Recently we obtained Awards For All Lottery funding to train leaders.  We now have a number of members who have undertaken courses through Tollymore Mountain Centre.  Several members have completed the Hillwalking Skills Weekend Course, some have done the Mountain Skills Weekend, one member is working towards an ML qualification and one member has taken Scrambling Skills Course.

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Tollymore Mountain Centre

In August 2007 a group of those who have been on skills courses went to the Mournes for some further practice.  below is an account of the weekend - written by Peter Deazley.

The Navigators

The first night – Not a bother

The small but committed group of navigators met at the Downshire Arms in Hilltown, a little backwoods town nestling in the Mournes. To reaffirm old bonds a few tipples were enjoyed in the bar and the group became acquainted with the local hospitality. Service was slow but the young barman was doing his best. After every order – no matter how complicated – he would smile, say “Not a bother” and not be seen again for hours when he brought Pauline the speciality of the house – a hot port. Port and hot water in a tumbler! Discussion and enjoyment of this toddy kept Peter and Pauline amused whilst ‘Two Dinners’ Connolly and his wife ‘Big Chocolate’ joined the rest of the group for a meal.

Suitably fed, the group then retired to an upper room to make plans for the next day. The tension was palpable as they pored over their maps trying to agree an appropriate route and wondering how The Great Teacher was going to pick a route that was uphill in both directions. They didn’t know how she could do it but knew she would! After failing to reach a consensus it was agreed that Ita, the Great Teacher, assisted by her classroom assistant, Lori the Locomotive – hereinafter referred to as Loco - would select an appropriate route and Wendy sent the rest to bed to make sure everyone was fit and ready for the next day’s trials and tribulations.

Day 1 – A River Crossing

Saturday morning dawned in the manner now expected by the Foyle Ramblers on tour! The largest range of mountains in Northern Ireland, mere yards away was obliterated by the driving rain and fog! Did that deter this intrepid group? Not at all! They were here to walk and to navigate and that is what they were going to do. The Great Teacher would have it no other way and the weather merely added to the fun.  So off they went.

Up Ott mountain, onto Slieve Loughshannagh and down to the lake – meeting all the challenges set by The Great Teacher along the way and ecstatic at having been able to walk along the Mourne Wall to find a rocky outcrop towering above them! They were not in the least chastened or embarrassed by the graffiti hinting that ‘Stevie Wonder was here’! Promontories, indentations, lakes, valleys and peaks were all sought out and unerringly found! And group members wore a warm glow from the pleasure The Great Teacher was taking in their success as she basked in the reflected glory. What a teacher! What pupils!

But a greater challenge lay ahead. The group navigated around Lake Shannagh targeting the narrowest part of the river to make crossing easy and safe. The map indicated a wide open track running across the side of Doan Mountain and this was the group’s objective.

And so the intrepid group arrived at the river bank. Showing great leadership The Great Teacher and Loco leaped across the river and began to look for a good crossing point for their less agile colleagues. Pauline decided that Peter’s cry of “Be careful! It is very deep” and The Great Teacher’s advice to “hold on a minute” were merely encouragement for her to attempt a crossing. And so she duly obliged by stepping straight into the middle of the fast flowing river and, for some reason as yet undisclosed, she stood holding only her arms clear of the water and laughing hysterically! Those who saw the sight expected John the Baptist to appear at any moment!

Unfortunately Big Chocolate did not see this spectacle and was amazed to see Pauline on the far bank. She assumed that if Pauline was across there must be a very easy route and spent the next ten minutes walking up and down the bank lowing like a lost calf!

Whilst the rest of the group prowled the river bank like a herd of migrating wildebeest Bernard, overflowing with energy from the dinners of the night before, took a flying leap and landed safely on the far side. Peter, more carefully, took a leap but left out the flying and got one foot across and one in the water. Avril followed immediately using Peter’s tactic with the same result. Big Chocolate suffered the same fate!

Wendy, lured on by the promise of some easy ambling across Doan Mountain and back to her car, adopted an entirely novel strategy. Treating both leaping and flying with contempt she opted for the ‘flop’! This flop must not be confused with the Fosbury Flop where the body actually leaves the ground in a vertical direction. The ‘Kirk Flop’ is much less dramatic but with sensational results. So, executing the ‘Kirk Flop’ beautifully, Wendy landed, if that is the right word, in the river, turned slightly on her side and rested on the river bank with a look of complete satisfaction on her face! “I told you I could do it” she said to no-one in particular. All was not lost though and, as soon as they had stopped laughing, Bernard and Peter rushed to her rescue!

And on they struggled to the Promised Land! To Wendy’s eternal sadness the track was shown on the map in actual size. It was as if some giant hill walker had dragged the heel of his boot across the hillside and piled rocks in the most difficult and dangerous configuration capable of bringing down the most sure-footed traveller. And all the while the rain poured down! Wet on the outside and even wetter on the inside, the little group trudged wearily back to the car park. It is rumoured but not proven that Two Dinners was not the only “commando” to return to the hotel that night!

The human spirit is indefatigable and nowhere was this more evident than in members of the Foyle Ramblers and Hill Walkers after a good shower, with the bar open and the prospect of a big feed. And so there was great merriment and reminiscing on the day’s events.

Loco produced her ‘Texas Hold’em set For One’, purchased in the local Pound Shop for 99p,  and Avril “Poker” McAlister proceeded to give the group a lesson in cards, astounding them with the range of ways in which she could say “I don’t know”. When the game was over and Poker had collected all the chips, The Great Teacher suggested that it may be a good time for some night navigation. Was she serious? A nervous titter ran around the room chased by a giggling Two Dinners. Quickly adopting the local dialect, “Not a bother” said he and hurried off to bed with Big Chocolate.

Day Two – Slieve Donard and the Crom Dam

Sunday morning dawned and the lives and souls of the whole group were entrusted to the Good Catholic as she was driven off to Mass by the Heathen. Arrangements were made to meet up in O’Hare’s in Newcastle for dinner and The Great Teacher, Loco and Poker headed off to climb Sieve Donard from the Glen River. Two Dinners and Big Chocolate went off to do the same thing but from the Trassey Track. Wendy, the Good Catholic and the Heathen read the papers before heading off to walk up the Silent Valley and across Crom Dam. The Good Catholic took off like a bat out of …..heaven? with Wendy and the Heathen trailing in her wake and sharing the carrying of the rucksack and walking into a gale force wind. It was with great pleasure that this little group mounted the 174 steps to the top of Crom Dam and took in the beautiful scenery at the top before streaking back down to the car park and on to Newcastle.

Finally back together each of the groups enthralled the others with tales of their exploits on Slieve Donard and Crom Dam. The Great Teacher had, apparently, discovered an uphill route from the top of Donard to Donard carpark. The route is to be kept secret until the next club outing to the Mournes when it will be revealed to the delight of the fittest club members.

A great weekend was had by all and gratitude for her organisation of the event expressed to The Great Teacher.