Recent Stories
There must be something about sleeping in a tent. I had another great night’s sleep, only waking about 5am when I zipped my bag up to my shoulders before sleeping for another hour. As with previous nights I found that my Mountain Equipment Dreamcatcher 700 bag was too warm and used it as a loose [...]
Last night I had fallen asleep to the sound of owls calling and I wondered idly how small mammals and birds dealt with ticks. I’m sure by preening themselves they can get rid of the accessible ticks, but how could they get rid of ticks around their head? I normally use my fleece as a [...]
I had packed in preparation for cold Scottish spring nights, I knew from experience how cold it can be at this time of year. I was surprised then to find that I was far too hot and had to unzip my sleeping bag sometime during the night. The chainsaw noise near me was still cycling [...]
I’ve wanted to walk the West Highland Way for quite a few years now, but previous plans to complete this 96 mile route from Glasgow to Fort William have fallen at various hurdles. This time there was no planning involved, just a last minute decision to buy travel tickets, a few supplies and get packing. When [...]
Mournes Challenge HACK – Saturday 17 September The Mournes Challenge HACK – Hike Against Cruelty to Kids – is a 20 mile sponsored challenge walk through the stunning Mourne Mountains in aid of NSPCC Northern Ireland. Taking place on Saturday 17 September, this challenging walk will trace a path across one of Northern Ireland’s most popular areas [...]
If you don’t fancy walking all 12 to 14 miles of the Mourne Inner Horseshoe but still want to get some of the amazing views of the Annalong Valley, then a 3 hour circular walk of Rocky Mountain and Hare’s Castle might be what you are looking for: Park at J358223, by the red gates, but [...]
A big part of what Northern Focus is about is encouraging people to get outdoors and have fun. There are route suggestions for walking and cycling (these are being worked on to bring you a greater selection), there are articles on what we’ve done out there and to encourage you to get out there and [...]
Last summer the Community Safety Partnership at Down District Council announced that it was making available 1000 personal alarms to anyone using the Mournes for recreational purposes. I duly headed to the Tourist Information Centre in Newcastle to get my hands on one and find out what the fuss was about, only to be told that [...]
I originally started writing this post a couple of weeks ago, just after actually getting out on the hills in proper snowy conditions, but life and a nasty respiratory infection got in the way. During that time the snow thawed and it all seemed less topical, but yesterday the snow returned better than ever. I have never seen so [...]
Ever thought about running a marathon? I have and I really don’t fancy it, but I have huge admiration for those that do undertake the challenge. This morning I heard Marie-Louise Stenild interviewed on the radio – Marie-Louise is the first woman to ever run seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days, a [...]
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