UlsterWalker

Lovely Leather

2011-05-23T16:43:00.002+01:00

Lovely products, but the spend is big

Bouldering In Ireland – hot off the press

2011-02-14T15:21:00.001+00:00

A big congratulations to David Flanigan for getting his Bouldering In Ireland guidebook published! David contacted me late last year to use one of my images in his guide, and the offer of a first copy and credit for the photo seemed fair enough to me

I had seen on his blog that he had received the first batch of books so was fairly eager to see it for myself and was impressed for it to arrive so swiftly. I have to say It looks a first class guide, and should meet the demand for a first class bouldering guide for the Island.

The bouldering in Ireland guidebook is now available to buy. The guidebook details all the major and minor bouldering areas across the length and breadth of the island of Ireland including Glendalough and The Wicklow Mountains, The Reeks, The Burren, Connemara, North West Donegal, Inishowen Peninsula, Fair Head, The Mournes and many more.

Over 1700 problems in 90 areas

From Font 3 to 8b

Granite, gritstone, gabbro, limestone, sandstone, schist, quartzite and dolerite

100 maps, 140 photo-topos and detailed directions to get you to the problems

Over 150 colour photos of the best problems

256 pages of full colour in an A5 landscape format

Contains areas that have never been documented before including Brimstones, Thur Mountain, Ayton’s Cave, Doagh Strand, Windy Gap, Larry The Goats and Pierce’s Castle.

The photos don’t really do it justice, it really is a beautifully put together guide, and clearly a work of love. I’ll have to have a look at some of the problems the next time I’m on the hills.

Best of luck to David with the Guide!

To buy a copy click here.

Cicerone Sale

2011-01-24T21:39:00.002+00:00

If you're looking for some cheap guide/reference books get yourself over to the cicerone sale, pronto tonto. They're all going for £2 or £4 compared to the usual £14 either because of tatty covers, or becuause its out of print or an old edition . Plenty bargains to be had, and I'm now waiting on a wee stack to turn up.

DecAid – Honouring 10 Years In Afghanistan

2011-01-18T23:02:00.001+00:00

I am uncertain of how much coverage this is getting in the press around the Isles but I feel I must give the boys and girls at DecAid a big shout.

DecAid is a national appeal set up to mark the tenth year of conflict in Afghanistan, raise awareness of the work and involvement of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan, remember those men and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and to raise as much money for three service charities that help ex-servicemen and their families.

I strongly believe in supporting our forces. I have had a strong connection with them since being in cadets as a youngster and have continued this through various organisations until rather recently. In addition a large percentage of my friends are employed by The Queen, of whom ~~seven~~ six (get well soon Tel!) are actively deployed on Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan.

Most people can’t even imagine the hardships the guys out there are going through and every day dangers that they are exposed to. Who here would like to be eating boil and the bags every day for six months, never mind the ambush/IED threat, separation from family/friends, poor living conditions, heat, etc.

It’s an unenviable, unthankful job that should receive far greater attention from the media, for the positive stories as much attention as the negative. However we aren’t living in utopia and no one seems to want to hear about the positive impact the guys are having to work so hard out there to achieve.

Anyways, needless to say I support all the hard work the services charities do and feel DecAid warrants some support, as little as publishing it here will achieve.

Another reason for my interest in the appeal is a friends involvement, Tom O’Connell, who I went to university with. His involvement is enough for a a shout out, however it is the Munro Mission that he is helping lead that really piques my interest.

On 1^st August 2011 the team will begin their challenge to summit all 283 Scottish Munros (mountain over 3,000ft) in under 50 days. However, there is more to their challenge than just ‘Munro Bagging’. The team will dedicate every Munro they climb to servicemen and women who have lost their lives in Afghanistan over the past 10 years.

If this task was not already tough enough, the team will complete it without the use of motorised transport. They will cover the 1600 miles using bicycles and kayaks but mainly on foot. This will require them to cover around 36 miles and summit 6 Munros every day for 49 consecutive days.

More than 1600 miles on foot, bike and kayak; over 61 miles of vertical ascent; 283 peaks and all in just 49 days. This is a superhuman endeavour, and on its own will hopefully raise plenty of money and national attention for the appeal.

Its an event I would relish to have the chance to get involved in, however I will settle with wishing Tom and the rest of his team the best of luck on their epic journey.

Please look over the DecAid webpage, think about getting involved and save a thought for the servicemen out in Afghanistan.

I needs to get me a subscription

2011-01-14T23:16:00.004+00:00

It's the most exciting and interesting piece of literature I've seen recently, I need to get me a subscription to make my life more complete! Maybe I should for the sake of clarification mention that I have always had a love for tweed suits, a rather old fashioned outlook on life, and have recently taken up smoking a pipe. The Chap looks like it will be a very entertaining read!

The Chap takes a wry look at the modern world through the steamed-up monocle of a more refined age, occasionally getting its sock suspenders into a twist at the unspeakable vulgarity of the twenty-first century.

Since 1999, the Chap has been championing the rights of that increasingly marginalised and discredited species of Englishman - the gentleman. The Chap believes that a society without courteous behaviour and proper headwear is a society on the brink of moral and sartorial collapse, and it seeks to reinstate such outmoded but indispensable gestures as hat doffing, giving up one's seat to a lady and regularly using a trouser press.

The Chap Manifesto

1. THOU SHALT ALWAYS WEAR TWEED. No other fabric says so defiantly: I am a man of panache, savoir-faire and devil-may-care, and I will not be served Continental lager beer under any circumstances.

2 THOU SHALT NEVER NOT SMOKE. Health and Safety "executives" and jobsworth medical practitioners keep trying to convince us that smoking is bad for the lungs/heart/skin/eyebrows, but we all know that smoking a bent apple billiard full of rich Cavendish tobacco raises one's general sense of well-being to levels unimaginable by the aforementioned spoilsports.

3 THOU SHALT ALWAYS BE COURTEOUS TO THE LADIES. A gentleman is never truly seated on an omnibus or railway carriage: he is merely keeping the seat warm for when a lady might need it. Those who take offence at being offered a seat are not really Ladies.

4 THOU SHALT NEVER, EVER, WEAR PANTALOONS DE NIMES. When you have progressed beyond fondling girls in the back seats of cinemas, you can stop wearing jeans. Wear fabrics appropriate to your age, and, who knows, you might even get a quick fumble in your box at the opera.

5 THOU SHALT ALWAYS DOFF ONE'S HAT. Alright, so you own a couple of trilbies. Good for you - but it's hardly going to change the world. Once you start actually lifting them off your head when greeting, departing or simply saluting passers-by, then the revolution will really begin.

6 THOU SHALT NEVER FASTEN THE LOWEST BUTTON ON THY WESKIT. Look, we don't make the rules, we simply try to keep them going. This one dates back to Edward VII, sufficient reason in itself to observe it.

7 THOU SHALT ALWAYS SPEAK PROPERLY. It's quite simple really. Instead of saying "Yo, wassup?", say "How do you do?"

8 THOU SHALT NEVER WEAR PLIMSOLLS WHEN NOT DOING SPORT. Nor even when doing sport. Which you shouldn't be doing anyway. Except cricket.

9 THOU SHALT ALWAYS WORSHIP AT THE TROUSER PRESS. At the end of each day, your trousers should be placed in one of Mr. Corby's magical contraptions, and by the next morning your creases will be so sharp that they will start a riot on the high street.

10 THOU SHALT ALWAYS CULTIVATE INTERESTING FACIAL HAIR. By interesting we mean moustaches, not beards

I feel it may be time to try and grow a moustache, as ludicrous as this will make me look.

Song for the Week

2011-01-13T20:15:00.000+00:00

I'm pretty much in love with this song, and an desperately trying to stop myself from replaying it again and again so I don't kill it. One of the reasons this is getting so much exposure and thus got to my ears is that the "Kid" is only 16, and making heartfelt music, instead of the usual cakk a la Justin Beiber. For some reason it reminds me a bit of Morrisey, but in any case its fairly awesome!

Zoo Kid - Out Getting Ribbs, He's got an EP coming out soonish/already I fink

Happy New Year!

2011-01-11T17:32:00.000+00:00

Few and far between!

Its been over a month and a half since I've blogged anything, and even longer since anything remotely outdoors made it on t'interweb due to my doing! I must do better!

There are things that will pop up in the future for me to share, if there will be anyone on here to read it is another thing.

At the start of last year I hypothesised what I'd like to achieve for the year, and even though very little of it was achieved it seems sensible to make plans for the year that has already begun, if nothing else it will spur me on to achieve them.

I met up with Simon in early November to have a chat over a beer (which was more than pleasant and needs to be repeated.) He mentioned a walk he was planning to undertake and asked for my thoughts, it more than piqued my interest, however I saw it more as an ultra-esque fell run that would maybe compare to something like the Bob Graham Round. "The Mourne 500's" would visit all peaks in the Mournes mountain range that sits above 500 metres. This accounts for 39 peaks, 42 miles, 5,400 m's gain and 5,450 m's loss. Its an epic walk, one that would sit nicely over two or three days, but I see it's potential more as a fell run, and this is my main goal for the year is. Not only will this force me to stick with some sort of training program it will also get me on the hills more often for reconnoitering (I love that word) purposes, whether that involves walking or running or both. Since talking with Simon I have been pointed by a running friend to the Mourne 500 Challenge site (from where I've stolen some of the above stats) and this has just confirmed my desire to give it a bash. The 500's, or 1600's as I want to refer to them, will be my main nemesis for this year.

With the successful completion of the Mourne Way Marathon last year, I can't not return this year. With some sort of consistent training in motion I would like to think sub 4 hours in the marathon is attainable, and depending on how crazy I'm feeling, I'm flirting with the idea of the Ultra. I would be in good company as Craig has thrown his hat in for it.

All this epic running has an ultimate goal in that I would like to have a go at running the Ulster Way at some stage in the future, breaking it down into back to back marathons. There's no possibility of that happening this year, but something for next year maybe.

I will also be hoping to return to the Mourne Mountain Marathon this year and might give the B class a bash if I can find anyone that also wants to destroy their knees, get sweaty and dirty, and share some port and an undersized tent for the night.

Anything else is a bonus. Some climbing might fall into the schedule if my workmates can get me to the wall, and a jaunt down to Kerry for an ascent of Carrauntoohil and some of the surrounding peaks would also be pretty sweet.

That's enough dreaming, back to reality, or at least photo editing.

Song for the Week

2010-11-26T12:08:00.006+00:00

I'm fairly certain I can safely say that most people from my generation don't know who Burt Bacharch is, however they will undoubtedly have heard many of his songs without knowing of his influence. He's undoubtedly a legend, sometimes called the best songwriter still alive and has been writing and composing for the last 60 years. A great introduction to his huge body of work, if you can find it, is his performance at the BBC Electric Proms in 2008, it really is a stunning set!

I initally came across him when reading some music news and it mentioned he was going to work with one of the most pioneering producers in hip-hop, Dr Dre, and so decided to check out the album, At this time. It's a great album with quite a strong political backdrop to many of the songs, and definably also a bit of a hip-hop influence there as well, with the drum loops and base lines especially.

Picked off the Later with Jools Holland show, Burt Bacarach and Rufus Wainwright - Go Ask Shakespeare, from the 2005 album At This Time.

180° SOUTH and the environment

2010-11-17T15:00:00.010+00:00

I mentioned this before and have finally got round to having a look a the entire film. It's definitely worth a gander, the scenery and journey are excellent and I think it epitomises the reasons why people that enjoy the outdoors are usually very much driven to protect it.

"It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong"

180° SOUTH from Mark Kalch on Vimeo.

Maybe my idea of travelling is more extreme than others, but I look upon this full on immersion in a journey as the way it should be done. I know many people many people that are going or have returned from travelling around South East Asia and Australia, and can't help but feel they didn't get all I think they could have out of it. In my eyes they appear to have taken essentially long holidays that involve taking in the sights abreast of a lot of drinking. There doesn't seem to be a lot of integration with the local populace, instead the majority of time is spent with other western travellers and indulging in activities that are mostly possible back home in some shape or form. Staying within you're comfort zone isn't really an adventure to me, but maybe my views are rather left-field.

"What are we going to call this route?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter"

A lot of the sentiment shared throughout the film resonates with me, especially the conservation side of things. I feel we should all be trying to have a lower impact and live a more environmentally conscious life. Maybe that's why the Ditch Monkey and Hunter-Gatherer blog's were so interesting and inspiring for me, a stop gap until I am in the position to take my life in that direction.

It’s hard not to be attracted to self sufficiency; however I’m not so naïve to believe that it will make such a difference to the way the planet is exploited. Radical ways of looking at how we live are needed but large corporations and governments aren’t likely to let this happen easily as they both have far too much influence and money to lose. In the same way that exploitation of the working classes has been exported to developing countries, whether we want to believe this or not, it would appear the same will eventually happen with unpalatable high carbon and environmentally exploitive industries. Like many things it’s out of sight, out of mind, however as my current employer is trying to empress, it’s one planet living, thus shifting problems somewhere else doesn’t solve the problem.

Maybe we're all doomed.

The Mourne Wall pt2

2010-11-11T18:52:00.003+00:00

Part one can be found -->>HERE<<--

When I woke there was some ambient light coming through the nylon and the pivotal question running through my head was whether the cloud inversion had remained intact or if the clouds had risen overnight. Unzipping the tent with the clouds below me was like waking up to on Christmas morning with virgin snow on the ground.

I rushed to get dressed, donning nearly all the clothing I had with me, grabbed my camera and tripod, and then made my way to the summit tor to enjoy the sunrise and get some snaps in.

I felt very privileged to watch the sun rise over the peaks of the Mourne’s, it was spectacular to say the least.

Is a pink sky in the morning still a shepherds warning if you’re above the clouds?

Not a bad pitch in the end.

After having a very relaxed breakfast it was a rather swift pack up and a rather rushed descent where possible to meet up with my friend Jen and her dog Archie.

After passing the two large tors that summit Slieve Binnian it was time to say goodbye to the inversion and descend into the clouds. If luck was with me the clouds would stay at c. 650m and I would climb out of them while summiting the rest of the peaks. The descent gets a bit tasty in places and the poles came in quite handy for some of the larger drops.

After passing a couple groups making the ascent up Wee Binnian and trying to reassure them that there actually was a clear view on top of Slieve Binian, I finally dropped through the cloud base to a rather drab looking Silent Valley. It was certainly understandable why my promises of a view were questioned just ever so slightly.

After meeting Jen and Arch on the base of Binnian it was time for them to retrace their steps and then a quick cup of coffee and a fresh food replen in the Silent Valley car park.

Leaving the ducks and primary school kids behind at the reservoir, we continued along the wall, leaving it at one stage to take a “shortcut” across some rough land that ended up being more bog than solid.

Reaching Slievenaglough was a rather uninspiring event with the top shrouded in cloud and nothing more exciting than a small cairn to look at. After a short lunch, Jen and Arch left for the comfort and warmth of a car and I continued to plod along the wall, with nothing much to look at other than bog and stone.

I usually ascend Slieve Muck from the West after passing the Spelga Dam and it is one of my least favourite ascents in the Mournes, so I was quite looking forward to climbing it form the South, however with the cloud closed in, it could have been anywhere and soon descended into the usual slog.

Cloud coverage on Muck was thick and visibility was down to 30 metres, its times like this that you really appreciate the network of stone walls that cross the Mourne’s which make it nigh impossible to get lost with any use of common sense.

Slieve Loughshannagh, Meelbeg and Meelmore all passed rather uneventfully, but the clouds finally parted for a moment while descending to the Meelmore/Bearnagh saddle, opening views down into the happy valley and across to Slieve Beg. But as soon as the clouds opened, they closed back over extinguishing the views they had just allowed.

After filling the platypus for the nights camp from a stream just below the Meelmore/Bearnagh style it was time to slog up the last and highest peak of the day, and keep some hope that the clouds would be sitting below the 739m summit.

As I had expected, it was not to be and after passing the summit tor’s of Bearnagh it was time to pitch up the laser, for a change in existing daylight. The wind was blowing hard but the wall created a very effective wind break and after pitching nice and tight to the wall, a minimal amount of wind made it onto the fly, no unwanted percussion would be supplied by the laser this night.

The next morning I woke to the sound of voices and opened the fly just in time to watch four men run past the tent chatting as they crossed the relatively flat plain that I was camped on. Must be nice to make the Mourne’s you’re morning stomping grounds!

The summit was still covered in cloud so a leisurely morning was spent drinking too much coffee and eating more pains au chocolat’s, before finally shaking a leg and dropping down Bearnagh and finishing off the Mourne Wall.

As I dropped to Hares Gap I was certain I could hear shouting but couldn’t see anyone, however I could see a line of sheep coming down the hill and eventually spotted the farmer and his sheepdog out to round up some of the flock. I always like to see a farmer out with his dog and had a wee chat with him before continuing on up Slievenaglogh and back into the mist.

As with the majority of the second day I was stuck in the cold mist of the clouds, and it was rather uninspiring crossing Slieve Corragh before making the final ascent up Slieve Commedagh.

After summiting Commedagh to find yet more cloud coverage a quick descent was made to the Commedagh/Donard style before dropping to Donard forest and passing along the Glenn River. I really don’t enjoy the last couple miles down into Donard Park and find it a bit frustrating, especially when the legs are tired, but its a means to an end, and a pint of black wasn't too far off.

There aren’t many things better than coming off miserable hills and getting a couple pints in, and dropping into O’Hares in Donard Park always makes the last hour of descent a wee bit more bearable; a couple pints of Guinness, a packet of Tayto crisps and a large log fire, what more could you ask for?

I would recommend walking the wall to anyone and if you get the weather it really is a magnificent walk, although the constant climbing and descent make it rather challenging on the legs. You could cover the miles in one day during the height of summer if you were fit enough and kept the weight down, otherwise a lightweight overnighter should be easily attainable for most, you really do feel the extra weight when you are constantly on the climb and descent and my legs were definitely not loving the comfort gear I was carrying.

Even with the clouds for company for the majority of the walk it was an enjoyable couple days in the hills, however the inversion really did make it.

Song for the Week

2010-11-09T18:23:00.001+00:00

This is amazing, prepare to have your spine tingeled!

#93.3 - BON IVER - For Emma, Forever Ago
Uploaded by lablogotheque. - See the latest featured music videos.

Bon Iver - For Emma from the 2007/8 Album For Emma, Forever Ago

Runkeeper – jumping back on the horse with an app

2010-11-09T18:17:00.002+00:00

While most people are probably starting to move there training from outdoors to inside as winter starts to get a grip, the opposite is true for me. My running always seems to lag during the summer, maybe this is partly due to enjoying the hops, barley and water combination too much, but probably has more to do with my enjoyment of winter running.

Running in the dark has also always been my preference, and with the shorter days there is now little other choice. The other obvious aspect of the coming winter is the cold, wind and rain (and snow if we are lucky)which again is something I rather enjoy running through. No matter how horrible it looks from inside the bricks and mortar, once you get going its far more enjoyable than running on a nice day, and there’s always a sense of achievement from getting a good ole soaking.

It wasn’t quite as bad as this.

With the rain and wind beating down last night, I finally dragged my ass out for a run for the first time in nearly a month. I’m still persisting with POSE running and last night was the most comfortable run I’ve had keeping decent form throughout, and not too bad a pace for being quite out of shape.

I finally think I’m striking the ground correctly and didn’t have to spend the whole time thinking about form, just enjoy the rain and wind and push myself on. The ability to use my calve muscles this morning was also quite a nice plus, and quite a long way from the balls of lead that I was left with after previous runs.

I suppose I should mention Runkeeper. While I was out pounding the streets I was also running the Runkeeper Pro app for the IPhone for the first time. Runkeeper tracks the route utilising the onboard GPS, and gives a nice wee statistical breakdown of the run, much like a Garmin Forerunner, and probably does a whole load of other things that I will never fully utilise.

Just using the default settings, I was a wee bit surprising when Tinie Tempah faded out to a female voice telling me my distance and average speed after 5 minutes, it was definitely a good motivator, however I need to change the units to imperial from their default metric!

It looks like a promising training tool, which I may or may not write more about in the future, however I would question the accuracy of the GPS plotting on the map and the altitude, not that these make any real difference to me.

Neil Young – Harvest Moon

2010-11-09T17:05:00.002+00:00

Amazing album …….

…..that is all

Song for the Week

2010-11-05T17:47:00.003+00:00

Haven't listened to the Black Keys in ages until hearing one of their songs in "Detroit 1-8-7" (which incidentally is a pretty good show) and it reminded how good they are. Really stripped back rock sort of like the white stripes in some ways.

Any ways, cool track and a great video (if you like toy dinosaurs lip sinking, beautiful young ladies and scrolling sentences along the bottom to read), Black Keys - Next Girl form their 2010 album "Brothers"

Cool As Folk - Mixtape

2010-11-03T20:45:00.002+00:00

Cool As FOLK | An Ulsterwalker mixtape

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Listening to lots of acoustic and folk rock type stuff at the moment, and it felt about time to put another mixtape together, so here's a selection of songs from my favourite records at the moment, enjoy!

Track Listing

1. More Dance Music (int) – Kid Koala

2. Lovesong Of The Buzzard – Iron & Wine

3. Rinse Me Down – Bombay Bicycle Club

4. Heart Of Gold – Neil Young

5. Which Will – Nick Drake

6. Blue Blood – The Foals

7. The Escapist – The Streets

8. The End – Kings Of Leon

9. Space Cadet 2 (int) – Kid Koala

10. Mushaboom – Feist

11. Music Takes Me Up – Mr. Scruff

12. Black Swan – Thom Yorke

13. La Llorona – Beirut

14. Annie’s Parlour – Kid Koala

15. Aliens – The Cake Sale

16. Made By Maid – Laura Marling

17. The Cave (Live) – Mumford And Sons

The Mourne Wall pt1

2010-11-01T23:32:00.004+00:00

I had been promising myself a couple days in the Mourne’s just taking time to enjoy the days and spend some time taking photo’s, and with a clear weather forecast and nothing better to be doing I took myself away to have a wee saunter along the Mourne Wall.

Like usual timings at my end kept on slipping and before long it was 16:00 hrs and I was still to jump on the train to Belfast. If everything ran smoothly I could be in Newcastle for half 6, just in time for last light. Translink had decided this was far too easy, so after sitting between stations for twenty minutes and thus missing my connecting bus, I eventually reached Gt Victoria St bus station to commence another half hour of waiting. By the time I arrived in Newcastle the sun had set long a go and the street lights were now stealing the attention from the starry night.

Leaving the metropolis that is Newcastle, after a suitably greasy send off courtesy of John Macs traditional fish and chips, a short walk into Donard Wood was made via head torch. The Glen River provided the soundtrack for the ascent, and the roots of numerous ancient trees that cross the uphill path provided plenty of interest, especially under torch light.

After a quick re-acquaintance with the Laser Comp (it really has been a long time) on a not so level part of the forest, and filling up the platypus it was time for getting the swede down with a little bit of Zane Lowe to keep me company.

At first light I ventured out of my tent to see if there was any scope for getting a couple of photo’s looking down to Newcastle under the morning sun, but the morning mist which is so often prevalent in the Mournes put an end to that idea. Oh well, time spent in the sleeping bag is always time spent well!

Coffee, Pains au chocolat and some Chris Moyles and then it was time to get moving.

The morning was still looking rather drab but it was dry and with a good breeze around there was a good chance that the cloud would clear. Indeed, just before starting the real climb to the Donard/Commedagh saddle views of the mountains came and went as the cloud moved across the peaks.

Dropping the ruck and setting up the tripod for a long exposure (with the help of some welding glass) I waited for the cloud to lift a bit more, but unfortunately as is often the case, it instead decided to descend.

Now you see me…

Now you don’t.

Just to add insult to injury, the cloud opened up just after I packed up and started moving off again, just one of those days I suppose.

Looking back down, everything below 300 metres was wrapped in cloud, anybody down there must have thought the hills to be a rotten place, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Above the clouds it certainly didn’t look or feel like the end of September!

It was a still and warm ascent to the top of Slieve Donard, and the 3 kilos of camera equipment didn’t make it any easier, the views on the way and those at the top certainly made it worth while though!

I had never realised that the trig pillar for Slieve Donard is actually on top of the shelter until climbing on top of it, that's what's in the bottom left corner of the above photo.

Taking a breather on Slieve Donard, enjoying watching the clouds move across the peaks. It was somehow reassuring to see everyone else sucking from air from Dungannon when they actually made it up.

Leaving what looked the summit of the world I spent a large remainder of the day walking through a haze of thin cloud which eliminated the chance of anything overly impressive being done with the camera, just as well I like dead weight.

Parts of the Mourne’s, like most ranges, are littered with run down cottages in rather idyllic settings, if not also rather inaccessible. Obviously not so good from some points of view, but would make for a lovely retreat for the outdoor enthusiast. I would love for these to be opened up in the same way as the Scottish bothies are, but some how don’t think they would survive long before being vandalised.

Big ole chain to help you cross the Shimna River.

Looking up the Analong Valley.

After reaching Carrick Big I decided to leave the Mourne Wall for a bit and followed a rather rough track to the top of Analong Forest before climbing the the East face of Slieve Binian, and the thick cloud that had formed around it. I now followed another stone wall, crossing it where it was broken to utilise the best trail and filling the platypus from the stream which flowed beside it.

By this stage the legs were telling me that they would like some rest in the near future and my guts were telling me they’d like something more substantial than caramel bars. Thankfully there wouldn’t be too much walking left in the day.

Climbing out of the cloud must be one of the best feelings in the hills, especially seeing that it happens so rarely with only 800 metres to play with over here. Definitely makes it worth the sweat.

It was getting dark fast and my aim of camping in daylight was quickly becoming unattainable, having only been on Binnian once I didn’t fancy picking a pitch in the dark so thrashed on up the hill as fast as my legs would take me.

Cloud inversions rock!

The orange glow that now ordained the cloud around me told me that sun would be setting very soon, so I decided to stop busting my balls and just enjoy what was around me, I had torches with me for a reason, even if I really hadn’t planned on making camp for the second night in a row with them.

I finally reached the summit of Binnian and after dumping the pack and climbing the tor I enjoyed the very last of the sunset and organised the rendezvous with Jen the next day. Incidentally it was the first bit of phone signal I had achieved since leaving Donard.

Leaving the tor behind and donning my trusty Petzl headtorch I wondered across to where I had imagined myself to camping, and thankfully it wasn’t too bad a spot. Sat between two large masts of granite, one of which saved me from most of the wind, and on a relatively flat piece of ground I threw up the laser comp, deploying all the guys incase the wind changed direction.

Chow time, a bit of Zane Lowe and then it was time to zip up the time machine and wait for the next day.

Part two can be found -->>HERE<<--

Song for the Week

2010-10-27T19:13:00.008+01:00

Bombay Bicycle Club totally rocked Mumford And Sons & Guests and there album "Flaws" is equally amazing, recorded solely in acoustic it really stands out from the former "I had the blues but I shook them loose" and the tracks that straddle both albums are given a new character all of their own.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Dust on the ground, from the 2010 album, Flaws.

And the original for those that might be interested.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Dust on the ground, from the 2010 album, I had the blues but I shook them loose.

Help?

2010-10-26T01:14:00.003+01:00

Anybody got a tip to stretch the preview images that appear in the blog post so that they fill the width of the post? 400x300 to 550x410? I'm sure its a dead simple html edit if you're that way inclined, but doing it manually results in distortion/pix-elation which I'm looking to avoid!

Cheers

Along the coast for a wee jaunt

2010-10-25T22:28:00.010+01:00

Yesterday was a beautiful Winters (should that technically be Autumn?) day and also the first Sunday I've had off in beards so I was intent on actually getting outside and taking advantage of it.

Out the door for a wee dander with the camera was the agenda for the day, and depending on how long I spent taking photo's and how my feet were doing with the Vibram Five Fingers, I might end up in the Jamaica Inn on the far side of Bangor for a quick pint of black before returning along the North Down Coastal Path.

The park and beach were packed with people enjoying the clear skies, however the abundance of jackets and scarf's made it clear that the temperature was still in the singles.

Vibram Five Fingers are great shoes on the move but they might not have been the greatest choice of footwear for standing about in wet sand waiting for my camera to do its long exposure thing. The rubber soles have a "grain" that I'm sure helps them gain some more grip when walking, however, I'm pretty certain it also allows water/moisture to be transferred to the wicking material on the bed of the shoes, resulting in wet, cold, unhappy feet.

On the camera front, when I have the time, I'm now shooting in manual which is resulting in a wee bit less time in post processing as the images are exposed to show what I want to be shown and not a compromise made by the cameras computer, well sometimes. I'm probably making unforgivable exposure mistakes but quite frankly don't care, it's what hobbies are about. Sometimes I think I've become so critical of my work that nothing but perfection will make me happy, but it's all a bit of fun, when it stops being such I'll start to worry.

I've played along this coast line since my childhood and spent countless hours jumping around the rocky outcrops that enclose the sandy beaches. They are a great place to spend some time and still now, I wonder why the rocks have such sharp edges and what has caused the massive chasms between them. I used to ponder the former quite often due to falling over on the wet rocks, but have since became a bit better at avoiding the slippy rocks.

Other than the geology, what holds most interest for me are the desolate piers that exist in various states of repair, and I spent around half an hour at one before my feet told me it was time to head home. A combination of jumping around on sharp rocks and the cold dampness they were enduring due to being fairly static was not amusing them!

The light was starting to fade and it really was time to pack up and start the return trip, Arthur would have to wait for another day when I hadn't spent so long sitting behind a tripod.

Walking around one of the many bends that the coastal path follow's I ran into Simon Watterson of the late WanderingPhotographer blog and now Northern Focus website (which is a great resource for anyone looking for information on the outdoors scene and walks over here by the way.) We had shared a night in Donard Wood with some of the NI-Wild boys in January and it was good to see him again and have a quick catch up. There was a chance of me catching him again tonight at the Terrains Tamed lecture series, however it was not to be. After a quick chat and promises to meet up for a pint in the near future we both agreed it was time to make tracks before it was dark.

I have no doubt that Simon made it back on his bike before darkness descended, however it was pretty clear that the street lights would be on by the time I got home. Looking forward I could enjoy a rich red sunset and behind me the moon rose slowly to take over luminescent duties.

I haven't spent any time with night photography but seeing as it was so clear I decided to see what I could get with the least amount of time and effort. I'm sure number one on the list of things for successful night photography is a tripod, but I settled for kneeling positions and using park benches/fence posts for stability, results of which aren't overly shabby, even if numerous images were discarded.

With my feet now well and truly frozen (did I mention Vibram Five Fingers aren't very warm for standing about in?) I decided that I had done enough night time exposures and it was homeward bound. Thankfully I had packed a torch so I wasn't navigating the park between my night vision and the moons light....... oh no wait.

Song for the Week

2010-10-20T22:54:00.006+01:00

There's so many reasons why this song is great. The synth bass combo is pretty great on its own, and anything Fonzworth Bentley touches is just instantly cool (must be one of the first to re introduce bow tie's to popular culture) and Andre 3000's verse is just amazing. Plus it looks like they're having tons of fun in the video - check out Kanye West's face pretty much throughout!

Don't listen too hard to the lyrics if you're easily offended!

Fonzworth Bentley - Everybody, from the album C.O.L.O.U.R.S that never made it to the shops in '08 but might finally see the light of the day some time soon!

The Mourne Wall.... coming soon

2010-10-18T18:28:00.003+01:00

It's been incredibly quiet from this call sign as of late.

The usual feast or famine service will resume soon, until then here's some photos from a recent 3 day walk along the Mourne Wall.

Mumford and Sons, plus some

2010-10-16T14:15:00.004+01:00

Listen to this while you can, CLICK HERE, it is epic!

Salt .... What an absolute...

2010-08-31T21:02:00.001+01:00

.... crock of shit.

Don't waste you're time, I wish I hadn't.

Song for the Week

2010-08-05T15:58:00.003+01:00

Two Door Cinema Club - Come Back Home, taken from their debut album 'Tourist History' in March 2010.

Review : Terra Nova Laser 20L pack

2010-07-26T19:52:00.001+01:00

The laser 20L has been in my possession for a couple months now and has became my go-to pack for days out and the odd overnighter. Here's some of my thoughts, they be my opinion and you may disagree, that's cool. The gear we choose, just like anything is personal and what works for me may not work for you, please bear that in mind.

Rear view

Weighing in at 325 grams for a total of 20 litres you might expect the Laser to be short on features, but the opposite is true and Terra Nova have done a good job of creating a feature rich pack with a minuscule weight penalty. It is aimed squarely at adventure racers and other fast paced outdoor activities, and as a result has a lot of the features I look for in a pack, specifically quick access to on the go items.

Although exceptionally light, the pack oozes quality and doesn't feel like its going to fall apart any time soon, in fact it could probably take some abuse. Obviously lightweight materials are used throughout; the main material being a lime green sil-nylon with a thicker black nylon in use for high ware areas and black foam backed mesh for the shoulder and waist straps as well as part of the back. Water resistant zips are used on all the openings, with dyneema cord and small grips on the pulls, light gauge mesh is used for the on the go pockets, 2mm elastic is deployed for volume adjusting and bottle holding duties and small reflective print is utilised for branding and to aid night time visibility.

For just over 300 grams you get a main compartment, a small "change" pocket in the main compartment, reinforced base, hip belt pockets with a key clip, bottle holders, side stow mesh pockets, elastic compression straps, internal bladder sleeve with two exit ports, reflective tape and light attatchment and the usual whistle buckle on the sternum strap.

Front view

Unlike most conventional packs the main compartment is accessed via one long zip, minimising both bulk and weight and giving quick access to nearly all items when packed, saving on fuss factor. Their is a zip garage at the top and webbing pull at the bottom, and with most water resistant zips, is quite stiff to pull.

Not one to use bladders, bottle holders on a pack are now a pre-requisite for me and those on the Laser are some of the best I've used. Attached to the hip belt for easier access to your bottles on the go, even those less flexible should not find too much trouble using them. The elastic on the bottle pockets is only housed at 3 points and as a result can some times be a bit tricky, but still manageable with one hand.

Bottle holder and hip pockets, including key clip.

As a result of the bottle holders being placed on the hip belt, the hip pockets have suffered a bit of a downsize, and are smaller than some may expect. Still, they are more than usable and can carry any small quick to hand items you desire, with a clip in one ready to take care of your keys. One pocket can easily hold my I phone, head torch and two cereal bars.

The mesh side pockets are also accessible without taking the pack off (well for me any ways) and can hold a lightweight waterproof or a good bit of food for an on the go chow down. The elastic volume adjusters can help keep items in place if they are a bit too big, and also help keep movement of items down if the pack is empty.

Branding on carry handle, I like little touches like these.

Except for some foam backed mesh in places, padding on the back is pretty much non existent as one should expect from a light, frameless pack. A bit of foam into the bladder sleeve would solve this, otherwise you need to just take this into consideration while packing to stop things digging into you while walking or running. An external bladder/sit mat sleeve instead of the internal one fitted would help access to both items, or make it easier for it to be discarded for the gram counters. Why rucksack manufactures/designers continue to place these sleeves inside a pack I don't know; if I'm going to carry a bladder or sit mat I want it to be close to hand and not have to unpack everything in my pack to get access to it!

The pack easily swallows kit for a lightweight overnighter, however low bulk items have to be on the bill.

Overnighter Kit

Packing list :

TN Laser Comp

Rab quantum topbag

2 x 500ml water

GSI solo cookset (inc brew kit, gas & firesteel)

Food

PHD Down vest

Hat and gloves

Golite paclite Jkt

Montane fleece

TN Laser 20l sack

(Big Agnes clearview is missing but would easily fit in)

Ready to rock.

The pack hugs the body making for a stable carry. When all the straps are done up their is minimal movement and this makes it one of the most comfortable packs I've worn while running. Although minimal padding is included, the shoulder straps remain comfortable, and even at the end of the Mourne Way Marathon the pack was still comfortable on my back, this is probably down to their width and shape.

As you may have guessed by now, I'm well impressed with this little pack. At just over 300 grams it can carry everything I need for a days walking or a summer night in the hills, while keeping anything that I need close to hand. It carries well as long as you take time to pack it with consideration of its lack of padding, and although it may not survive being dragged over rocks, either will I.

Vital statistics

Weight: 325 grams

Volume: 20 Litres

Price: RRP £55 (but can be found for £37)