Never walked in Ireland? Whet your appetite with pics from last year's festival ...
Where?
For those who've never hopped across the Irish Sea in search of summits new, the Mournes are a range of mountains in the south east of Northern Ireland. They've got 20 odd granite crags to tempt climbers and summits up to about 850m for those who prefer to keep their feet on the turf.
We made the trip over there last summer for the Mournes Walking Festival '07 and had a good old stomp around the landscape. If you haven't seen it for yourself, think Yorkshire Dales-esque fields morphing into turfy summits with a touch of Snowdonian ruggedness and you won't be far wrong.
But before OUTDOORSmagic starts turning too poetic (poetic, us?), let's get back to the festival...
Why a walking festival?
For last year's festival, walkers had come to the Mournes from the far-flung distances of outer space - well, actually just from the Isle of Wight and Holland, but that's still a fair old way by our reckoning. So why make the trip - apart from the fact that the Dutch don't have any mountains of their own?
Well, we'll be honest, a walking festival isn't everyone's cup of Irish guinness. If what you enjoy about walking is the solitude and the sense of getting away from it all then we'd still recommend a visit to the Mournes, but probably at a different time of year.
On the other hand, visiting during the festival guarantees you an army of like-minded, Gore-clad, booted walkers to roam the hills with - yes, and eVent-clad ones too. Perhaps you fancy a bit of extra company, or you're a card or two short of a full pack of walking partners at the moment, or you're just generally a good sociable type, all of which are good excuses to visit the festival. It's also a good bet if you fancy exploring a new area with a bit more guidance on hand than you can carry around in a map case.
The guided walks
Speaking of guidance, the five walks that left Newry every morning were a mixed bag in terms both of terrain and experience. Two were of particular interest to OMers - the mountain walks - and they were certainly stunning. Even the odd drop of rain thought so and came to join the party after a sunny start to the first morning:-) We would wax lyrical but we'll spare you and let the photos do the job instead.
To give you a quick idea of the standard though, we joined the 'strenuous' mountain walk, as opposed to the 'moderate' one, and took in four summits in the course of the day. That's 30 - 40 walkers all descending on Pigeon Rock in one fell swoop - quite a sight!
The self-guided walks
If you do want to get away from the crowds, self-guided walks are also on offer each day - something for all tastes, as it were. Basically, you pick your length of walk, you're given a laminated route card and set of instructions, and hey presto...
Not only that, but one of the festival organisers recces the routes each morning, while the walkers are still munching away at their toast, just to make sure that footpath diversions - or 'walkers keep out' signs - haven't emerged since the route was designed:-)
And if you choose the quiet option during the day, there's still the chance to change your mind in the evening ...
The party
Yes, every outdoor event has one, whether it's a walking festival or a film festival, and Newry, in the Mournes, is no exception.
This event's party is dubbed the 'blister ball' although if you've got too many blisters we suggest a new pair of boots. Either way, first up was a sit-down meal - canteen-style in appearance but fear not, the fruit and chocolate sauce was drizzled as artistically as you please across the ice cream:-) And once you've got some sugar inside you, what excuse is there not to dance the night away?
Of course, we didn't quite dance the night away - live band or no live band - because we didn't want to be too dopey to appreciate the mountains again the next day. We reckon they were well worth a visit and if you're tempted too, here's what you might need to know ...
Logistics
Where? Newry last year, Newcastle this year, both in County Down - see map and directions.
When? 27th - 29th June.
Further information? Mournes walking festival website and Discover Ireland.
And in case you can't make that weekend but you're short of walking ideas in general, visit our routes sectionfor more inspiration. If you look carefully, there's even the odd Irish route there.
