The Walks

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Mourne Walks : The Lecale Way – Clough to Newcastle – A rare feast, even in Northern Ireland. A countryside walk, that falls just within the boundary of the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It strolls you through a landscape rich in human heritage, wildlife habitat and vistas that engage you throughout the way – at any time of year. Easy, 8 miles, 3+ hours. Bus to the start. Walk back.
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wp_20160914_11_34_32_rich_edited Slieve Muck Loop Walks (Mountains of Mourne) – This walk offers both a good introduction to following a route without way-marks, and the experience of crossing trackless open country. It starts and finishes on the old Banns Road, a green lane that penetrates deep into the mountain heart. On a clear day, there are plenty of features in the landscape to help you find your way.

Slieve Foye & The Barnavave Loop : Ireland’s Ancient East – If you are a hillwalker and a visitor, then explore a little of Ireland’s Ancient East. With “lost” villages, megalithic tombs and a landscape that nourished the stone age and fostered our legends.

And if you are local, but early in your hill-walking adventures, then this walk is for you.

wp_20160717_15_05_42_pro_ed Brandon Hill Loop – County Kilkenny – Brandon Hill dominates Craiguenamanagh the former home of Cistercian monks,the ancient routeway of the River Barrow and the border of counties Kilkenny and Carlow. This loop walk forms an easy introduction to the wilder side of walking. And a pleasant diversion for the experienced.
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boynegreenway Discovering The Boyne : Green Way – Perhaps, because it is the home of so much history and heritage we can sometimes forget that the valley of the River Boyne is an astonishingly beautiful garden landscape and truly a land not just of a thousand welcomes, but most definitely, of a thousand greens. The walks and walkways outlined here give you and your family a chance to discover this enchanting and endearing countryside.
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buencamino “Buen Camino” – Book review of the The Camino de Santiago – Two peregrinos come to town… being fond of my own long distance walks, when I heard that the father/daughter combo Peter and Natasha Murtagh were coming to my town to offer a presentation of their book Buen Camino, there was no choice but to go. I wanted to hear their tale first hand.
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mourne_skyline Mourne Country : More than just a skyline – Mourne Country is a genuine playground for all ages and interests. With mountains and sea and a long history as a tourist venue there’s much to suit young and old, families and teens, sightseers, ramblers, cyclists, drivers and wheelchair users; whether you want to work-off some surplus energy, let the kids do that while you relax, or discover something new about the landscape and the way we use it; it’s all easily available in Mourne.

Glendalough & Glenealo : An Easy Amble – Less than 50kms from the centre of Dublin, this valley with it’s enigmatic cultural landscape and sentinel village of Laragh, are worlds away from the prickly complexity of the city. Once it cradled those seeking a simpler life, nursing and dispersing the accumulated knowledge of European civilisation. Today if offers a unique glimpse into our heritage and a gateway to the Wicklow Mountains National Park.

Mountains of Mourne : The Spinkwee Watershead : 6-8 hours – Sometimes I like to cover distance…and enjoy the change of mountain scenery as I make like some express train over a beaten tread; it’s the “rhythm of the walk” I’m enjoying. But at other times I love nothing more than to amble and explore, preferably in the best of near-wilderness I can find; then it’s “being in the place” that I find so fulfilling.