Awesome weekend - part 2 (Sunday)

Got up on Sunday feeling a bit worse for wear but the sun was shining and it would have been wasted staying indoors.


LL asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach which sounded like a good idea but we got a better one when our friends asked if we were up for walking up Slieve Donard - the tallest of the Morne Mountains, and visible from our house (and a lot of Northern Ireland).

Slightly anxious about my fitness we agreed, got picked up by two of our friends and picked up a third and his car and off we went. We stopped at a shop to get supplies - water and chocolate for some, cigarettes and a chicken sandwich for others.


Firstly you go up through some woods along a river 

It then opens out but does not get any easier. Here are two of my group looking like true explorers (in their nylon old-school {literally} rugby shirt and non-waterproof hiking shoes) with the forest behind - 

- and here is what we had ahead - 

There was a difference in pace between us all and some of us were finding it harder going than others - perhaps the backpack and pre-hike cigar weren't such a good idea Charlie.

Fin, the one person I thought would be rubbish stormed on ahead and at one point while we were resting and getting our breath back could be seen actually running up the mountain. 

The final part of the climb was steep - 

Luckily for Charlie, Fin had taken over carrying his backpack and we all headed up  to the summit together.

At the top you are meant to put a stone that you have carried from the bottom onto the pile. Here is proof that I made it and that my rock is smaller than a lot of the ones other people have brought before me.

  
At the top it became apparent why Charlie had been struggling on the way up. His backpack was not only a high quality piece of hiking kit, it was also carrying up two bottles of red wine and glasses for all so we could toast our achievement in style.

Both bottles quoffed it was time to head down and we had parked a car elsewhere so had a different route to descend. It was gorgeous on the way down too and you could see how big a mountain range the Mornes are and I look forward to many more walks in the area in the future.

We woz there.

We time our descent perfectly and as we took our last steps off the mountain it was pretty much dark. The last thing I saw before getting to Bloody Bridge carpark was this contraption can only be meant to stop any fatties attempting to climb the mountain for health and safety purposes.

Slieve Donard - DONE!!


All there was left to do was to go for a celebratory Guinness or two (as you can see one of us has a drinking problem) and some food. 

 Great weekend! Bring on the next one.