HILLWALKIRELAND.COM BLOG

Petrie - Wicklow Self-Guided Walk - October 2010

2010-11-11T13:55:00.004Z

"Thank you for an unforgettable introduction to Ireland!" Petrie, Netherlands

Nelleke & Piet - Antrim 2010 (& Dingle 2009)

2010-10-17T18:46:00.003+01:00

Nelleke and Piet from the Netherlands are repeat visitors to Ireland. It's been a pleasure to organise walking tours for this friendly couple both this year (in Antrim) and also on the Dingle Peninsula in 2009.

Guided Walking Holiday - Wicklow - June 2010

2010-10-16T14:03:00.007+01:00

"Circuit très bien, de superbes paysages, un accueil parfait des Irlandais, les randos étaient bien calibrées, l'ambiance était vraiment superbe".

TRANSLATION: "Very good route, superb countryside, a 'perfect' Irish welcome. The walks were well measured, the ambiance (in the group) was particularly good".

Alain, France - One of the walkers on the Wicklow Guided Walk.

Loretta & Ceesjos - Beara Self-Guided Walk - June 2010

2010-10-16T13:39:00.008+01:00

"We had a wonderful holiday. The tour was well organized and the walks were beautiful. The notes were fine... although you did not really need them because the waymarking was so good. James, thank you for your enlightening e-mails and overall commitment. Good luck with Hillwalk!"

Loretta & Ceesjos, Netherlands

Erin & Chris - Dingle Self-Guided Walk - Sept 2010

2010-10-10T14:20:00.011+01:00

Erin and Chris came to Dingle in early September. From their photos, it appears that they had some extremely unusual weather! Here's what Erin had to say about their walk:

"My boyfriend and I did the Dingle Way 5 day self-guided walk. The map and directions were perfect - in our 5 days, the directions never misled us. This self-guided tour was amazing -- our luggage arrived at each B&B magically....no worries. We carried one backpack between the two of us. We had amazing hosts at our B&Bs and James at HIllwalk Ireland organized our trip seamlessly....almost like the wizard behind the curtain. He custom-arranged our hillwalk so that we could have a rest day before we ran the Dingle Marathon. On the rest day, we took a ferry to the Blasket Islands which were stunning. I would love to do another hillwalk in the future and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to get out of the city and enjoy Ireland for its natural beauty and warm people."

Erin - Brooklyn, USA

Jeffrey & Christine - Antrim Self Guided Walk - July 2010

2010-10-10T13:46:00.016+01:00

Jeffrey & Christine from the Netherlands took some fantastic images of their time in Antrim in July 2010. And thankfully, they took lots and lots of photos! Check out their awesome collection at this link:

http://gallery.me.com/dj.devisser#100044&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Get your boots on for Barnardos!

2010-10-02T11:36:00.002+01:00

This Autumn bank holiday why not dust off the cob webs with a fantastic challenge? A Halloween Full Moon Trek...

The Barnardos Full Moon Trek will take place on Saturday 23rd October on Lugnaquillia, Co. Wicklow.

This trek is an excellent opportunity to see the beautiful landscape by the light of the moon, while raising much needed funds for Barnardos. Our first Full Moon Trek in July was booked out in days so contact us today to reserve your space!

This will be a wonderful trek in the heart of the Wicklow mountains starting at 3pm with plenty of light to guide us to the summit. Upon reaching the summit, you can relax and enjoy the sunset from the summit before we make our descent back down the mountain under the light of the Full Moon. You will be invited to stay to attend our Halloween feast and enjoy some craic agus ceol in Fenton's Pub!

We would ask you to raise €175 to take part in this remarkable trek. All funds raised will go directly to helping vulnerable children in Ireland. Our work relies on the generosity of our supporters and on the unshakable belief that Ireland really can be the best place in the world to be a child.

For details on how to join the walk, click here

Walk the Way for Cancer Research

2010-05-24T19:45:00.004+01:00

The Kerry Way Cancer Research Walk is a 70km three day fundraising event that has gone from strength to strength raising nearly €300,000 for cancer research in the past four years. The 2009 event was a tremendous success with over 260 walkers, from counties around Ireland as well as from France, Hong Kong, Switzerland and the UK, braving inclement weather last year to make a positive impact on cancer – and raise an astounding €91,000. The event goal this year is to raise €100,000 for cancer research programmes at Cork Cancer Research Centre.

The Kerry Way Cancer Research Walk will take place from Friday, 23rd July to Sunday, 25th July 2010 and participants can walk one, two or all three days. The three days of guided walks will start and finish each day in Kenmare and will incorporate impressive mountain views, dramatic peaks and glens, wild moorlands, wooded paths and lakes along the Kerry Way and Beara Way trails.

Friday July 23rd Tahilla to Kenmare 22km

Saturday July 24th Moll’s Gap to Kenmare 26km

Sunday July 25th Glengarriff to Kenmare 22km

Past supporters of the event include Sean Kelly, Daithi O Se, John McHenry, and adventurer Pat Falvey. Pat Falvey commented about the event: “Cancer affects so many people, through their own journey or through someone they know. Taking on cancer is a daunting challenge which requires focus and determination, elements which are also needed for facing other challenges in life such as climbing Mount Everest. However the greatest challenges cannot be achieved alone - it is the team supporting you that will help you get through. Just like our team for Mount Everest, the Cork Cancer Research Centre provides focus and determination to the challenge of bringing new treatments to cancer patients. I’m delighted to be involved in this event and to lend my name and support as part of the fundraising efforts for cancer research, and to help combat cancer.”

Uniquely 100% of all sponsorship collected by walkers goes directly towards cancer research. All walkers cover their own costs; event organisation and marketing costs are kept to a minimum and are covered by sourcing gifts in kind from companies as well as through other fundraising activities leading up to the event. Without the assistance of the walkers, organising committee members and supporting companies, this event wouldn’t take place and it would not be possible to raise vital funds for cancer research and impact the lives of those affected by cancer.

So why not plan a nice activity break as well as raise money for a worthy cause. Cork Cancer Research Centre needs your support. Walk with purpose and you’ll be aiding research into cancer’s prevention and treatment. To register your interest for this year’s event and secure your place, please complete the online registration form today. Participants enter on a first come first served basis and entries will close on Friday, 2nd July 2010 or once the event participation limit is reached for health and safety reasons. Alternatively contact the Development Office at Cork Cancer Research Centre on 021 490 1437.

If you would like to make a difference in the fight against cancer and contribute to the researchers vital work, donations are gratefully received and can be lodged into The Kerry Way Cancer Research Walk account – AIB Bank, Sort Code: 93-01-21, Account No: 01302795.

Tinahely Walking Festival

2010-02-12T20:57:00.002Z

The Tinahely Walkers are hosting their first Trail Walking Festival which will take place on the weekend of April 17th & 18th 2010.

The festival is being held to mark the launch of three new Failte Ireland Approved looped walks totalling 31km, in Tinahely. There will be walks to suit all levels ranging from 9km to 20km in length.

An exciting weekend of walking and entertainment is planned including a vintage car display, quilting demonstrations, a flower display, a street market and live music.

Full details of the programme for the festival is available by email at: tinahelywalkerswelcome@eircom.net

CMT Stuttgart 2010

2010-01-21T14:34:00.005Z

Dear Walkers,

This week I attended CMT Stuttgart - a tourism trade fair that attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year. Over the course of nine days, Irish businesses are invited to man a stand and publicise their product to the German market.

As ever, Tourism Ireland had constructed a large and colourful stand which was shared by a host of Irish business - from Railtours Ireland to Irish Ferries to the Parknasilla Hotel in Kenmare.

Not surprisingly, the Irish stand was well-attended by the Germans who are frequent visitors to our shores. A particular highlight of the stand was the Irish pub with live music throughout the day and, after a few well chosen ballads the Guinness was flowing!

Visitors also had the opportunity to get their picture taken with one of four famous Irish landmarks as a background. This clever stunt was hugely successful and was part of Tourism Ireland's bid to have the Cliffs of Moher installed as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World".

From a personal perspective, the trade fair gave me the perfect opportunity to meet walkers who are interested in coming to visit Ireland and it was very helpful to hear what questions they had and also to try and deal with any concerns they had. The most frequently asked questions concerned the best time of the year to visit Ireland and also how to get there.

In general, I recommend that tourists visit between May and September as the temperatures are usually ideal during these five months (average of approx 15 degrees Celsius). That said, Ireland has a very temperate climate so walking can be very pleasant at any time during the year.

With regard to getting to Ireland, there are airports all over the country that offer regular flights to destinations all over Europe. So, if you are visiting the South-West of Ireland best fly to Kerry, Cork or Shannon Airports. Dublin is convenient for all our walks but particularly for Wicklow while Belfast Airport is the most practical for our Antrim walks.

But, as I said to all the visitors to the Hillwalk Ireland, I am more than happy to personally answer any questions that you have - all you have to do is send me a quick email at: info@hillwalkireland.com

Bis gleich!
James.

Competition Winners!

2009-12-12T13:53:00.007Z

Dear Walkers, thank you to all the people who entered the competition - there are some excellent amateur photographers and storytellers among you!

The winners are as follows:

Photo Competition: 1st prize and a voucher for €50 - Tjerk Feenstra, Netherlands

Photo Competition: 2nd prize and a voucher for €25 - Dirk & Nathalie Clijsters, Netherlands.

Short Story Competition: 1st prize and a voucher for €50 - Gerard & Jana Kahn, Germany

Short Story Competition: 2nd prize and a voucher for €25 - Eloise Papin, France.

Photo Competition: Winning Entry - Dingle Peninsula

Short Story Competition: Winning Entry

After we finished our walking tour in Kerry, my wife and I stayed in a B&B in Cork before we flew home. In the evening, we asked the lady of the B&B for somewhere really good to eat. She said to us to go to a French restaurant nearby. My wife was in Strasbourg when she was at university so this was a good option for us. We had a very beautiful evening, the food was fantastic and the atmosphere was very romantic. In the end we were the last people in the restaurant. Before we go, we asked to say thank you to the chef. When the chef came out from the kitchen, my wife really got a big shock. This was a French woman – an old friend from her university days in Strasbourg! So we took another bottle of wine and had very much ‘craic’! The perfect experience to end our time in Ireland.

Gerard & Jana Kahn, Ingolstadt, Germany.

Photo Competition: 2nd prize - Maamturks, Connemara

Short Story Competition: 2nd prize
Our most beautiful moment was in Dick Mack’s pub in Dingle. This must be the most crazy place in Ireland. It is a shop that sells shoes but also a pub that sells Guinness! There are shoes on one side and the drinks on the other. We did not buy any shoes but we had enough Guinness!

Eloise & Pierre Papin, Grenoble, France.

Once again, thank you for making our first photo and short story competition a great success!

James Byrne,

Hillwalk Ireland

info@hillwalkireland.com

http://www.hillwalkireland.com

Walking in Ireland - You could be here!

2009-11-08T20:30:00.000Z

Check out the new Hillwalk Ireland video below!

(Or go to Youtube and search for "Hillwalk Ireland")