures of the tower and the plaque which notes the death of Carl Stephenson on 8th April last year. There was a heavy thick mist and taking pictures of the view was pointless, so we decided to head back to the car.
I extended the walking poles to a length of 135 which helped greatly on the descent. The Australian and his pal were only just arriving as we left and I had a lot of sympathy for the lad. He is young and he will learn from this experience. Waldorf and Statler were about 200 yards from the top and they were going to catch the Australian, a triumph for experience over youth. This pair of old contemptibles is an example to everyone, more power to their elbows.

The return journey was quite easy as I am beginning to get the strength up in my leg muscles, Stefan was just cruising along enjoying every minute of the walk.
The bottom section in the wood is where you need to be careful, and pick your way carefully, especially when you are tired. The rocks are slippery when wet and the roots don't help. The ascent took about 3 hours taking it easy with stops, the decent about 2 hours. No pains, no strains all gains.

INDEX

BELFAST CASTLE / CAVE HILL WALK
Difficulty = Level 2.
  Tuesday 26th June 07
Stefan and I decided to have a go at Cave Hill. For those of you not having visited Belfast Castle before use the car park just short of the main gate into the castle and not the car park within the castle grounds. Immediately beside the car park there is an information board with directions turn up the path and just keep going. This path is just about wide enough for two people to walk side by side. You will not believe this .... a police patrol car was coming down this track, why it was up there,? .. I can only guess at the reason. The path is not too steep but there is a fairly long length with a slope of approximately 30° within the wooded area. Immediately above the wooded area it levels off giving a break from the uphill slog. This place gives the first view of Carrickfergus the Ards peninsula and the City of Belfast and is well worth the effort. The next stage is not quite so quite easy which brings us up towards the slope leading to the base of the cliff. Chose your route carefully at this point I chose to stay on the left edge of the moraine, after climbing about 10 yards up I turned left onto the better path. The moraine slope is always on the move and you need to pick your foot falls carefully. The next section of the path is a mix of hard clay, grass and boulders and progress is easy irrespective of the tough slope. The path lads up into a gap between McArt's Fort and the cliff, this section is steep but easy. Having got to the top Stefan and I went first to McArt's Fort and then over to the Ballyaghagan Cairn on the very summit of Cave Hill. The walk requires no special equipment, the climb is easy even in trainers with a rough sole. According to my pedometer the stats are 5758 paces, 3.56 Kilometres, 174 calories burned and the walk time was 1 Hour 7 minutes and 19 seconds. The official time for this walk is over two hours. Height of Cavehill is 368 metres or 1207 feet. This is a good walk with spectacular views and well worth the effort. The amateur botanist should look out for the plant called "The Town Hall Clock" note and report it's position to me. There is a very wide variety of plants on the path, bring a notebook.

INDEX

Fourth Walk in Mournes.
Difficulty = Level 4.
Saturday 7th July 2007.
We met as usual in the church car park at 08:20 for an 8:30 am departure. As this was a very recent arrangement not everyone knew we were going walking so only about ten people were there. We headed towards Newcastle and into Donard car park. We were fortunate to arrive as early as we did as most of the parking spaces were taken because of a pipe band contest being held on the adjacent field. When everyone arrived we set off up the Glen towards the saddle between Donard and Commedagh. It was a good day for walking with sunshine and a gentle breeze. As usual we followed the well worn track beside the river up through the woods. I described this place in "Dander on Donard". I was quite surprised that so few of us had been up this path before but I think everyone enjoyed the walk through the woods. The path has been eroded over the years the top surface having been washed away with floods. One needs to take extra care here because of the slippery rocks and tree roots everywhere. Lewis took us on a path which does not follow the river and the going under foot is a lot easier. We soon came out of the woods and progressed quite well towards the staircase leading up to the saddle and the Mourne Wall.. We all got up in a good time and there was a discussion as to where we should go from here. We could have climbed Donard but the consensus was to have a go at Commedagh. It was at this point I had to leave the group and return hone to set up a BBQ for friends later that evening. As I descended a light shower of rain overtook me but it was not heavy enough to put on my waterproofs. I made very good progress downhill and was soon back to the car park. I was surprised to find that there were thousands of people everywhere and the whole area was chock-a- block with cars and vehicles attending the band festival.
I would like one or perhaps more of you to give me a short blog describing the last part of the walk from the saddle to your return.

INDEX

5th MOURNE WALK 21st July 07
Difficulty = Level 4.

The day was warm but dull and overcast and it gave the impression that we just might have a good day for walking. Without delay we headed for the Bloody Bridge Car Park just beyond Newcastle on the main A2 road. There was only one other car in the park which indicated that there were very few people on the Mournes by this time.
As I am one of the slowest walkers I left ahead of the main bunch knowing that they would soon catch up on me as I plodded up the path beside the Bloody River. The sun began to break through the cloud as I progressed upwards but thankfully there was enough cloud to stop it shining down at full strength. As I got close to Point No 1 on the map I looked back and saw the main group making good progress behind me so I kept on going slowly. I got a considerable distance up the valley near Point No 9 where. I decided to wait for the group. I was seriously thinking of heading back down the valley thinking there must have been an accident to delay them so long. However I climbed a little further knowing I would get a better view when I saw the main group had turned right and were making what appeared to be an assault directly up Crossone straight towards the top of Donard at Point 4.
Having crossed that area about 10 years earlier I decided not to pursue the main group but keep to my plan of going up to the saddle at Point No 2, have a short break then head up Donard following the Mourne wall. I was enjoying the climb up Donard when I saw Louis running down towards me .... We met at opposite sides of the wall where we could not see each other without climbing up. After a quick chat Louis ran down to the saddle where I had been earlier, he turned and headed back up again at full speed. I managed to get within 200 yards from the summit when he whizzed past me again. I reached the summit Point 3 and met up with the main group and after a short break we headed together down Donard towards Commedagh.
On the climb up Commedagh we met a group of like minded walkers heading downwards. This was an interesting group and I wished we had more time to have a chat. Time was pressing so we started to the top of Commedagh. We all made good progress, and as usual I took up the rear. This time we were aware of the false summit on Commedagh so undaunted we soon reached the real summit. Pausing only for the shortest of stops and few photographs we headed towards Slievenaglogh. There are some very interesting rock formations at the saddle between Commedagh and Slievenaglogh the stones are so regular you would think they had been man made.
We then turned left and went down a new un-named path leading towards the Brandy Pad which we joined at point No 6. This was the furthest point of our walk and we turned towards Chimney Rock. There are more interesting rock features at Commedagh Castles and I will come back to this point at a later date with a proper camera to take some good pictures. Just beyond the Castles there is some unstable ground where frequent slippage's occur near Point No 7.
We arrived at the saddle between Chimney Rock Mountain and Donard and headed back down my original route. Just below the Quarry we decided to cross the river and take what appeared to be a better path Point 8 on the opposite side of the river to avoid the soft slurf on this side. This path was very rough and any mistake could have twisted an ankle after about a mile we crossed back to the original side at Point 9 and made our way back towards the Bloody Bridge. Unfortunately it was at this point one of our party took a tumble. Luckily the ground was free of boulders but it was muddy and the victim fell into a low growing gorse bush. These bushes are bad enough at the best of times and to fall into one is just about as prickly as it gets. The victim did not appear to be hurt or cut but it will take a few days to get all the prickles out.
It is always during the latter stages of a walk that an accident is liable to happen. Everyone is tired and the reflex's are just too slow to react in time, so this is the time to be most careful. The total distance walked was approximately 12 K and the height achieved was over 3,000 feet but we will get an update from Louis later. The Louis stats are: 7.8 miles 3,649 feet of climb.
On this trip I used up all of my water 2 litres should have been enough but the temperature was high and I was wearing a winter grade top which just drew the water out of my skin like a sponge. Many thanks Eleanor for the extra drink it was a life saver. Thankfully Louis had a supply of water in the car which I will replace shortly. This was an excellent days walking and everyone, but everyone did exceptionally well. Anyone who was with us will summit Ben Nevis in style. Just because you know that you can now do it is no reason to slacken off the training. I want enough energy remaining to have a big "Blow-Out" of a meal to celebrate when we return from Ben Nevis.

INDEX

 

6TH WALK.
No report available.
Brief description required to enable update to progress chart.

 

HARE'S GAP.
Saturday 4th August 2007
Difficulty = Level 2.

The day was bright and clear and the temperature was fresh and enjoyable as Marion and I arrived at Meelmore Lodge. The ticket machine was broken and I headed into the cafe to pay the fee. The charge is only £3 for the day and it is well worth paying up rather than dodging payment. These people are providing a great service to walkers and we should do something in return. The leg was feeling reasonable after pulling a muscle on Scrabo on 23rd of July so this would be a test to see if it was healing properly.
Instead of following the normal route Marion and I set off towards the Trassey Trail directly across the lower slope of Meelmore Point 2. We followed a sheep trail and easily made our way towards the river, this proved to be a good path much shorter than following the proper route at Point 12. We walked the path alongside the river and crossed at the ford and joined the Trassey Trail at Point 3. This short cut saved about 500 yards of the path I had originally thought of walking. We made good progress and my leg was giving no trouble. We decided to make a direct climb towards the Hare's Gap along what appeared to be a good path at point 4. The path petered out at about 100 yards into a boulder field. The boulder field was not a problem and we soon reached the Mourne wall and the Hare's Gap. We took less than two hours to get there and that was without pushing ourselves and my leg in particular.
We sat enjoying the views and the runners taking part in the Seven Peaks race. I know nothing about Hill Running but there were bodies coming towards us from all directions. Some of them ran along the Brandy Pad while others came down the steps of Slievenaglogh. Others gave up on Slievenaglogh and headed down the easiest route they could find onto the Brandy Pad. Some left the Hares Gap by running along the path at Point 7 while others went up the steps of Bernagh. One runner going like stink took the easy path round Bernagh on it's Southern side.
After we had our tea and other refreshments we headed back down this time taking the high path to the left of the valley at Point 7. This is a good path and progress was quite swift and I followed the path until I took a tumble at Point 8. There is an outcrop of rock beyond Point 8 and it is better to descend towards the main path rather than cross this outcrop as the path becomes very difficult. I would advise climbing to the Hare's gap along this path as it is easier than the boulder field. However the Boulder Field is the quickest path.
Marion spotted a shortcut between Points 10 and 11 which was very easy going directly towards the Sheep Pen. It was then follow the old path at point 12 and return to Meelmore Lodge for Tea and Leek and Potato soup. Both Marion and I enjoyed the day.

INDEX

 

7th MOURNE WALK.
Difficulty = Level 4.

Saturday 25th August 2007 we started a little earlier than usual from the Church Car Park 7.50 am. There was a good turnout of walkers and off we went to Meelmore Lodge for a comfort break. Then without delay we headed round to Slievenaman Road to a car park at J 280 278 just above Fofanny Dam on the opposite side of the road. (START Altitude 390 m) It was just as well we arrived reasonably early as the Car Park was beginning to fill with the cars of other walkers.
  This map shows elevations 500 m and above.
We then crossed the road and set off along the upper track skirting round the Northern side of Ott Mountain. This is a gentle slope and everyone managed to get to the Mourne Wall without any problems.

 
The lower part of the track is easy to follow but the upper section can be a little muddy. Do not tread on the edge of the turf as it has turned to slurf and will not take the weight of an adult. We crossed the Mourne wall at Point 2 (altitude 510 m) turned Left / North East and walked to the top of Slieve Loughshannagh, altitude 619 m.
Next we descended to the valley between Loughshannagh and Meelbeg altitude 519 m. We attacked Meelbeg and climbed to the summit which is only 708 m which is included in the Seven Seven's Race, we experienced no problems as the group is beginning to develop stamina.

    The next objective was Meelmore which is 687 m a fair little hump in anybody's language. The descent towards Slieve Bernagh requires a little care and attention as there are several sections which are steep but most of these can be avoided by moving out Left from the wall where there is easier walking. We arrived at a place we visited before called Pollaphuca. (The lake of the Sprites). The lake must be a mirage or a turlough of the imagination and sprites have not been seen since early mythological times.

This is one of the most interesting geological sites in the Mourne Mountains and I would love a day just poking round the mountain to satisfy my curiosity and take some pictures.

  BERNAGH SLABS   © V. Frazer

As we made our descent I saw two climbers attempting the Bernagh Slabs. The lead climber ( high arrow ) was heading directly towards very badly cracked and loose slabs ( circled ) and I was worried that he would dislodge them onto his buddy at the bottom. ( Lower Arrow ) If they had made their attempt a mere 5 yards to the right they would have avoided this very dangerous pitch.

At point No 6 we decided to split into two groups, one group wishing to attempt Bernagh and the others who made a direct return towards Ott Mountain on a path marked as Point 7. It is important to keep veering to the right on this path because if you go beyond point 8 you will need to walk round the base of Loughshannagh which is not a problem but it is slightly easier to go over the top of it and add a little more height to the days walk.

After the descent of Loughshannagh we returned to the cars and headed back to Comber. The weather conditions were excellent but I will be happier when the temperature drops a few degrees later in the year.
STATS (Liable to correction later.) Total height achieved on the walk 2156 ft those who walked Bernagh add 739 to the group total. Distance 7 Km so it was an easy day in comparison to some of the walks we have done before. Summary ...... Brilliant.

INDEX

8th MOURNE WALK   Sat 4th August 2007
Difficulty = Level 5.
Another early start at 07:50 am, I slept in which is unusual for me. Don't be telling lies Marion says. Marion grabbed the 'phone and rang Louis while I panicked to get ready, I dashed out of the house jumped into the car and managed to arrive on time together with other walkers. I think we started and finished with the same number, about 12, so we didn't lose anyone on the mountains. We headed to Meelmore Lodge and set about getting ready and headed off without delay.
  Blue figures indicate height.
We changed from our normal route the Trassey Trail and instead and headed directly round the lower slopes of Meelmore. This track is easy going and we soon reached the ford at Point 2 where we crossed the river. We crossed the Trassey Track and headed up a path on Slievenagloch, Point 3. This track not often used (now named the Transept Track ) is a very quick way ( I know we were going like the clappers) of cresting close to the summit of Slievenaglogh. There are a few minor problems such as the odd muddy place and some long strides required over 2 or 3 boulders on the way but it is the best path into the North Eastern Mountains should you want to go in that direction, naturally we didn't want to go in that direction. We crossed the Mourne Wall, turned right and descended towards the Hare's Gap. We then climbed Bernagh which is my favourite mountain in the entire range, we stopped at point 5 for a short rest. Within a few moments we were off again but the mist came rolling in and for a while we lost the wonderful views. On the summit we paused again as the mist had cleared by this time. We thought that Joe had taken off without us and we started the descent of Bernagh, only to find that Joe had only slipped away for a comfort break. The descent was straight down the mountain and one after another most of us went on our backsides. We had a good laugh at ourselves struggling to keep upright. It is essential to wear footwear with a good rough sole so that you have a good grip on the ground. Thankfully there was heather and plenty of grass to cushion the backside but it made for slow progress.

When we reached the bottom we struck out across the bog, Points 6 to 7, towards Ben Crom I shall call this bog the Slough of Despond from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress as the word "despond" is the best way to describe this place. At point 7 there is a section of the river deep enough to swim but the water at this altitude is freezing cold. Had I been alone I would have taken a quick dip to cool myself down after the effort of crossing the bog. The bog is very extensive and blocks off Ben Crom to the North. If you want to visit Ben Crom then get your head down and keep going as best you can. The views from the cliff tops at Point 8 are breathtaking and worth the struggle to get there. From the direction we came there are a few slabs which when dry provide the easiest walking to the top. It was at this point we stopped long enough for lunch as by this time I was starving with hunger. I would suggest that the view point from the top of Ben Crom is one of the best to be had anywhere in the Mournes, and believe me there are hundreds of wonderful views.

After lunch we struck out towards Loughshannagh along a faint path at Point 9 but instead of following this path we veered back across the Slough of Despond to a path that we had used several times before. Getting to the path along this route is as tough as the path towards Ben Crom but we all forged on along various routes picking the easiest paths we could find. The group is now becoming quite fit and we all got to the path after a bit of a struggle where Louis was waiting for us with a smile on his face. It dawned on me then that he had deliberately done this to test us to see how we were shaping up. He had warned me a few days earlier to keep out of this bog now I see why.

At Point 10 we struck out towards Pollaphuca the saddle between Meelmore and Bernagh where we discussed what to do next. Some wanted to go over the top of Meelmore and those brave stalwarts headed off into the distance along the North East side of the Mourne wall to shelter from the wind. During this walk the temperature rose and fell very quickly and we frequently either took off clothing or put it back on to regulate our body temperature. I being chicken decided to go back to base the short way, green path 13, and forgo the pleasure of Meelmore. I arrived at Meelmore Lodge changed and went into the Cafe for a pot of treble strength tea. I enjoyed this brew as I sat at the picnic tables outside while I waited for the main party to arrive back. At the time of writing, and this is subject to confirmation they came back following a previous route between points 12 to 14.
Summary:- A great days walk for the more experienced and properly equipped walker. In total for those interested this was the equivalent of doing Ben Nevis providing you were one of the folks who topped Meelmore, I had sufficent energy left to do Meelmore but I didn't want to push my leg too hard.
STATS. 24,792 steps 8.74 miles. ± 14.2 kilometers

SOLO DANDER
Difficulty = Level 3.
On Wednesday 5th September 2007 I looked out of the window and saw that the weather was reasonably good and instantly decided to have a walk up the Mountains. I rapidly filled my water bottle jumped into the car and headed South as fast as I could. I started at 08.30 am and soon ran into traffic problems in Downpatrick which was grid locked with cars and lorries. Lesson here is to start before morning rush hour. Eventually I got into Newcastle and stopped at the local bakery for fresh sandwiches, buns and other little nibbles. I parked in Donard Car Park put on my boots, slung my pack on and headed away up the path without any delay.

The first part of the walk is one of the toughest sections of all on the way towards the summit of Donard. The ground rises quite steeply and this fact is concealed by shrubs and trees. I took a parallel route to the normal path to avoid the boulders and outcrops of rock, thinking that by walking in the trees the going would be easier. This proved to be correct and the going underfoot was easier. I was disappointed to find that there was a lot of junk lying about the woods. Abandoned tents and disposable aluminium bar-be-cue boxes were littered everywhere. Empty and broken bottles, articles of clothing and many empty beer cans. It is obvious that campers using this place did not care for the environment by leaving this junk lying about. Do these people not realise that this rubbish will lie there for years spoiling the beauty of the place for tourists an other walkers. The Forest Service and the local Council obviously do not know that this rubbish is lying there. The louts that do this do not care about themselves or other users of the woods and visitors to the place will leave with a very bad impression of Northern Ireland.

I reached the head of the valley quite quickly and stopped for a refreshment break. I spotted another pilgrim about a kilometre behind me and he was making rapid progress to my location. I packed up my kit and slowly headed off up the staircase towards the saddle and the Mourne wall. The first pilgrim soon caught up with me and we had a bit of a chat as we progressed upwards. A second pilgrim emerged from the woods near the Ice House and literally bounded upwards in our direction. I am amazed at the speed some of these walkers can progress in the mountains. This walker caught up on us and I let these two expert walkers head off to the summit together. I go at my own pace as always never getting out of breath or too tired from the exertion. I arrived at the summit only ten minutes or so, resting every now and again, behind these very experienced, fit and expert walkers and I wasn't even out of breath but I was very warm as the temperature was high on such a good day. I was wearing my lightweight summer top and was grateful for the cooling breeze at the summit.

I had my lunch on the summit and headed back down with the walking poles extended to help me keep my balance. The backpack is crammed full of every piece of equipment I require and is heavier than most other walkers bother to carry. The weight of this pack makes me feel as though I was tottering forward and the poles give me the confidence that I am not going to fall flat on my face. I believe that walking down a mountain is more dangerous than walking up. Falling on the way up gives the impression that you have less distance to fall, however going downhill you think that you have yards further to fall and for me this is more frightening.

On the way down I met with quite a few people on their way up. One chap had not even managed to get as far as the edge of the woods when he was forced to stop because of a blister on his foot. The idiot was not even wearing socks and had ill fitting trainers. He really deserved everything he got. Another elderly couple were making slow but steady progress uphill. They were obviously enjoying the walk but there would have been insufficient time for them to climb much further as they wished to be back in Newcastle in time for tea. Another interesting walker was a look-alike for Lord Longford with whom I had a good long chat. He told me that a month earlier he had been in the Alps. He had taken two chair lifts to the summit and had intended to take a few photograph of the view when suddenly the chair lifts stopped operating. There he was trapped on top of a high mountain with no way off it other than to walk as he had no skis with him. It took him four hours to make the descent. Fortunately he was assisted of the mountain by a climber he met otherwise he could have been lost.

The round trip to the top of Donard and back to the car took about five hours, I know this is slow but I want to enjoy the walk and not crucify myself in the process.

9th MOURNE WALK. Saturday 15th September 2007
Difficulty = Level 4.

It is getting close to the time when we shall attempt to walk Ben Nevis and it is important that as many of the walkers as possible turn out for training. These finishing touches to the training are just as important as any other aspect of what we have done thus far.

The Church Bell was chiming 08.00 as we left Comber and headed towards Bloody Bridge Car park. We stopped for a few minutes to refresh ourselves as there are no refreshment available high in the mountains. We parked at a small Car Park below Carrick Little Map reference J340:217. It is important to arrive early to secure a space, we were fortunate in getting the last available parking space. Without delay we changed and headed directly up a track in the direction of Carrick Big until we arrived at the Mourne Wall at a height of 230 M and followed the wall up Binnian in a North Easterly direction. There was a stiff breeze blowing and the lee of the wall offered good protection. This lower section is a relatively easy walk but beyond the 400 M mark it gets a lot steeper, between the 400 M mark and the summit there is rise of 350 metres

We arrived at the top and because of the swirling mist we only had intermittent views of the valleys below. It is a fascinating walk North along the summit ridge towards the North Tor. These summit tors are so weather beaten and wind scoured that they look man made buildings amid the swirling mists.

It was high up between these Tors that we stopped for a snack sheltered from the wind with a view to the South East above Binnian Lake marked as 457 M down below us. The mists cleared and we were delighted with the new vistas of God's own country. The breeze was playful with the surface of Binnian lake forming water Sprites which raced across the surface. To the north East we could see the Blue Lough on the surface of which were what appeared to be two ducks. Someone explained that these ducks were marker buoys to indicate the position of scientific measuring equipment to monitor possible pollution within the lough.

Joe took the early lead on the descent towards the valley between Slieve Lamagan and Binnian. Someone else overtook him and bounded down the mountain at break neck speed and stopped in a position well below us. Joe and I followed a well defined path contouring due West and soon arrived at the main descent path. The person who stopped below us indicated that we should go further West and we took him at his word and headed off towards the Kilkeel river between Binnian and Ben Crom. This proved to be incorrect information but it turned to our advantage as the descent was very easy going through an area of burned heather. Joe and I picked up the trail again and found ourselves back on the correct path well ahead of the speed merchant and everyone else.

Joe and I stopped to wait for the main group but they stopped for a rest before descending any further. I took a short walk over to a spot near to Buzzard's Roost overlooking Ben Crom Reservoir and was delighted with the wonderful views from this high crag at J318253. I called to the group and they descended to my position.
After a few minutes we set off again towards Lamagan. The descent from Binnian is not easy for walkers as there are several large boulders and slabs which needs careful navigation to avoid trouble. It is not a boulder field as such but could be classed as more of a scramble for the walker. The walk up Slieve Lamagan looks imposing from Binnian but once on Lamagan the walk is not too difficult but there are a lot of small boulders on the way to the top. There is however a boulder field as you near the summit and the best way to avoid them is to skirt them to the left. There are one or two small sections where hands are needed to advance and this makes these sections a scramble according to definition. The summit was achieved by the group before me and I as usual arrived last but exactly on schedule.
The summit is only 704 M and is roughly at J330260. (J329260 actually) This was the furthest point of today's walk and we headed down Lamagan to the saddle and turned South East towards Annalong Wood. We soon passed the Blue Lough on a badly eroded path with many ankle breaking possibilities. ( COBBLES ) There were quite a number of folks enjoying the Blue Lough and as we headed down others were snacking in the crags of Percy Bysshe. There are some caves within these crags but like an express train we whizzed on by.

"Percy Bysshe Shelley". Bysshe pronounced Bish, and yes., it is the famous poet Shelly.

We reached the corner of Annalong Wood and found a Land Cruiser parked there by a shepherd tending his flocks. The path improved greatly from this point onwards possibly because we have now crossed into National Trust property. This is a long walk out and we were travelling very fast, possibly too fast, as the group began to spread out into a very long tail back. We had now arrived back at the Mourne Wall where we waited for everyone to gather up again ( at 230 M )and headed back to the cars.

This was a great days walking and I think everyone had a good day. There were no tumbles or accidents but one lady who tried to slide down a slab found that her trousers would not slide on rough Mourne Granite.

This map is perhaps the most complicated of the series as Binnian is a very complex mountain with many tors spread over a distance if approximately two kilometres.
STATS TO FOLLOW

10th MOURNE WALK   Saturday 10th September 2007
Difficulty = Level 4.

The tenth and probably the final walk of the training sessions, however it is the intention of many within the group to keep going as a group and do many other walks in the future.

We arrived at Donard Car park and changed as quickly as we could and set off up the path through Donard Wood as we have done so many times before. The day was warm and the excess clothes came off soon after we started. The group set a cracking pace through the woods taking a parallel route to the normal path as this way is easier underfoot. We rejoined the path at point 2 just below the Ice House and because we were now in the open the temperature was lower and more to our liking. The path between points 2 and 4 is a boulder field and while the going is easy you need to be careful to avoid twisting an ankle. The path has been paved between points 4 and 6 which makes for easy going. In my opinion the going is too easy as you tend to rush and raise your temperature. I as usual walk within my capacity trying to avoid warming up, raising the heart rate or getting out of breath and naturally occupy the tail end position.

Once we reached the 400 M level I was about a minute behind the main group and was enjoying the walk. We noticed a large group of walkers ahead of us and we made steady progress and closed the gap between us and them. This was quite satisfying and pleasing to overtake such a well equipped group of expert walkers. I was later to learn that they had been involved in something called the Four Peaks which must be done in 24 hours. I checked my watch and found that our group were well ahead of schedule on the climb up Donard itself and we arrived 30 minutes ahead of our best time yet. When the large group arrived they formed a huddle under a very large red canvas to keep out of the wind.

We took a few photographs of our group and without delay we headed back down Donard. It is worthy of note that the staircase and Mourne Wall is under repair by a group of men all of whom spoke Polish with the exception of the team boss who was from Annalong. We did not stop at our usual place on the saddle between Donard and Commedagh as most of the good eating places were taken by the crowd of people who had now reached this height. Instead we headed straight up Commedagh and stopped at point 10 for our first meal of the day.

As we were eating two plonkers raced down Commedagh on Mountain Bikes at break neck speed. These chaps who have every right to be there are a menace to ordinary walkers and should confine there sport to areas set aside for this activity. Walking and cycling at high speed does not mix.

Once I had finished eating I set off ahead of the main group and plodded my way towards the top of Commedagh. I was overtaken by some of the fast walkers but I plodded on regardless in my own inimitable way. When I arrived at the summit there was a large crowd of people sheltering from the biting wind in the lee of the Mourne Wall. I could see the summit cairn about 200 yards away and struck out towards it without bothering to rest. I knew I would arrive back at the summit long before the last of our group reached the summit. Just as I reached the cairn a mist swept in and I could no longer see the Mourne Wall. I immediately checked my compass and set out towards the Wall when I met a large number of my group heading towards the cairn. They told me that the plan was to go down the mountain by Shan Slieve and Slievenamaddy. I returned to the cairn with the group and put on extra clothes against the biting wind. I used the muff for the first time round my neck and it was wonderfully warm. Anyone who does not have one of these things should put it on their shopping list before Ben Nevis.
Taken at point 12 on the map ... Joe can be seen behind the camera.

When the entire group assembled we started the descent skirting along the top of a cliff known as The Pot of Pulgarve. This is a beautiful walk with views over Newcastle and Dundrum Bay. It may be a beautiful walk but you must have proper footwear as when the grass is wet you could go for a trip you didn't expect. Your bottom is not the way this mountain is supposed to be descended so wear good boots.. When we arrived at point 13 we waited until everyone was together and gave them time to rest. Louis then briefed us on the best track to descend to the woods. He indicated that there was a style situated in the corner of the wood at point 14 and by keeping to the high ground we would avoid any muddy patches along the way. There is only one place where we needed to assist each other but it was more good manners than any real necessity to help. We all reached the stile in record time without any problems. We headed down the firebreak in the wood and turned right to join the path we had walked up earlier.

This was an excellent days walking for the whole group and I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I felt poorly when I got out of bed, I thought I was coming down with the flu, but motivation is a wonderful thing, and I am glad I went along.

STATS. I haven't figured them out yet, but Louis will no doubt send them to me. (Roughly 8 K and 1003 M or 3290.682 Ft achieved)

INDEX

BEN NEVIS REPORT
Difficulty = Level 6 Moderately Experienced
Copy dated 8th October 2007
Date of walk Saturday 6th October 2007.
Bright and early we jumped out of bed and gulped our breakfast down in eager anticipation of our walk up the mighty Ben Nevis. We were like highly strung racehorses chomping at the bit to get started. We grabbed our kit and rushed into the lobby to await the arrival of the bus. As soon as it arrived we hurled our gear into the large caboose underneath the bus and jumped up the stairs to take our seats. It was then that reality took over there would be no turning back, we were committed, it was a case of put up or shut up. None of us showed any signs of intrepidation but thoughts such as "Am I mad" or "What am I doing here" must have been running through our heads. Obviously nobody wanted to be the chicken or to be seen as wanting to back out at this late stage.

The bus set off in the direction of our start point at Achintee Farm. Louis had told us that the start from Achintee Farm was the better place as the lower slope there would be much easier than the start from the Youth Hostel further up Glen Nevis. The start from the Youth Hostel is much steeper than from Achintee Farm and the starting slope can make all the difference to the days climb. Guess what, the bus roared on past Achintee Farm and parked at the Youth Hostel. This bus driver is well used to taking groups to Ben Nevis and is to put it mildly "Absolutely Fabulous" at his job but this is not where we wanted to be. Everyone kept quiet and said nothing and we dismounted without giving any indication that we were starting from the alternative point and not the one of our choice. We put on our packs and set off with fond farewells from the support group who from this point shall be known as the "Flying Seals" how they got this name is another story which I will not relate in this short missive.

The walk in was over an long narrow bridge which was so safe that a coin dropped could not possibly fall into the water and most of the Flying Seals followed us with words of encouragement like keep going you are almost there even though we had not yet walked 100 yards. The initial climb for half kilometre was reasonably steep but was not as difficult as we were led to believe and everyone in the group including myself were well able to cope. It was at the top of this route that we connected with the trail, our original intended route, and turned right to follow it uphill towards the summit. At about 1,000 feet (± 304 Meters) we began to climb into mist and the valley below was lost to our view, the temperature was still reasonably warm and I had no need to put on extra clothing.

You could hear the Red Burn tumbling over the rocks several hundred feet below us and while the slope down to it was not seriously dangerous it would be difficult to get back up to the path again. The path was clearly defined at this point and only the unwary would be silly enough to get lost or go for a tumble. The path is well maintained and there are foot bridges in position to aid crossing several minor streams. The slope on Ben Nevis never exceeds 1:5 that is for every five yards you move forward you ascend one yard vertically. While this sounds easy it represents an arduous experience for the unfit person and not to be undertaken without good fitness training. Fortunately we had all put in many hours of walking in the Mourne Mountains and for us the walk was not as difficult as most of our training.
THERE IS A LINK TO THE PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SECTION

The trail was not difficult for the next kilometre and it was then we ran into the back of a very large crowd of walkers stopped blocking the track. I made my way up through the St Mary's group until I found the root of the problem. I had to convince one of the Marshall's tending this crowd that we were another independent group before I was permitted to start picking my way through them. Not that he would have been able to stop us without good reason. I forged on followed by a good number of our group and broke free of them before they were ready to move off again. Unfortunately some of our group were trapped in this mass of slow moving bodies and had to trudge along with them until their next rest stop. The St Mary's group kept on going for a few hundred yards when the large group stopped again, just to make sure we were free of them. Because we had been slowed my body temperature began to fall and I put my next layer round my neck like a scarf just to keep the chill off as I was not yet ready to put it on fully over my torso.

I must say that the Marshall's in attendance with this large group (Action Cancer) were doing a wonderful job at keeping them under control. However they were stopping too long for the less athletic walkers and everyone was cooling down. Fortunately we were carrying PMR transceivers and were able to keep in contact with most of our group. We were missing three members still probably trapped among the Action Cancer Walkers out of radio contact. I went back down the hill to find them but couldn't see them. I scrambled up the cobbles to a vantage point and called for them. Thankfully Gillian heard me and gave me reassurance that the others were only a little way behind. I yelled, "Tickle them on the gluteus maximus and when they turn round to belt you slip through on the opposite side". Fortunately the folks in the Action Cancer Group saw the funny side of this remark and made way for our walkers and finally we were free. Louis is such a gentleman he would never have shouted something like this it is just not in his nature. However myself being a much more worldly man have absolutely no qualms about such matters.

Actually we had many more PMR transceivers than we really needed and we left two surplus units on the bus. Eventually we will train everyone on their use and we can all be in immediate contact. The night before I made enquiries as to the frequency other groups would be using as we did not want to interfere with their operations and to determine what frequencies we could call on them for assistance should it be required.

The Action Cancer walkers were walking at a pace too slow for our group, they were even too slow for me the "Tail end Charley" of St Mary's. Having said that we have several greyhound walkers who go too fast for the main body of our walkers. This is not Louis and Brian our leaders, who walk at a pace which must be mind bogglingly slow for them, they must be bored witless. While we are a reasonably mobile group we still must pace ourselves so that everyone is comfortable and even enjoying themselves. We start off as a team and summit as a team and return as a team. The last thing we want is anyone getting lost on a strange mountain and causing a problem. I do not know this mountain, this was the first time I have ever been up it, and there was a mist. It is in such conditions that the stranger can get lost. I had my own map and knew every turn on the path and frequently double checked with Louis to ensure that we were where we thought we were. There were many other walkers ascending and descending the mountain but you can't take a chance on following them, they may be lost. We must rely on our leaders Louis and Brian as our guides, anything I do is a supplement to their navigation. I do not know the history of everyone in the group or their navigation skills, until I do I believe it is wise for them and me to stay under our leaders control. I took a position within the group somewhere near the front and at that pace I got my body heat up to a comfortable level and it was not until we got to the Lough Meall that put on my second layer of clothing and a pair of gloves. Unfortunately I had forgot to pack my marigold gloves. What is Adrian up to ... Marigold Gloves up a mountain ... he's gone mad probably!!!!!! Marion has him trained to the kitchen sink. ... I'll explain later - Like H--l she has.

I was happy walking in the mist and the cooler temperatures, in some perverse manner I like it better than when the sun shines. Others definitely like the sunshine, but you must take the mountain conditions that nature throws at you. It suits some, others not. At about 700 metres I put on my green balaclava which immediately drew a variety of comments the tassel attracted the most derision. Unfazed I gave back as good banter as I received. I enjoy a good bantering session as it takes your mind off the work you are doing and progress becomes easier the more fun you are having. Many references were made to a football teams colours but I soon put them right as to what the tassel actually represented. The 700 m mark is the spot where we cross the last of the fords of the Red Burn system on the way up. From this point on navigation is easy as you can get your bearings at the apex of the zigs and zags of the path, providing you have been ticking them off as you ascend each one.

Louis was carrying an altimeter and GPS and he cross checked frequently with the height on the map and the readings he was getting. Both corresponded as we passed the dreaded Five Finger Gully at 1,200 metres. This was belt and braces navigation, nothing left to chance. The whole team now working in unison as we walked the last few hundred yards. Gillian was in the lead and she carefully picked her way through the boulder field. We worked our way from cairn to cairn making sure everyone was together the path is not obvious at this height and the best way of finding it is by looking for lichen on the cobbles. If there was lichen then you were off the path so by simple observation a non-navigator can make progress with reasonable safety following a path even though they don't know where the path leads. The mist had intensified as we progressed towards the summit where visibility was limited to 40 approximately metres. We all walked in together and Louis declared that we were at the summit within spitting distance of the Trig point. We moved over to some old buildings to find shelter and I followed only to find that some of the group were sitting with their backs to the wall. Never do this as humans seem to need a wall while they are having a comfort break. Just ask yourself why is there moss growing in such perfusion so close to the walls when none grows elsewhere. Also note the fine brown soil between the stones where natural soil would have been eroded away very quickly in such a wilderness.

Harry Lyttle produced a bottle of whiskey and a silver Quaich ( pronounced quake by some ) ( a shallow traditional cup used by Scottish for celebration purposes. 'cuach' which probably became quiche meaning food cooked in a shallow dish ) which he handed round to everyone. I did not feel very hungry at the summit as I had nibbled all the way up but I did eat one of my duck rolls that I had purchased down in Fortwilliam. During this time I decided to put on warmer clothing and to put on my woolly trousers I was forced to sit on a rock to get them on over my boots. I put on my fleece and with the trousers I was as warm as toast. All of my garments have been waterproofed and the rain did not enter. The only non waterproof garments are my underwear and my gloves. Without the Marigold gloves the water simply soaked my gloves and my hands began to cool very rapidly. I had no feeling in my fingers and could not feel the shutter button on my camera. I had to look at it then give it a gentle squeeze. It was pointless taking photographs in the mist so I just pointed and squeezed off a few shots in various directions. The cold did not bother me as I have been a lot colder than this many times before and there was no danger of permanent damage, just the immediate mild discomfort.

We decided to head for home and set off down the path for about 150 metres and then turned onto heading 282 degrees and verified that we were on the correct path. I stayed with the leaders and we kept the pace down as the descent is more dangerous than the ascent. We did not want an accidents and caution was still paramount in our list of priorities. You could hear the ascending walkers coming up the path long before they came into view as they trudged wearily over the gravel. Everyone in our group was in fine fettle even Harry Stevenson smiled for a brief moment which was encouraging to everyone.

There must have been 600 walkers making their way up the hill some in large groups and some stragglers. I was shocked to see people making their way upwards in totally inadequate clothing which included jeans and light cotton tops. I must have looked equally strange to them an idiot with a flag sticking out of his backpack dressed in a cheap fleece and a pair of track suit bottoms, an old fishing jacket with a strange tassel dangling from his hat. Make no mistake apart from my hands I was as warm as toast and dry. The preparations I had made paid off in every respect and I still had plenty of warm dry clothes in reserve if any emergency happened. Thankfully I was not wearing my Trucial Oman Scouts shemagh as we met a group of Eastern Gentlemen on the way up, goodness knows how they would have reacted if my shemag was from the opposing side. I was also carrying spare survival bags and a couple of extra space blankets just in case someone else needed help. I know that Louis and Brian also had plenty of kit for emergencies so we were well covered. I hope everyone will eventually purchase these extra pieces of equipment as it is better to have and not need them than to need and not have them. Because I carried extra kit from the start of training the excess weight did not bother me and I'm the weakling of the group.

As the descent got steeper I stopped and checked that everyone was in contact frequently. I hope that Louis and Brian then had the freedom to relax a little more as we went down. The descent is more difficult as you gather momentum with every step and this must be carefully controlled. You must pay attention to every footfall you do this naturally by instinct in normal circumstances but any slip when you are tired can lead to a nasty tumble. You use one set of muscles to climb and another set to descend and eventually both sets get very tired after a days walking. The normal areas for pain are marked in pink. I am not going to start quoting muscle names as there is a top surgeon who reads this page from time to time. The group descended like professionals at a steady leisurely pace until we got stuck by another ascending group. Our nearest thing to an accident happened while we were stopped and thankfully the victim was quite unhurt. As we approached home base we regrouped just below the treeline at the only flat place we could find and marched towards the Flying Seals who were waiting for us at the bottom. There was relief and pleasure on their faces to see us safely back at home base. There they were waiting at the bottom all day long not knowing if everyone was safe. Earlier in the day one of them had an adventure on the chair lift elsewhere close to the mountain. The spokes person for the Flying Seals can tell the story, there will be space here for that, if they want it.

I must also thank the Action Cancer support group as they cheered loudly as we neared the base. They were waiting there with a nip of whiskey and a welcome slice of orange. As the last of us crossed the bridge two fireworks were fired as a salute to the mountain which echoed in majestic reply. You cannot climb a mountain until you conquer yourself, be humble within yourself and be thankful that it gave you pleasure. I will make a contribution to Action Cancer for the excellent job they did and the welcome they gave us on our return.

I believe we would have been up the mountain about 45 minutes earlier if we had not been impeded by other groups Louis thinks only 15 minutes I'm happy to split the difference. He trained us well and the Bog of Despond tested our metal ready for Ben Nevis. I honestly feel that Ben Nevis whilst it is a notable achievement is not as high as we can go. However we should maintain our current fitness and with regular walks, there is nothing in the Mournes or Britain that we can not achieve, given time and a cautious approach.

After walking Ben Nevis there was one unexpected luxury provided by Ulsterbus (Translink) which we did not expect. The day following the walk up Big Ben we set off for the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, near Fort William. This magnificent memorial is set in a valley high up amongst the hills where the Commandos of various nations trained for operations during the second world war. Naturally we took many pictures at this location with Ben Nevis just another mountain in the distance providing a wonderful backdrop for this memorial. One of the pictures of the monument taken either by Jonathan or Mervyn captured the spirit of the memorial so vividly I now use a version of it on the British Legion page. I feel that we must prick the Governments conscience to honour the Covenant between the Nation and the men who served in the HM Forces and gave so much. The second day after a long and arduous walk is the day that the muscles begin to tighten and anyone with pain in the joints begins to suffer. Climbing a simple set of steps can be a little difficult when your muscles feel like they were on fire and the luxury of the day was that the bus knelt to make it easier for us to climb on board. It is not that the walkers alone appreciated the kneeling I think everyone did. The driver did this discreetly so that nobody would notice and give rise to endless banter from the Flying Seals about the aged and infirmed walkers. He has taken many groups to walk Nevis before and is fed up listening to the same old jokes over and over again. Well done the driver.

TO PICTURES OF THE WALK

INDEX

LAST WALK 2007
Difficulty = Level 3.

Saturday 15th December 2007 I woke from warm comfy slumber in the middle of a dream when I received a violent dig in the ribs, "It's 7 am", said the wife. Within minutes the toast had popped up a good brew of tea and a bowl of crunchy nuts set me up for the day. I didn't even look out of the window to check what sort of day it was until the wife's car zoomed out of the driveway as she headed for the city for some Christmas shopping. I grabbed my bag and boots and headed for the Church Car Park expecting to find a large crowd of fellow walkers. There was just the two of us mad (or wise) enough to take the chance of avoiding Christmas shopping. Louis Latimer the fastest man in the group and myself the slowest.

We gave the others ten minutes and then headed off to Meelmore Lodge. We parked up and paid for the parking ticket and set off into the hills. We got as far as the last wall, about a mile into the walk, when Louis decided to go back to the car park for his camera and I plodded on skirting Meelmore towards the Hare's Gap. I got just beyond the ford onto the Trassey Trail when I saw Lewis pounding along behind me. He caught up with me at the fork on the trail and we headed towards Pollaphuka, the intention being to walk to the summit of Bernagh.

Louis is like a caged animal when he tries to walk as slowly as I do, so he decided to run to the top of Bernagh dump his pack and meet me on the way down again. He met me on the way down again and I was only a little over half way to the top. Louis went down to the stile at Pollaphuka turned and ran up again catching up with me when I was just short of the summit.

There was a young couple wedged into a crevice resting out of the high wind and we decided to stop at this point for refreshments. This was a great we spot out of the cold wind and mist. Naturally we got into conversation with them and they were well experienced hill walkers with a love of adventure. They headed off into the mist and we finished our snack. I had ciabatta bread and Ardennes pate which is both tasty and filling. At this height we were in strong winds and cloud and my gloves turned out to be worse than useless even when dry. I will invest in a pair of mitts to go over the top of these pathetic gloves. Originally we had intended to cross the Hare's Gap and walk about half way up Slievenaglogh then cross the style and walk down the Transept Trail and join onto the Trassey Trail at the ford. I was feeling that I had done enough getting to the top of Bernagh and suggested that I go down at the Here's Gap to the car park at Meelmore while Louis would stay on the original route. Lewis headed off up Slievenaglogh and I set off downhill.

I took the high path to the left of the valley and soon ran into thick and slimy slurf and placing my feet on safe ground proved to be too difficult. I turned right and headed towards the boulder field in the middle of the valley which proved to be a much safer way down. This delayed me for about ten minutes but it was worth it for safeties sake. I made good progress towards the Tarssey Trail when I saw Lewis bounding down the Transept Trail well ahead of me. Lewis had a much longer route than myself but now he was in front of me believing I was ahead of him. He was too far ahead to signal to and the problem was that I had his car keys as he expected me to be at the car long before him. There was no way I could catch him and there was nothing I could do about it. I hoped he would go into the Cafe and get himself a cup of tea while he waited.

I put on a burst of speed and reached the Car Park about ten or fifteen minutes behind Lewis. We headed into the Cafe and ordered a pot of quadruple strength tea, and some scones. This is probably the cheapest cafe in Ireland as we would have paid at least three times this down in the town. Meelmore Lodge is a great resource for the hill walker and we need to support them at every opportunity. We were told to go and take a look at the accommodation block and were very impressed with the rooms. Every room had en suite and television and again the low cost must be seen to be believed. Meelmore caters for the family and is spotlessly clean and warm, it is going to be popular so early booking is essential.

When all is said and done I had a good enjoyable day and Lewis had a good run on the mountains. It was something similar to me acting as the old shepherd and Lewis the Collie dog enjoying the freedom of the mountains.

INDEX

REPORT for Saturday 26th January 2008
Difficulty = Level 3.
Saturday 26 January 2008. We had arranged to meet in the Church Car Park at 0845 and head off to the Mourne Mountains. The weather forecast the night before was reasonably good with rain forecast for early morning and clearing later but next morning it was dull and windy but the ground was dry. Only five people turned up Harry Lyttle, Victoria Frazer Louis and Anne Latimer and myself and we set off on time. This small gang of contemptible die-hards seems to be the only ones capable of extricating themselves from the comforts of a warm bed. We arrived at Meelmore Lodge and there were plenty of spaces in the car park and few people on the mountain. We quickly changed and dandered off towards the hills. We went along the Clonachullion path and skirted round the slabs at Spellack towards the ford at Trassey River. We did not cross the Trassey river but turned right along a path which gave out at the end of Spellack rocks. We kept on going as the walking was not too tough underfoot and headed up the old trail towards Pollaphuca and the Mourne Wall. The wind began to stiffen as we ascended towards the wall, it was in our faces and forward progress was a little slower than normal.
I wish some of these Met Office chaps would actually look out of the window to see what the weather is actually doing. Someone said that "They use computers to determine the weather". I suggested, In that case the Met Office should then stick a computer out of the window.

I was directly level with Bernagh Slabs when I noticed a tent sheltering in the lee of the Mourne Wall very close to the stile. When we reached the shelter provided by the wall the temperature seemed to rise by a few degrees and even without my gloves my hands were as warm as toast. We stopped for refreshments and had a chat with the occupants of the tent who were waiting for a friend to join them for some climbing practice. Within minutes they were joined by their friend who was following us some distance behind. He also began erecting his tent but was having some difficulty because of the high winds. We were in the clouds and while there was no rain as such there was sufficient moisture in the cloud for it to precipitate out on our clothing. This was not a problem for anyone in our group who were all wearing appropriate clothing for the prevailing conditions.

We opened our refreshment packs and had a little something to eat. I was carrying just over a litre of water but did not need to drink. I had made up a lunch of Mash Direct Champ to which I had added extra butter and bacon pieces. The bacon pieces were made from a tin of pork. I diced the pork into 3 mm cubes which I lightly fried to remove the excessive fat and then combined it with the champ. Although cold it was very tasty and satisfying a recipe worth using again.

It was then that we made the decision to split up Louis wanting a run to the top of Bernagh while the rest of would descend back to Meelmore Lodge. I gave Louis 45 minutes to an hour to run to the top of Bernagh and meet up with us again on the Trassey Trail on the descent. The four of us headed down and Louis vanished upwards into the Clouds. The four of us made good progress towards the Trassey Trail and were in no rush as it would take Louis some time to get to the top of Bernagh and then down by the Hare's Gap to join up with us. What we did not reckon on was that Louis would make such rapid progress up Bernagh with a 50 mph on his bottom to assist his upward progress. The second thing to happen was one of our group was taken short and needed to retire behind some rocks for a comfort break... The 50 MPH wind which assisted Louis was now freezing the bottom of the poor victim. From the position where we were stopped we could not see the Trassey Trail and when we all gathered together again we set off towards the trail. I looked to my right up towards the Hare's Gap but could not see Louis. We walked slowly towards Meelmore Lodge, both Harry and myself were beginning to worry about Louis taking so long.

We stopped at the sheep fold and there was no sign of him. Harry and I became increasingly worried and I was going to head back up to the Hare's Gap to look for him.. Harry suggested that we go to Meelmore Lodge and check if he is there before I headed up the hill again. We need not have worried as Louis was standing at the gate of Meelmore Lodge waiting for us. Louis must have ran down the Trassey trail while we were in the hollow above the trail. So much for the extra 45 minutes it should have taken. Louis just loves a run in the hills and can cover ground at a surprising speed.

We changed and went into the Cafe at Meelmore Lodge and ordered Quadruple strength tea and scones all round. Meelmore makes great tea and it must come from a fresh mountain spring as it tastes so good. A super day was had by all and we returned home happy and relaxed

INDEX

ANNUAL ROSTREVOR WALK
Difficulty = Level 1.5 Beginner

The walk usually starts at the car park located at J223:256 between Rostrevor and Hilltown on the Newtown Road. This is situated just South of Sheep Hill and West of Rocky Mountain.

If you have not been on such a walk before it is a good idea to be wearing enough clothes to keep warm before the walk starts, however during the walk you will need to take off some layers to keep cool and they can be stuffed into your bag. There should be waterproof clothing in the bag just in case it rains. Walking poles can be carried but they are not really needed on this walk. You could carry a brolly attached to your back pack just like Nicholas Crane, which represents the most genteel way of doing things. Don't let Nicholas Crane fool you into thinking that he is an intellectual softie., far from it Nicholas is one of the toughest and most experienced walkers in the country.

If you bring a bottle of water you can take the odd refreshing sip should the need arise. At this time of year the sun is low in the sky and a pair of sunglasses can be brought if thought necessary. There are few insects about at this time of year so repellent is not necessary. Gloves can be brought to keep the fingers warm but are a bit of a luxury, but for some necessary. The walk starts by crossing the Shankeys River in a South Easterly direction. It should be noted that the river is flowing in a Northerly direction. This is the only uphill part of the walk and the height is not a problem for the unfit beginner.

We just touch the lower slope of Tornamrock Hill and turn almost due South towards Rostrevor. The next mile or so is over a rough path which again is not difficult, however you need good walking shoes or boots as it can be a little muddy in places. Good socks to cushion your feet really makes walking much more comfortable. Once we have cleared this section the path improves and going is easy. It should be noted that a person lost a shoe in the mud,. this caused a lot of merriment as the shoe was recovered. Wear something that's not going to come off.

This area is sparsely wooded. We keep to the well defined path along the lower slope of Altataggart Mountain and then the base of Tievedockaragh until we come to Batt's Wall and gate. This point is directly opposite Crotlieve Mountain. If you look carefully the river is now flowing in a Southerly direction at this point it is known as the Glen River. This is where the downhill descent begins and is a very gentle slope, easy for the beginner. The woods are much thicker at this point and on a hot day can provide welcome relief from the glaring sun. About a mile or so further down the track is crossed by the Yellow River and it is at this point we can stop for a break. Some walkers will be leaving and others may be joining us.

It is not essential that you do the whole walk, just some of it for the exercise and the craic. The path follows parallel to the Newtown Road and we are never further than a mile from it. The "Flying Seals" may be in attendance with light refreshments and cheery chat but it is better to carry your own favourite snack. (The half way rest point is at J208:224 where you can stop or join the walk. Marked with a red dot.) Don't bring too much as we are going for lunch in the Kilbroney Arms and you don't want to spoil your appetite.

The last section is easy going it's all downhill on a good surface. It is at this point the experienced walkers start to show their ability and rocket off into the distance. Don't worry they will stop and wait for us at the turn off, if you stay on the path you cannot get lost. You won't get lost as Louis or myself will be at the back end of the group so that we know where everyone is. The walk is about 8 Kilometres or 6 miles and the average beginner should not take more than three hours including a stop along the way. If it takes longer, don't worry, we will keep you company all the way into Kilbroney Arms.

This is not a race but some people do go fast, it's the way they do things. Most of us will be tottering along enjoying the wonderful views and having conversation and the walk is over too soon. When you come out with this group and have built up your strength then you will begin to look for something much more challenging. This walk is for beginners and sheer enjoyment of the countryside, and good food at the end.

HOW TO GET TO THERE
Make your way to Castlewellan and proceed as follows:

1. Pass through Castlewellan and follow signpost to Newry (A25)
   
2. After 3.9 miles you will arrive at the outskirts (40 MPH sign) of Kilcoo
   
3. Travel a further 1.0 mile and then turn left at the junction with B8 - signpost indicates Hilltown/Newry
   
4. Some 4.7 miles along the B8 road you will turn left at the junction with the B27.
   (Shortly before the junction you will pass a chapel on the left.)
   
5. Travel a further 1.4 miles on the B27 {Shortly after joining this road you will pass on the left the Mourne View Pub/Petrol Pumps.) and turn right at the first crossroads - the signpost indicates Rostrevor 8 miles.
   
6. Travel 2.4 miles down the road to Rostrevor (not numbered) and on the left you will find the Leitrim Lodge car park/picnic area that is the starting point for the walk.
   

DON'T LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR

INDEX

ROSTREVOR WALK 2008.
      The night of Friday 29th February blew a gale with winds of 70 mph. I thought that few would venture out for the annual Rostrevor walk if this wind keeps up. The weather forecast gave only a glimmer of hope that walking conditions would improve from poor to just about acceptable. I turned in and went to sleep listening to the wind howling outside. Apart from a few gusts which shook the house I got a good nights sleep. Marion woke me and I jumped out of bed and cautiously peered out of the window expecting to see devastation. I was surprised to see that the skies had cleared and the wind had lost its force and it looked like a very pleasant morning indeed.

      I got dressed and sat down for breakfast and soon the other walkers we were giving a lift to began arriving ahead of time. We packed the car and headed off to the start point at J223:256 the Leitrim Lodge car park/picnic area. There were a few already there so we got changed into our walking kit and I set off with the folks who had travelled with me, Marion and Linda. Ronnie and Barbara who had arrived a few minutes earlier were ready to go and they joined with us. Others were still arriving so we walked slowly to allow the others to catch up Heather was going to do the walk from the mid point so she went in the car with Winnie.

      The turnout of walkers was good and from the high point I could see them beginning to form a sizeable group. I kept the pace down to let everyone catch up, I could see Louis acting as sweeper and as long as I kept him in view I knew all was well behind me. The air temperature was about 4 Degrees and a gentle to mild breeze was blowing. This breeze was turbulent as it was the down draft from the hills to our left. This was a good thing as it helped to keep us cool as we progressed towards the highest point of the walk. I stopped to remove some of my layers of clothes which I packed into my rucksack, this only took about a minute during which time I ended up at the back of the pack. It is best to have many thin layers of clothes on at the start of the walk. This is to keep you warm while waiting for everyone to get ready, it also gives you more control over your body temperature in a wide variety of conditions.
Gavin Morrison, is another excellent walker who came along with us this weekend. I must apologise to him for attaching Barry Maxwell's name to his photograph taken on Ben Nevis.
Everyone was making excellent progress and sooner than I thought possible we arrived at the half way point where we were met by the Flying Seals. (Joyce, Heather and Winnie)

      This years mulled wine was the best yet Louis and Anne did us proud, I had two cups which set everyone up for the next leg of the walk. I did not stay too long at the rest point I like several short breaks rather than one long one. Anyway I had something urgent to do so I set off towards the track. Within a few minutes I could hear the peloton heading in my direction Heather, had joined them and they were moving fast. I could hear Mervyn, Harry and Jonathan long before I could see them through the trees. This is a very happy bunch of characters so as usual when they are together one does not need a hearing aid.. I was enjoying this walk and the time simply flew with such good company. I started the morning with a good bowl of porridge but now the first pangs of hunger began. I had plenty of snacks in my pocket but did not eat any wanting to have a good appetite when we got to the Kilbroney Inn at the end of the walk. The food has always been good there and resisting temptation to leave room for it.

      We soon arrived at Kilbroney Caravan Park where there are toilet facilities, naturally we made a short stop before proceeding into town. As we crossed the last few yards of the Park a few light drops of rain fell but not enough to wet us and it soon stopped again. We entered the town and headed straight for Kilbroney Arms for lunch. This was an excellent days walking, in good company. The weather was kind to us and I think everyone I spoke to thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Just keep an eye on this web page to get details of next years walk. Those of you interested will find details of the other walks we do during the remainder of the year. This year the target walk is Helvellin in the Lake District. Anyone wishing to join us contact either Louis Latimer or myself, everyone is welcome to come along.

INDEX

10th MAY 2008.
Difficulty = Level 3.5.
The route of today's walk was a virtual repeat route of walk of Saturday 28th April 2007 which was our first excursion, as a walking group, into the Mourne Mountains. I got up early and went to the bottom of my garden where I could see the Mourne Mountains to check on the weather. The sky was a dark pearl grey with a dark shadow to the South East and I could hear the distant rumble of thunder. I went back into the house and as I entered the door I heard the weather man say, "There was thunder passing over the Isle of Man". As the weather round Comber wasn't too threatening I decided to go down to meet the others. As we were waiting it began to rain but we figured that the thunder cloud over the Isle man was tracking North it would probably be clear further south. We headed off on time and as we drove the weather did begin to clear. We had almost reached Downpatrick when my 'phone rang and I handed it to David Buchanan to answer. It was Victoria ringing to say that she was in Comber and it was raining. We told her it was clear to the South and to follow us to Meelmore Lodge and we would wait for her. Victoria is a very fast driver and we expected her to be waiting for us at Meelmore. This was not to be as she got stuck behind two tractors on a narrow road. We were glad she was coming as we need to get every walker as fit as possible before the heat of summer.

As usual we tanked up on tea and then set off towards the Hare's Gap. We used the trail leading close by Spellack at the foot of Slieve Meelmore. The track was bone dry underfoot a positive indication that the amount of rain had been much less than usual during the past few weeks. A very large group of walkers went on a slightly different track and they passed below us further down in the valley below. Some of this large group were ill equipped for walking in the Mournes. The people in charge of the group should not take people onto the mountains unless they have the basic equipment. In these days of gratuitous litigation it is a very unwise thing for the organisers to leave themselves so wide open should an incident happen. We reached the ford and crossed the Trassey River into the main track and headed towards the Hare's gap. We turned right towards Pollaphuca and through the old quarry. This path is reasonably steep and it was not long before the outer layer of clothes were taken off. Louis had raced on ahead of us intending to run up Slieve Bernagh and meet up with us again at the Mourne Wall at Pollaphuca. Because of his speed he arrived long before us so he took a quick nip to the top of Slieve Meelmore and returned just a few minutes after we arrived. After a very short rest we crossed the Mourne wall and headed off towards Slieve Meelbeg following a trail which skirted just North of the dreaded "Bog of Despond". Progress is easy along this track but in swirling mist it is easy to lose your position on the map. However if you keep to the right hand track you will arrive safely at the Mourne wall between Slieve Meelbeg and Slieve Loughshannagh at an altitude of 520M. When we arrived at the wall we stopped for a snack before heading up Meelbeg and it was then that the rain began to fall. Louis raced on ahead to the top of Meelbeg to get in a little training for the Seven Seven's which is coming up soon. We changed into our weatherproof clothes and it was then I discovered that I could get my waterproof trousers on over my big walking boots. Slieve Meelbeg is just 702M in height and is not a problem but in my waterproofs my body temperature shot up very quickly. The rain stopped and I quickly pulled off my waterproofs enjoying the cooling breeze. I looked back in the direction we had just come and saw a most wonderful sight of the dark mountains veiled in the slowly moving pearlescent mist. I could have cursed myself not having my camera with me as this was a once in a lifetime privilege to see such a sight.

Louis shot past me heading downhill towards the saddle between Meelbeg and Slieve Loughshannagh. I headed off towards the summit enjoying this walk to the max. The rain came on again and I decided not to bother putting on the waterproofs as I felt better without them. I enjoyed the rain on my skin and I did not feel cold. Must be the Red Indian factor at work here, "We Indians don't feel cold as we're all face".

There was a chap (Declan, Seamus, Sean ????) heading up Meelbeg who looked as if he was taking things easy, he planked his feet solidly and kept his rhythm going making steady upward progress, he soon overtook me and vanished upward into the mist. My group were a short way ahead of me taking a rest and once they saw me and that I was OK they continued towards the summit. I arrived just a few minutes after them and without delay we headed down Meelbeg towards Meelmore. Louis Caught up with us soon after we crossed the summit of Meelbeg. When we reached the saddle between Meelbeg and Meelmore we turned North and descended straight down the valley towards the Trassey Road. We had decided not to skirt the lower slope of Meelmore but to return to our starting point by walking along the road. This turned out to be a good move as we spotted a flock of Rhode Island Red hens wandering in a garden and a sign saying "Free Range EGGS for sale." We called at the farm house but unfortunately the eggs had all been sold. Licking our wounds we headed into Meelmore Lodge for a cup of tea before heading home. While we were talking to the lady in charge of the cafe the subject of eggs came up and he told us that she had both free range hen and duck eggs. We happily took a dozen hen's eggs and I chanced three duck eggs. The Sunday lunch was test time for the duck eggs and as I broke one onto the frying pan I realised I had hit solid gold. The egg just sat there golden yellow yoke and no runny watery mess. It fried to perfection, I tossed it onto a plate and called Stefan who took one look at it with it's beautiful crisp edge and declared that was the biggest egg he'd ever seen, we didn't tell him it was a duck egg. Anyway he scoffed the lot.

Summary:- it was a lovely enjoyable walk and the weather was kind, if the temperature had been one degree cooler it would have been perfect ...... Oh! stop moaning.

INDEX

SixGolds INTER-SUBJECT NAVIGATION MENU 2008
SIXGOLDS MAIN INDEX	ROYAL BRITISH LEGION	St MARY'S CHURCH HISTORY	St MARY'S WALKING GROUP
IRISH VC RECIPIENTS	WINE MAKING	KITES and RADIO	ABOUT GI0SMU
ABOUT SIXGOLDS	RAOB SHARJAH	Reserved	Reserved