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Why not join us this Sunday 10th of December, for the last but spectacular hill walk of  2017. We’ll meet at the Gap o’ the North Pub at 10 am and after a cuppa and a walk’s briefing we’ll share cars to Ott Car Park near Spelga, in the Mournes.

From there we’ll trek via Lough Shannagh to the summit of Doan 594 m right in the heart of the Mournes. From there your views of the rest of the peaks, Silent Valley and the eastern coast will be fabulous, providing the mists don’t flow in too much. Even they do, it will only add a bit of mystery!
After lunch at the summit ‘restaurant’ we’ll ramble back through the gap between Slieve Loughshannagh and Meelbeg. You’ll discover a new and interesting route downstream to Fofanny Reservoir. A short return to the cars should see us depart for the Gap o’ the North by 3 pm.

All walkers will need walking boots, a waterproof jacket and a packed lunch. It is likely to be very cold, so be sure to have a spare layer in the rucksack. We will be keeping an eye on the forecast for the Mournes, over the next few days and if the weather is likely to make the journey unsafe or difficult to drive, we may choose to walk closer to home probably in the Ravensdale area. Our man in the Mournes, Louis will do a recce Sunday morning and let us know what road conditions prevail and a decision will be made when we meet Sunday morning.

Keep the date, Thursday 28th of December…for our Annual Family Christmas Walk, setting off from the Gap at 12 noon.  

We stay local for our walk this Sunday, 26th of November. Our 10 km walk has everything: a neolithic burial site, monastic settlements, a standing stone and a Folly!  If you would like to join us you will need walking boots, a waterproof jacket and a packed lunch, although we would also recommend gaiters and walking poles.

We meet at 10 am in The Gap Pub, Jonesborough for a walk’s briefing and car pooling. We will then drive the short distance to our starting point. Our walk will take us across two mountains, Boohill Breaga (Tiffcrum) and Dhaaicklemore, (Carrickbroad), and over every type of terrain: road, field, forestry paths and rough open hillside where recent tree felling has left very uneven ground. We will finish our walk at Kilnasaggart Standing Stone, (pictured above), notice the cross inscription which forms part of our Club Logo.

Our Annual Away Trip takes place next weekend, 13-15th of October. We will be travelling to Co. Mayo to climb Croagh Patrick, at 762m above sea level the 3rd highest mountain in Mayo after Mweelrea and Nephin.

Croagh Patrick’s history as a place of worship reaches back in time as far as 3,000 BC. The mountain’s popularity among religious pilgrims dates to the time of St. Patrick, who is said to have completed a forty-day Lenten ritual of fasting and penance here. Legend also has it that Croagh Patrick is the mount from which he banished snakes from Ireland forever! But Croagh Patrick was also a place of tremendous importance in the pre-Christian era, as indicated by the discovery of a Celtic hill fort encircling the summit of the mountain.

All those travelling with us the bus is leaving from The Gap, Jonesborough at 2 pm on Friday. Be sure to pack your walking boots, a waterproof jacket, and walking poles, in addition bring an extra fleece, hat and gloves in your rucksack. Remember only those who regularly walk with us can climb Croagh Patrick with us on Saturday. Despite it’s being a popular pilgrim route, conditions underfoot are not great, loose shale and a well eroded path make this a walk not to be undertaken lightly.

Our next walk is Sunday 1st of October, when we will be staying local and walking on Anglesey Mountain, in the fabulous Cooleys/Ring of Gullion area.

We will have 2 groups out, following a similar route but with variations in pace and distance. New walkers are always welcome to come along and join us, you will need walking boots, a water proof jacket and a packed lunch…a sense of humour  is always useful!

We meet at the Gap O’ the North Pub, Jonesborough at 10 am for a cup of tea/coffee whilst registration, information on our routes and a safety briefing are dealt with. As a group we have purchased and carry items of equipment such as: 1st aid kits, shelter tents, foil blankets/ mats… even a defib…all in the unlikely event of a member of our group having a mishap. These items are distributed amongst walkers and collected back by the leaders at the end of a walk.

We walk in all weathers, as the photo below shows…. this was our Group Leaders scouting Anglesey for a walk in January 2013, check out the album on our Facebook page