Many thanks

I'm sure everyone had a really good time and many thanks must go to Mike Smith for having the idea, doing the research, masterminding the plan and keeping the whole thing under control while at the same time being rather unwell. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in organising the holiday and leading the walks,and of course let's not forget Alan who got us there and back safely and joined in the fun. Without you all this would not have happened.

It only remains to say where to next?

Well hopefully Torquay in May 2009, see you there!

Day 7 The Final Day

Why is it that the weather is always best on the last day of your holidays? As we loaded our cases on to the coach before breakfast there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was sad that we had to leave so soon. But before catching the ferry home we had another walk to do in the area east of Belfast. For some reason I never got my camera out of my rucksack today so I have to thank Neil for supplying today's photos.

The 'A' party were following the Ulster Way and this was no easy task as once again the trees got in the way and the waymarking was poor or non-existant.


We did eventually find Helen's Tower and then proceeded briskly on our way. However by the time we got to Crawfordsburn village it was touch and go whether we would finish in time so we abandoned the walk, caught the bus, and spent the rest of the afternoon in a leisurely fashion at the Ulster Folk Museum having tea and looking around.



The 'B' party had a spendid walk along the coast from Bangor and also arrived in plenty of time for tea before we all departed on time for the ferry from Belfast to Stranrar. The crossing was as calm as it could possibly be much to my relief and we made good time on our journey home arriving in Bingley at 12.45 a.m.

Day 6 The Western Mournes or the beach?

Well today I waved the coach goodbye and set off to explore Newcastle and the beautiful beach of Dundrum Bay. The rest of the group took to the hills again in much improved weather.
I was quite impressed with the promenade with its many seats and sculptures. This soon gave way to sand dunes and a wide sandy beach that went on for miles. It reminded me of Northumberland as there were so few people on it just a couple of dog walkers. As I looked back I could get a spendid view of the dark mountains sweeping down to the sea.


I felt is was prudent to turn back when I heard machine gun fire in the distance and I came across a sign designating a military firing area! After lunching on the beach in the sun I paid a short visit to the nature reserve before rejoining the beach only to find that the sea had disappeared in a sea fret and I could no longer see the mountains or anything at all except my feet! It was rather an eerie experience walking along in the mist hearing the sea but not being able to see it. After a visit to the Tourist Information Centre for some souvenirs I walked back past the hotel in the other direction past the harbour and left the mist behind me.

The rest of the group had a good day in the mountains with wonderful views all day long so everyone was happy and ready to pack up for an early start soon after breakfast the next day.

Day 5 The Eastern Mournes

Today was the day for climbing the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains, Slieve Donard.
Typically the cloud had been down since our arrival in Newcastle and although it was warm we hadn't been able to see the full beauty of the mountains. I decided that I had to do the 'A' walk to add to my list of highest mountains and became very fond of the Mourne Wall during the course of the day as you can see from this picture taken by Neil it came in very handy when we had to cross a boggy area.Those who chose not to use the wall ended up with mud in their boots!

Six of us made it to the summit although as we left we saw Jackie and Ray on their way up and some people went up the following day when the weather took a turn for the better.
At the top there was a plaque on the wall in memory of Carl Stephenson who was struck by lightning and killed whilst sheltering in the hut. If you follow the link you will find out that Carl was a Yorkshireman and his father had an interesting theory that his mobile phone may have been to blame.....food for thought I think!
The weather improved as we made our slippery way back down the Glen River Valley and through the forest area at the back of our hotel. Later that evening a group of us invaded the local pub and were entertained in true Irish style by local singers and musicians. I wasn't there myself but I think I can be pretty certain that somebody sang the local folk song written by Percy French 'The Mountains of Mourne' and you can hear it again sung by Don Mclean if you follow the link.

Day 4 Transfer Day

Today we were all packed up and ready to make our way down to Newcastle but first we had a walk to do in the Glenariff Forest Park area. We dropped the 'A' party off leaving them to walk the 14 miles from Breen Bridge to the park with strict instructions not to be late. The 'B' party followed a water board road past a reservoir in very windy conditions before finding a sheltered spot for lunch that even had a chair waiting for the leader!

We then found a way into the forest at the highest point and made our various ways down to the visitor centre and the coach. For anyone who missed the waterfalls follow the link and you can take a virtual tour without getting wet! By this time the weather had deteriorated and the rain was coming down and there was no sign of the 'A' party.

As is often the case the forest had proved to be the most difficult part of the walk with missing waymarks and cleared areas making it very difficult for them to find a way through. We were a bit late setting off for Newcastle and hitting Belfast at rush hour didn't help either. We arrived at the Glenada Conference Centre in Newcastle about a quarter of an hour late for our meal and went straight in as we were wondering what we would find. The dining room was nicely set out and the service was very efficient so we had finished in no time. The food was good but the plates were small this time and I think that having got used to gigantic portions some people were left feeling as if they would like to ask for more! But Elsie was in charge and looked as if she would stand no nonsense so we all ate up and made our way to our rooms. I was very pleased to see a nice room with an en-suite shower and toilet, what a luxury after the B & B.

Day 3 Rathlin Island or not!

Today 30 members of the group took a small ferry to Rathlin Island to view lighthouses and wildlife. I decided to stay on dry land and do the coastal walk to Fairhead lead by Jackie Wilkes. This was a little walked part of the coast line and at times we felt like explorers! We were joined by Alan the coach driver who was having a relaxing day off from driving....that's what he thought anyway! The walk took us along the shore line and we had good views of Rathlin Island and the lighthouses for most of the day. The state of the path was variable but we were rewarded with orchids and beautiful wildflowers along the way. As we climbed up on to the top of the sheer cliffs we could see climbers perched precariously hanging from ropes that were anchored around large boulders on the top.

As we began to make our way back towards Ballycasrtle I took a detour with John Stewart to find a burial chamber marked on his map. We sweet talked the local farmer into letting us on to his land by promising faithfully not to injure ourselves and sue him for damages. I think he might have been expecting a small bribe but when he heard the words 'we are from Yorkshire' he must have known it wasn't going to be his lucky day! On the top of the hill we found a stone circle with about 28 stones in it.

I finished my walk by paddling along the beach back to Ballycastle in the beautiful sunshine.

Day 2 Giants Causeway

For me this was the best day of the holiday as my main reason for being here was to see the Giants Causeway. First of all we all set off in the coach the short distance to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge where most of us braved the shaky trip across to the island and back again. The weather was glorious and the sea was very clear and a beautiful colour.
I decided to join the 'A' party ably lead by Roy in true CHA style ignoring all signs indicating the path was closed as we made our way along the coast past Ballintoy Harbour to White Park Bay where we had our lunch and a some had a quick paddle.

Then at last what we had all been waiting for, the first views of the Giants Causeway and it certainly lived up to expectations. There were plenty of visitors as it was Bank Holiday Sunday and I would love to go back there again some time to spend more time taking photographs and exploring the whole area.


After time for viewing the causeway we all made our way to the visitor centre before setting off on the last part of the walk to meet the coach at Portballintrae. This last 2 miles was the most difficult to navigate and in the heat of the day it was the most tiring part of the walk for many.