Wee Binnian with Silent Valley reservoir in the background
Mournes Wall - Fail
Last Friday I put the finishing touches on Greenways of Ireland, getting it ready to go to print after the weekend. On Saturday morning I set off for the Mournes Mountains in County Down to start the fieldwork for my next book.
The working title of this next book is Wild Walks, the plan is for a guide to approximately a dozen of the best, longest, hardest and most remote walks in the country.
A walking book of some sort has always been an obvious project for me, but the market is pretty saturated and I never wanted to do just another walking guide. The idea for Wild Walks is pretty niche, but I hope it might serve as something aspirational and beautiful as well as practical, and while it’s commercial prospects are a little uncertain, it’s something I’m keen to work on and that is the most important factor for me.
To be honest I don’t really love day hiking, but overnights, carrying my gear and sleeping along the way feel very different to me, they just make more sense. I particularly enjoy routes that are journeys, that make their way through wild, empty places via logical routes. This is what the book will focus on.
Over the last few months I’ve drawn up a list and done some research into the routes I want to include. The only loop is the Mournes Wall, the rest are point to points. And given I had done the wall a decade before I decided that I would start with it.
The point where you leave the Carrick Little track for Slieve Binnian
Straight off the couch with no particular walking fitness, it was definitely ambitious to dive straight into this book and tackle this particular walk considering it’s 32km with 2300m of height gain.
However, the timing was good and the forecast was great – still, mild with no rain.
Given the forecast I though the chance to pack pretty light, just a pyramid tarp, no inner and not too many warm clothes. However, I did need to take 3kg of camera gear so was my pack wasn’t exactly ultralight, see my Lighter Packs. It weighted 11.5kg, including 2l of water and plenty of food, leaving Carrick Little.
The walk started up well, the climb up Binnian went fine, I took it very steadily and didn’t linger long, enjoying the hazy views over the mountains.
The descent of Binnian is incredibly steep, and with little strength in my legs, it took its toll. My legs were like jelly at the bottom of it, and I was moving like a geriatric now.
Passing Wee Binnian and Moolieve, I stopped in the café in Silent Valley for a Coke and a change of socks. The Smartwool ones I was wearing had too open a weave and I could feel some blisters developing.
Wee Binnian with Slieve Binnian behind
Regaining the wall at the far side of the reservoir and following it across the marshy ground led to the foot of Slievenaglogh, it’s a steep climb, requiring the hands in a few places, but not too bad.
The climb up Slievenglogh
Descending to the Shannah track was tough, and it was here that the doubts started to creep in. It was late, the climb up Slieve Muck looked brutal, and my legs weren’t feeling great.
I stopped at the track and took stock. I wasn’t sure I could make it up the next climb, which I think is the physiological crux of the walk. I knew that I had done the hardest climb and descent and that once over Slieve Muck things got easier for a while, but the reality was that there was no way I was going to be able to complete the walk, so I decided to head home.
Doan in the background
Looking up the descent down Binnian
The 10km on the road back to Carrick Little was tough and I didn’t get back to the car until 18.00, over 7 hours after I started. Given that and how sore I was the next morning, I think I made the right call.
The lesson to be learnt was that I needed to up my fitness and that the wall is not to be underestimated. So over the next while I will built up my walking fitness and get on with the book.
Silent Reservoir with Slievenaglogh on the left and Slieve Beanagh on the top right