Saturday, 
30th November 2013

Franks led a walk of 16 Spartans from Ott car park to Butter, Craigdoo and Spelga.
      The weather was mild and dry with some mist at the top.
       As we climbed Spelga we were joined by three parascenders who glided off towards Hen and Cock mountains.
      A very pleasant day enjoyed by all.

Saturday,
16th November 2013

      Things got off to a bad start - I'd lured the group to Glenarif by suggesting a prewalk tea break. 14 of us showed up only to find the cafe closed. things improved when we started walking - the day was clear and crisp with fitful sunshine. We strode purposefully through the park and up onto the bare Antrim plateau, the bleakness relieved by the reds russet and straws of autumn grass. We progressed along  the cours eof the Inver river so quickly I ended up pittign in a loop up to Collin top before (after several fences) coming back to the Inver, negotiating an interesting crossing (the river proved not wide but deep) and continuing on to the original target of Crockgravar. Here the predicted drizzle came in so we legged it back into the park, pausing only to admire a herd of donkeys before burning up the last climb back to the cafe. To our disgust it was still closed: half the group abandoned ship (after almost 9 miles at a fast pace in less than 5 hours) - the remnants adjourning by car to Laragh Lodge for a well earned tea break.
Gerard

Saturday,
26th October 2013

Hen, Cock, Pigeon and Annalong Valley, Cove Beg and Lamagan.

Saturday, 
28th September 2013

     Ed had arranged for us to meet in Cushendun and then to drive to the higher car park above Murlough Bay. We walked in a south easterly direction with beautiful views of Rathlin Island to our left and the Mull of Kintyre through the low mist to our right. 
     The feature that was with us for most of the walk was Torr Head itself. Either walking towards it for an hour or so - some deciding to go up to the old coastguard station for more views - before we headed to Portaleen Bay for lunch, where we listened to the waves rolling onto the stone beach and watched the bobbing heads of the seals who were watching us.
    For most of the remainder of the walk, Torr Head was behind us - a reference point on beautiful backdrops as we continued south east - above Loughan Bay onto Torr Road at the tidy little chapel there - not named on the map and I can't recall it's name now!!!
    After a few hundred yards we left the road onto Carnaneigh - our direction more southerly from now on. The scenery above the road remained beautiful - now we could see our 
destination - Cushendun in sight. After a few hundred yards on the road again Ed lead us down a lane that eventually brought us onto the coast, north of Cushendun and some final little climbs over the rocks to reach the final pathway - passed the cottage that James 
Humbert Craig used as a studio to the carpark at Cushendun.
    Ed had organised a wonderful walk on a glorious autumn day. Thanks to both Ed and Helen for their hard work and hospitality.

Saturday, 
14th September 2013

Mournes

Saturday 31st August 2013

Cooleys, Co Louth

Sunday 18th August 2013

Red Sox Wheelers cycle
      Frank, David Wiggins and I enjoyed a leisurely 25 mile spin through the scenic Ring of Gullion area. We went first to Camlough, following the road to Mighe which skirted Camlough lake.
      A pleasant lunch was taken in the Slieve Gullion visitor's centre. before proceeding to Jonesborough. We had a quick scout through the somewhat subdued Sunday market, but were not impressed by what was on offer. From there we headed to Flagstaff, stopping briefly on route to visit Clontygora court tomb. We stopped again at the Flagstaff view point to enjoy the scenic vista overlooking Warrenpoint and Carlingford lough.
      The final leg took us back to Newry city centre for the obligatory coffee stop. Having uncharacteristically arrived back at Newry train station with an hour to spare, the three athletes 
then did a few cool-down laps of the station car park. A very pleasant day was had by all -
the weather gods were kind to us and the scenery was spectacular. Pat

Saturday 3rd August 2013

Mournes

Saturday 27th July, 2013

Mournes

Saturday 20th July, 2013

Antrim

6th - 13th July,
Beara, Co Cork

      After a prolonged Winter and a short Spring, it was a very pleasant surprise to be heading to Beara in County Cork for the Spartans July Trip under glorious sunshine - in a heatwave!!
      Sixteen members of the group met in Beara Holiday Homes just outside the village of Allihies on the southern tip of the peninnsula. The scenery there is great - beaches; hills; a colourful - pretty painted small Irish village with a history of agriculture, fishing and copper mining all in evidence.
      Walks ranged from a circuit including Knockgour, an ascent of Hungry Hill and a circuit of Knocknagree and Maulin to completeing stretches of the Beara Way from Dursey Sound along Garinish Bay; a section from Ardgroom to Eyeries and another section on Bear Island.
      The weather allowed us to dine alfresco each 
evening and enjoy fully the surroundings. 
On our last night we dined in Oneill's Bar in Allihies.
      Jo and Patricia had everything organised wonderfully and everyone contributed to a 
great week of good food, well led walks and great craic - all under clear blue skies and in temperatures more reminiscent of holidays taken around the Mediterranean Sea!!

Saturday, 6th July, 2013

Mournes
      Not everyone is off for the July week - a select party of 6 met in the Mournes Saturday morning and enjoyed gorious sunshine as we walked from Rourkes Park over Hare's Castle to Chimney Rock, finding some scrambles to play on, walls to stroll on and another Spartan offshoot to meet for lunch. We dropped back into the crowds as we walked out by the river to bloody bridge and treated ourselves to al fresco tea and cake in Newcastle.

Saturday, 8th June 2013

      21 walkers endured the heat to complete the circuit from the Ott track and over Slieves Loughshannagh, Meelbeg and Meelmore. 
      A slight detour to the route was made at Fofanny dam to avoid the marathon runners on the Mourne Way.

Saturday, 1st June 2013

From Pigeon Rock car park to Slievemageogh. Across the valley. Follow the Aughnaleck River to Shanlieve. Eagle, Windy Gap, Slievemoughanmore and across valley to Pigeon Rock ponds before descending back to the car park.
Good Walk from Simon.

Bank Holiday Trip, 
May 24th - 27th 

Sperrins
Nineteen Spartans spent the late May Bank holiday hiking in the Western Sperrins.  Accommodation was excellent at the Grange Court Apartments in Newtownstewart.  Four walks were offered – Robbers’ Table, Sawel & Dart Mountains, Barnes Gap and the Eastern Sperrins.  A very enjoyable meal was shared at the Foothills Restaurant on the Saturday evening with all other meals being a joint effort.  Good weather,  fun and craic all the way!

Saturday, 18th May 2013

Orchard walk
Ed lead us through the apple orchards near to Ardress House. Despite the rain the blossoms were a beautiful sight. There was even an outbreak of tree hugging at an old oak tree (reputed to be the oldest oak in Co. Armagh) Some orchards were using bumble bees as well as honey bees as pollinators.

Thanks Ed for a great walk.
Stephen

May Bank Holiday Trip 
- Donegal

      Eighteen Spartans stayed in three self catering cottages on Island Roy in Mulroy Bay - close to Downings. Jim and Joan helped us all to settle in with great home-made sherpherd's pie. The first of many good meals enjoyed throughout the weekend.
      Saturday was a cold day with grey skies and a brisk wind. We walked Knockalla Mountain - which looked appropriate for the day. An interesting ridge walk from the village of Carrowkeel over the hills and lunching above pretty lakes and finally walking along the beach to Portsalon. 
    Sunday was milder but wetter - with pulses of heavy rain throughout the day. We decided to walk Horn Head and still managed some beautiful views and got to witness the strength 
and might of the sea as the waves crashed over rocks and into cliffs.
    A great weekend was finished off by some of us stopping off in Glenveigh National Park and
walking from the Visitors Centre to the Castle and back.

Saturday, 
13th April 2013

      14 Spartans met in Donard Park on Saturday 13th April. Pleasant weather enabled good views of Donard and Commedagh at the beginning of the walk. To start with we made our way through Donard Forest. 
      After leaving the forest, we crossed the Tullybranigan river, before following a well-trodden path into Tollymore Forest. Upon arriving in Tollymore, we picked up a circular trail before stopping for lunch at the Drinns. 
A brief detour off the beaten track to the lower slopes of Slievenabrock enabled partial views of Shanslieve, Commedagh, Corragh, Slievenaglogh, Meelmore and Luke's mountain. Castlewellan, Dundrum and Murlough bay could also be seen further afield. 
      After lunch, we picked up the trail back through Tollymore Forest past Curraghard vantage point. Bad weather set in as we left Tollymore. Upon arriving in Donard Forest, we headed in the direction of Drinnahilly. As the weather continued to deteriorate, we followed 
the Glen River trail back to Donard Park.       The total distance walked was just under 14km. Please find attached photos of Tollymore. I've also included views from 
Drinnahilly and Lindsay's Leap if conditions had been more favourable.
Regards, 
Henry

Easter Trip,
1st - 5th April

Yorkshire Dales
      On Easter Monday 2013, eighteen members travelled from Belfast to Cairnryan and then down the M6 and eventually to Kilnsey, Yorkshire between Kettlewell and Grassington, to stay in The Wharfedale Lodge and do some walking in the area. We were joined by Tim and also Jenny.
      The weather was looking a little worrying - as we had just endured our coldest March in 50 years and our coldest Easter weekend on record and there was plenty of lying snow around the country which the cold day and night temperatures were prolonging.
      Our walk on Tuesday April 2nd was around Malham, descibed as a 7 mile walk through spectacular limestone scenery. 
      We did an anti-clockwise circuit from the village of Malham to the waterfall called Janets Foss and along Gordale Beck to Gordale Scar - a scramble on most days but the iced rocks made it difficult, so we chose the guidebook variant from there to the lake known as Malham Tarn where we found a sheltered area by a stone wall for lunch. 
      Following the stream from Malham Tarn brought us onto a section of The Pennine Way which took us back to Malham Cove by Comb Scar and The Watlowes - evidence of where water once flowed before the frozen earth from the Ice Age finally thawed.
      Malham Cove has interesting limestone features above (clints and grykes) and as we descended to it's base 230 feet below, we could watch the activities of climbers and falcons alike. 
      Next day the group split for a walk around the Conistone area and an ascent of Ingleborough from Clapham, passing Gaping Gill underneath which is the largest cavern in Britain. 
      The top of Ingleborough was quite cold and resembled a January day and not one of early April. The views were good though - Morecambe Bay; the Lakeland Fells; Whernside; Pen-y-ghent  and Pendyl Hill.
      Our final walk on Thursday April 4th was from Kettlewell up to Cam Head. A pleasant walk, made a little more arduous by a cutting east wind and the path being littered with drifting snow which had to be negotiated until the stone wall ended and open hillside resumed. 
      A pleasant descent into Starbotton and we had some refreshments in the Fox & Hound before taking The Dales Way back along the banks of the River Wharfe to Kettlewell. 
      A great few days, walking in the Dales - enjoyed by all.

Saturday, 
30th March 2013

Murlough

St Patrick's Weekend - Wicklow

     Sixteen Spartans met up in Lynams Hotel, Laragh on the Friday evening for something to eat and the hope of some decent weather for our weekend's walking. Our accomodation was The Glendale Holiday Cottages just outside Laragh. 
      Saturday was a beautiful clear early Spring day. We drove to the carpark west of Scarr mountain and left a car there before driving to a carpark south of The Sally Gap.
      Our first ascent was to the top of Luggala or Fancy mountain. The marshy ground soon became a firm path. We noticed quite a few deer on our way to the top. 
      The view from Fancy was well worth a rest - below us was Lough Tay with it's dark waters and in the distance, glimpses of the Irish Sea. 
      We descended south to the Cloghoge River and below Knocknacloghoge. The river runs into Lough Dan at some notorious stepping stones - no problem to Gerard!!
      After an interesting crossing of the Inchavore River that runs into Lough Dan, we made a steep ascent of the hill to the south - Kanturk. 
      Our final descent south west to where the car we had left earlier awaited the drivers.
       The walk on Sunday was along The Wicklow Way - starting south east of Lough Tay and walking north east along the trail. As we drove to the starting point, the weather deteriorated to snow and wind. 
      Our highest point here was Djouce Mountain - our eastly descent from which took us eventually out of the snow and closer to our destination in Powerscourt House.
      We passed the Waterfall and along the 
forest paths before rain came to dampen us for half an hour or so before we made the cafe.
      We visited Glendalough on Monday before our return home. A great weekend of walking enjoyed by all in quite different walking conditions.
      Thank you to David and Rachel for arranging it all. 

Saturday,
2nd March 2013

      We had 23 walkers out the walk. A pleasant dry day starting at the gates of Dunny Water and quickly ascending to Round Seefin and a gentle climb to Long Seefin where we settled for a tea break. After a short descent to the river we climbed our longest ascent of the walk to the top of Spences Mountain. The air was a little cooler here but we enjoyed clear views right down the east coast with Little Sugarloaf visible in the Wicklows and the Ards Peninsula stretching away to the north and Dundrum Bay below. The profile of the Isle of Man was particularly clear as we stared accross the sea.
     We found the memorial to the WW2 air crash on the top of Chimney Rock and had our lunch nearby. Robin has sent a great link that gives a history of the aircrash and of the unfortunate crew who perished.
http://www.chimneyrockb26crash.com/
      The remainder of our walk saw us descend to The Bog of Donard where we bumped into Sammy and some Duke of 
Edinburgh people and after taking The Brandy Pad for a few minutes we turned south and paralleled the Annalong Buttress down to Hares Castle. 
       The long path through the forest at Dunny Water brought us back to our cars. A great Spring walk accomplished.
Thanks, Nigel

Saturday,
23rd February 2013

Trostan, Antrim Hills

Saturday, 
2nd February 2013

Hen, Cock, Pigeon Navigation Day
      A group of keen and willing "students" gathered for a great day of walking and navigation. Marian took us through all the navigation basics from pacing to reading maps and looking for features to finding bearings etc A great day was had by all. Great views on a clear bracing late winters day. 
      Hopefully everyone will get to build upon their skills - perhaps on some of our "proposed navigation days" (informal opportunities to build on our nav skills).

     Thank you Marian.