Saturday 31st December
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Once at the summit we did, however, experience the full blast of the icy wind - Sammy recorded gusts of 80+ mph - brrrr!! After a quick lunch we started our descent - a few spartans managed to get caught in one of the powerful gusts and suddenly ended up on their butts - thankfully no damage done!!
There were a few other slips and stumbles along the way but eventually we all made it back to Meelmore in one piece. There we were treated to some festive goodies by the Spartans who were staying at the hostel for New Year. |
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Saturday 10th December
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Saturday 3rd December
Slieve Bearnagh
16 Spartans left Meelmore Lodge and headed up the lane before contouring round Spellack towards our first tea-break at Bearnagh slabs. After the short rest we continued on up to the summit of Bearnagh where we had a nice relaxing lunch while enjoying the views. We watched the weather as it closed in a bit bringing with it an icy bite to the wind. Time for us to make our way down to Hares' Gap where we continued on up to the stile at Slievenaglogh. From there we headed back along the green lane and it wasn't long before we were enjoying a warming cuppa at Meelmore lodge. Thanks to Nigel for the atmospheric photos.
16 Spartans left Meelmore Lodge and headed up the lane before contouring round Spellack towards our first tea-break at Bearnagh slabs. After the short rest we continued on up to the summit of Bearnagh where we had a nice relaxing lunch while enjoying the views. We watched the weather as it closed in a bit bringing with it an icy bite to the wind. Time for us to make our way down to Hares' Gap where we continued on up to the stile at Slievenaglogh. From there we headed back along the green lane and it wasn't long before we were enjoying a warming cuppa at Meelmore lodge. Thanks to Nigel for the atmospheric photos.
Saturday 26th November
Dundrum
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9 of us had a great walk along the coastline in the Dundrum area.
We started along part of the old Co Down railway , (part of the Lecale Way), for a couple of miles, then round the edge of the Murlough Nature Reserve. |
We then walked along the beach for a couple of miles, turned inland over the sand dune system and back along the inner estuary.
We were lucky to have the expertise of Richard and David W - there was such a variety of birdlife that we all learnt a lot, as well as lots of seals to be seen basking on the beach. |
The Bay cafe was closed, so we all trooped in to Tonn Ruray's pub for coffee. We were very impressed by the welcome they gave us - lovely open fire, very good tea and coffee and complimentary chocolate digestives and chocolate mints!! Will definitely be back.
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Saturday 19th November
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Saturday 29th October 2016Mournes
Eight Spartans turned up for the walk starting at the entrance to Dunnywater. We had a new walker out with us today, Sharon. The weather was just as the weather forecast had predicted, light rain over high ground. We set out and made our way up the lane to Long Seefin and followed the wall to the stile below Rocky where we stopped for a mid morning break at the stile. We were soon joined by a large church group from the Belfast area who appeared out of the mist, who also stopped for a break. We then navigated our way away from the wall towards Chimney Rock in the mist to locate the disused track that runs along the side of Chimney, and followed it to its end at a couple of ruins which was once used by the men who quarried the granite. From there on it was contouring on a bearing to reach the Mourne wall, which we did without any difficulty. Following the wall we reached the stile at Bog of Donard, where we stopped for lunch. It was misty in the high Mournes, so we decided to use the conditions to practice our navigational skills using map and compass. So we had to walk 300 metres to locate a path which is marked on the OS map and is supposed to join the Brandy Pad. |
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Saturday 1st October 2016
Pigeon Rock
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The early mist and chill that we met at Deer Meadow had disappeared by the time we all ascended to the top of Pigeon.
We headed south from the wall along Pigeon Rock and had a break at some of the old quarry sites there with views over to Carlingford and Dundalk Bay. After which we continued in a similar direction until we reached the lower peak of Slievemageogh. A change of direction - west , brought us into the valley of Pigeon Rock River and we joined the path on the western side of the wall which brought us up towards the Windy Gap. Another sheltered spot was occupied for a second break. |
We still had a couple of ascents to make along the wall - Slieve Moughanmore and our second rendevous with Pegeon's top.
Our final descent back to Deers Meadow treated us to great views over Spelga - the autumn light on the surrounding hills was wonderful. James and Audrey had organised a fine walk and had kept us focused with good chat and candies. Most of us retired afterwards to Meelmore Lodge and admired the view over to Hares Gap with well deserved refreshments. Thanks to Audrey and James for a great day's walking. |
Saturday 17th September 2016
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Mournes
It was a beautiful September day with a clear sky and bright sunshine. A group of 15 met at the shop in Attical and we travelled together up to Sandy Brae and parked south of the footbridge before walking up the valley of Pigeon Rock River and following the path until arriving eventually at the wall, east of Slievemoughanmore. |
After a little rest we ascended Slievemoughanmore and stopped at the summit for our first lunch break after which we descended to the Windy Gap and climbed to the summit of Eagle with views all around of both the eastern and western Mournes - all looking well with the September sunshine and shadows picking out the features of the hills.
We crossed the short distance to the summit |
of Shanlieve and after another relaxing snack break we turned south east and followed the ridge of The Great Gully which led us back towards the start of our walk at Sandy Brae.
A beautiful day in the Mournes with thanks to Rachel and David for the walk and the refreshments afterwards. Nigel |
Saturday 27th August 2016Lecale Way
Jo had organised a walk for the August Bank Holiday Saturday from Kilclief Castle to Ardglass - along the coastal route of the Lecale Way. The early cloud quickly burnt off to leave a most beautiful sunny day. We walked south from Kilclief with views of the entrance to Strangford Lough to our left. The way was dotted with geological features and old historic sites and holiday homes and occasional glimpse of the wildlife - mostly the seabirds that populate the shore at this time of year.. We lunched at Ballyhornan with Gunns Island just offshore and progressed passed Cloughan Head to eventually reach Ardglass and a welcome refreshment in a small café there. A wonderful walk enjoyed by all. Thank you Jo. |
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Saturday 23rd July 2016Binnian
As ever, David Flinn provided exceptional value for money on his Spartans walk of July 23. A party of 13 covered not just Binnian but Lamigan too, two of the 7x7 in one afternoon. With an eye to the weather forecast David had prudently switched from his original plan to do a walk in the Sperrins to head to the Mournes instead. And it proved to be a good call. Although there was a spot of rain at Clough on the way to Carrick Little, the low cloud covering the summit of Binnian obligingly cleared as we trekked our way up along the now well-defined path beside the wall. Indeed, thanks to the efforts of the Mourne Heritage Trust, the paths both up and down Binnian are well engineered and easily negotiated. Despite our blistering pace we were overtaken on the way up by two groups of young hikers but we consoled ourselves that we were going for stamina, not speed. Lunch was partaken of at the summit, from where there were spectacular views down across Carlingford lough to the south, down across Ben Crom reservoir and over to Donard and Commedagh to the north. Binnian was relatively busy and we met several groups on both the ascent and descent,including one renegade Red Sox member who was on a fundraising walk with a group of work colleagues. |
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July Trip 2016Dingle
On Saturday 9 July 22 Spartans gathered for the annual week long summer trip at the Tralee Bay Holiday Village (with adjoining Seven Hogs Bar and Restaurant) where we had taken 4 houses in this development close to Castlegregory, Co Kerry. The walk programme was ably led by Andrew Speer with Gerard O’Sullivan, who was visiting family close by, also leading a walk. Many thanks to both. Sunday was a very inclement day and there was no official walk. Much sport was watched including the Wimbledon Men’s and Euro 2016 finals and some outdoor activities taken by a brave few. The weather thankfully improved with a ‘mixed’ but bearable bag for the rest of the week which did not deter outdoor activities. Monday saw a group tackle a great walk in Glanteenassig forest including the Lough Cam boardwalk, a bit of a scramble up a waterfall and a detour to ‘Cuchullins House’ before returning by Beenoskee and Stradbally Mountain. On Tuesday the walk went from the Conor Pass to Clogharee Lough, detour along Clogharee River and around An Loch Geal before going to col and Ballysitteragh, Beennabrack and An Bhinn Dubh. On Wednesday, 7 Spartans took the Paternoster lakes route to Brandon going beside Loch Cruite and Loch Nalachen and along the eastern slopes of Brandon before reaching Brandon Mountain, returning via the Faha track and Dingle Way to Cloghane Village. Fantastic |
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Late May Bank Holiday TripWicklow
David & Rachel had organised the Glendale Cottages in Laragh for our weekend stay in the area. Accommodation that the Spartans have used on many previous trips. The weather for the entire weekend was of glorious sunshine for most of the time. The countryside looked beautiful with fresh Spring wild flowers everywhere and the call of birds abounding including that of the cuckoo. For our Saturday walk, we parked along the Military Road at 138088 and walked south east to the heights above Loch Te and on to the Cloghoge River valley to where it runs into Lough Dan where we enjoyed a wonderful sunny lunch break. We crossed the Inchavole River and ascended the hills to the south from where we could see the waterfall car park and the end of that day's walk. On Sunday we began our walk back at the waterfall car park on the Military Road - this |
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Saturday 7th May 2016Mournes
4 showed up for a hastily convened Mournes walk, filling a gap in the calendar. We went from Rourkes park through a charming river valley following an old farm track passed cottages, some restored, some ruined. The rain and wind kicked in as we left the last field boundary and pushed against us as we climbed over Spences mountain to Chimney Rock summit. There Robin pointed out the memorial to those who ied in a WW2 plane crash. We found shelter and devoured lunch before hammering across to the wall - meeting a DofE expedition group on their first adventure - and hence back promptly via long and round seefin to the car, comfort and cafe. A brisk day out, one to appreciate light warm and dry gear and a route to be repeated in sunnier times. Gerard |
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May Bank Holiday WeekendArdara, Donegal
Jim and Joan had organised a weekend of walking in South Donegal and had booked self-catering accommodation in Ardara. The views from the house were enough to entice anyone outside - with hills and sea in close proximity. The walk on Saturday was a circular walk on Slieve League and the bright day meant that there were clear views all around. On Sunday the walk was from a quarry above Maghera to the top of Slieve Toohey - another wonderful circular walk. The weather began to deteriorated though and the second part of the walk was quite wet and slippery. Ardara was having a music festival for the weekend and all the hostelries were buzzing and filled with musicians and revellers. We dined on Sunday evening at Nesbitt's Hotel. On our return home on Monday - we completed a short walk to St John Point near Dunkineeley. A Big Thank you to Jim and Joan for a wonderful weekend of craic and walking. |
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Saturday 23rd April 2016Mournes
The walkers met at Deers Meadow Car Park at 10.30 to be transferred by minibus to the start of the walk at the Game Keepers Lodge. The group of 17 walked along Banns Road to Lough Shannagh where we enjoyed first lunch on the shore of the lough. From there it was a short walk to Doan mountain. The views from the summit were so good that an unscheduled stop for tea and photos was very compelling and was appreciated by all concerned. From Doan we walked across to the wall between Slieve Loughshannagh and Carn where we stopped for our main lunch break. After lunch we climbed Carn and commenced the ascent of Muck. From the top we could already see our parked cars in the distance, although they looked like matchbox models from there. Following the final descent to the carpark, several members adjourned to the newly refurbished café at Meelmore lodge for |
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Saturday 9th April
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Mournes
There were 13 wee Spartans walking up Happy valley or was that 12. It was cold but clear and dry. There were definitely 13 wee (intrepid) Spartans on the top of Slieve Meelbeg |
and the mountains were looking good. One wee Spartan left us before the ascent of Slieve Bearnagh leaving 12 wee Spartans to climb the brute. You can see from the photo we were rewarded with more spectacular scenery.
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Some went one way and others kept going but we all managed to finish back at a car after a great day out.
Barbara |
Easter Trip 2016Aviemore, Scotland
Frank had organised for a group of Spartans to travel to Aviemore this Easter and participate in some walks in the Cairngorm range. He had booked the very pleasant Badaguish Activity Centre Chalets - a few miles out of Aviemore on the way to Glenmore. We flew to Edinburgh and hired cars there for the journey. We were blessed with good walking weather for most of the week and began with a walk along the Meall a'Bhuachaille - Craiggowrie ridge. We visited the Ryvoan Bothy on the way before our initial ascent. Our next walk was a snowy and icy ascent of Cairn Gorm summit (1244m) via Cnap Coire na Spreidhe. For some of us - our first experience with crampons and white outs !! We descended by the Ptarmigan ski station to the car park below. Next day we walked the environs of Loch Morlich and the following day we cycled from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and Carnbridge. Plenty of good cycling routes to experience here. Our toughest walk was from the ski car park and out to Creag an Leth-choin (Lurcher's Crag) and south east from there to follow a path(invisible in the snow) that would eventually |
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Saturday 5th March 2015Slieve Lamagan
The day was bright and clear with blue skies and little cloud at first. There was a cool northerly wind that underlined that Winter had not entirely lost it's grip. As we left Carrick Little car park and entered the environs of the Annalong Valley - we could see snow on the tops of all the high summits. We walked under the flanks of Percy Bysshe and along old miner's paths until we came to Lower Cove and ascended to it's shoulder. As we climbed to the saddle between Lamagan and Cove we had to find solid footing on the deep snow that had drifted into the depressions of the path. The final ascent to Lamagan was wonderful - with a 360 degree view of the Eastern Mournes with the snowy peaks and small snow showers sailing over the sea - The Isle of Man and Cumbria in the distance. After a lunch on top and a last look at the spectacle we descended gingerly through the snow to reach the col with Binnian and a return to the car park. Some of us enjoyed coffee afterwards in Nicks Cafe at Donard car park in Newcastle. Nigel |
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Saturday 27th February 2016
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Carnlouh Horseshoe
Saturday morning at the car park in Carnlough and for once the weather was on our side, twenty two Spartans set off up the Waterfall road in bright sunshine in what turned out to be a wonderful day's walking. After the annual pilgrimage to see the waterfall we headed round the quarry and straight up the track to arrive at the top between Big Trosk and the slightly taller LittleTrosk!! After our first lunch break we |
headed across the heather and rough tracks, with the odd barbed wire fence thrown in], till eventually we reached the remains of an old building abandoned by a German mining company just before WW2. Could there be stolen Nazi treasure buried around here? It was just so pleasant as we sat in the early spring sunshine having yet another Spartan lunch and Sammy explaining the workings of his new amazing watch.
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The last section of the walk took us to a hill high above Carnlough with glorious views out to sea, then down a steep farm track back into the village, the horseshoe completed!! Big thanks to Jim and Joan for inviting the hungry hordes back to their house to be fed, watered and entertained by the big match,a brill end to what was a great days hiking.
Jack. |
Sat 13th February 2016
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Sallagh Braes
The weather was much brighter and not as cold as the forecasts had indicated. As we gathered at Ballyboley Forest there was a little hint of Spring in the air. There was a slight worry about the meeting instructions as the new road from Larne to Belfast had "interfered" with the usual directions |
to our meeting point. David organised the seven walkers into cars and we drove to the start of the walk at Knock Dhu above Cairn Castle.
The views were relatively clear and the craic was good as we progressed along the route of The Ulster Way and the Antrim Hills Way. As we ascended Agnew's Hill there was a little touch |
of snow on the ground.
We had our lunch and continued on to Shane's Hill and our meeting point earlier in the morning - Ballybogey Forest. A very pleasant walk was enjoyed by all. Thank you David. |
Sat 6th February 2016Slieve Croob
9 Spartans gathered on a wet and windy day to climb Slieve Croob. I was surprised so many gathered on such a day .We duly climbed Slieve Croob but returned to our cars for sandwiches before an onward trek past legannaney dolmen to windy gap. The weather improved marginally in the afternoon. We retired to the newly opened coffee shop ( the turnip house) near Leitrim village for a welcome cup of tea afterwards. David |
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Sat 23rd January 2016Mournes
It was a cold icy climb up to the wall from Bloody Bridge on Saturday, but Marion, Nonie, Barbara, Ed and myself soon warmed up by the time we reached the shelter at the quarry and enjoyed a quick tea break,much to cold to hang around!! As we approached the top, the freezing wind blew with incredible force, thank goodness for the shelter at the wall. We all enjoyed the next bit, with the wind on our backs we where all blown up to the ridge near Chimney Rock with little exertion required!! After a very quick lunch we staggered along to the summit of Chimney rock, then descended down the back and a bit of welcomed shelter from that wind. It was a pleasant walk now in light snow back down to meet the path again and back to the car park at Bloody Bridge. We all agreed it had been a exhilarating, yet very enjoyable walk!! Even more exhilarating and enjoyable was the apple and custard crumble we had at the Harbour Bar. Thanks to all for a memorable days walking. Jack |
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Sat 9th January 2016Mournes
He who hesitates is lost, but that was not the case with the Red Sox Saturday walk on January 9. Having driven through torrential rain and along flooded roads to find that it was still wet at Newcastle, the 14 participants unanimously agreed to defer our 10.30am departure from Donard Park. Instead, we made a beeline for Nikki's Cafe for elevenses. There we enjoyed coffee and scones and good chat while the promised clearance was awaited. And by 11.30am the yr.no prediction had come true. The skies had indeed cleared, the rain had stopped and we were back out collecting our backpacks and sticks from the cars and ready for the off. And heavens above, the rest of the day stayed dry and calm - with even the occasional sunny spell and not that chilly. Having taken cognisance of the snow-capped peaks and mist on the higher Mournes, our leader Sammy Magill had sensibly elected for a lower-level circuit with a max altitude of 1,600 ft. We turned right and walked out of Donard Park and through a residential area, before turning up a steep laneway at Tipperary Wood. From there we accessed Tollymore Forest Park, and followed forest tracks leading to the upper reaches of The Drinns Trail, enjoying beautiful views of the hills to our left and meeting quite a few recreational walkers along the way. The New Year resolutions are clearing being enacted. A lot of tree clearance work had been taking place in the forest, presumably to remove diseased larches, but this had the benefit of opening up the landscape for us. First lunch was taken beside a stile leading to the path up to Slievenabrock, which itself lies |
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New Years Day 2016Commedagh
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