0:00:09 > 0:00:13What an awesome place!
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I'm standing in the heart of the Mourne Mountains,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20high on the untamed summit of Slieve Bernagh,
0:00:20 > 0:00:26and so can you. Come with me and we'll go Off the Beaten Track.
0:01:08 > 0:01:14The Trassey track is right up there as one of the finest routes into the high Mournes.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20Access is from the main Mourne Lodge amenity area between Hilltown and Bryansford.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It's a comfortable ramble alongside the Trassey River
0:01:23 > 0:01:28and a steep climb up to the wall at the spectacular Hare's Gap.
0:01:28 > 0:01:36From here, it's tough on the legs on the sharp ascent of Slieve Bernagh whose granite tors scrape the sky.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42All you need is a friend to share it with.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47This is an nice symbolic part of the journey, because we've got
0:01:47 > 0:01:51cultivation here and the wild of the mountains up there.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Yes, it's like leaving the organised, structured world behind us.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01We've got this freedom, this wilderness, this wildness to move into.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12I'm heading for the hills with Loretto Coyle, whose love affair with the Mournes
0:02:12 > 0:02:15was fired by her first trip along the Trassey Track.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21She's now a professional guide, sharing the peaks with visitors from around the world.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27It gives me such great pleasure to be able take a group up through,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29bring them into the inner sanctuary,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I call it, that wild, lonely place to of the high Mournes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And from there, their eyes are just opened.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44And the nearer the mountains, the stronger the draw.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The big thrill for this one has to be
0:02:49 > 0:02:53that you can't wait to get to the top to see what's over the rim.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Yes, absolutely.
0:02:55 > 0:03:01Even in front, as we are walking up towards it, you can see the stile,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04the two bits of the stile
0:03:04 > 0:03:11and it's that sort of excitement I think this walk affords.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16The first thing in the morning, when I get up and go to the kitchen
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and draw back the curtains, have a look at the mountains.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I just look and see, what sort of a day is it?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26What's it going to be like up there? Which way will I go today?
0:03:26 > 0:03:30If I have a client or customer, I will be busy thinking, what's the weather like?
0:03:30 > 0:03:35And can I approach it from an interesting route? I just love it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Climbing higher, it feels like we've really escaped.
0:03:46 > 0:03:52Heading off the beaten track is more than just walking, it's also a state of mind.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58A chance to slow down, take stock and maybe even get back in touch with nature.
0:04:02 > 0:04:08There is a wonderful simplicity in just living in the here and now.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17We live in such a small place now, but there is a big life, a big country to be had
0:04:17 > 0:04:23and you only have to come into the Mournes, and I can see why you love this place so much.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Absolutely, just look at the view in front of you.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32And quite often, when I'm bringing people through here, this is my preferred route for them to come
0:04:32 > 0:04:38to Slieve Bernagh, because the journey takes them right through this wild, lonely place.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The hike to the jagged peaks that crowns Slieve Bernagh,
0:04:44 > 0:04:50leads off the Brandy Pad, a wild, dramatic and simply stunning route.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54We are stepping up to the challenge.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00Cut stones that never made it down the mountain, now help hikers climb it.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Each day you come here, different season of the year.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10There's always something that changes about it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18You won't get lost if you follow the wall,
0:05:18 > 0:05:23it's been a guide to the summit ever since it was finished in 1922.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31The day has really changed for us.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37You can imagine what it was like for the men who built this wall
0:05:37 > 0:05:44to hike in and out between March and October for 18 years on the trot.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51And this is their legacy in the landscape
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and a really good way to get up to the top of Slieve Bernagh.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08We're drawn onwards and upwards by the beckoning silence.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Glimpses of a rooftop that can only be seen on foot.
0:06:29 > 0:06:35The thing about spending a day out in the mountains and reaching for the summit
0:06:35 > 0:06:39is you don't know what you going to get when you get to the top.
0:06:39 > 0:06:45Sometimes you're going to get mist and cloud and sometimes you're going to get wonderful views.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50There is a silver lining to the clouds on a mountain top
0:06:50 > 0:06:55where the mist mesmerises and the mountains dazzle and beguile.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00I have climbed mountains all over the world
0:07:00 > 0:07:04from the Andes, North America, the Rockies, New Zealand.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Huge mountains, wonderful places.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12But you know, when I come back home and look out my window at my own Mournes,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14they're such a special place.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21It's really possible to feel very small on top of a mountain
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and you'll stretch the legs to get up here,
0:07:25 > 0:07:31but you don't have to be super-fit and the dirtier your boots, the clearer your mind.
0:07:50 > 0:07:56If you have been inspired to put on the walking boots and see it for yourself, check out the website:
0:08:00 > 0:08:01You will find route maps,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05safety advice and links to walking clubs in your area.
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