19/11/2009 Off the Beaten Track

What an awesome place!

I'm standing in the heart of the Mourne Mountains,

high on the untamed summit of Slieve Bernagh,

and so can you. Come with me and we'll go Off the Beaten Track.

The Trassey track is right up there as one of the finest routes into the high Mournes.

Access is from the main Mourne Lodge amenity area between Hilltown and Bryansford.

It's a comfortable ramble alongside the Trassey River

and a steep climb up to the wall at the spectacular Hare's Gap.

From here, it's tough on the legs on the sharp ascent of Slieve Bernagh whose granite tors scrape the sky.

All you need is a friend to share it with.

This is an nice symbolic part of the journey, because we've got

cultivation here and the wild of the mountains up there.

Yes, it's like leaving the organised, structured world behind us.

We've got this freedom, this wilderness, this wildness to move into.

I'm heading for the hills with Loretto Coyle, whose love affair with the Mournes

was fired by her first trip along the Trassey Track.

She's now a professional guide, sharing the peaks with visitors from around the world.

It gives me such great pleasure to be able take a group up through,

bring them into the inner sanctuary,

I call it, that wild, lonely place to of the high Mournes.

And from there, their eyes are just opened.

And the nearer the mountains, the stronger the draw.

The big thrill for this one has to be

that you can't wait to get to the top to see what's over the rim.

Yes, absolutely.

Even in front, as we are walking up towards it, you can see the stile,

the two bits of the stile

and it's that sort of excitement I think this walk affords.

The first thing in the morning, when I get up and go to the kitchen

and draw back the curtains, have a look at the mountains.

I just look and see, what sort of a day is it?

What's it going to be like up there? Which way will I go today?

If I have a client or customer, I will be busy thinking, what's the weather like?

And can I approach it from an interesting route? I just love it.

Climbing higher, it feels like we've really escaped.

Heading off the beaten track is more than just walking, it's also a state of mind.

A chance to slow down, take stock and maybe even get back in touch with nature.

There is a wonderful simplicity in just living in the here and now.

We live in such a small place now, but there is a big life, a big country to be had

and you only have to come into the Mournes, and I can see why you love this place so much.

Absolutely, just look at the view in front of you.

And quite often, when I'm bringing people through here, this is my preferred route for them to come

to Slieve Bernagh, because the journey takes them right through this wild, lonely place.

The hike to the jagged peaks that crowns Slieve Bernagh,

leads off the Brandy Pad, a wild, dramatic and simply stunning route.

We are stepping up to the challenge.

Cut stones that never made it down the mountain, now help hikers climb it.

Each day you come here, different season of the year.

There's always something that changes about it.

You won't get lost if you follow the wall,

it's been a guide to the summit ever since it was finished in 1922.

The day has really changed for us.

You can imagine what it was like for the men who built this wall

to hike in and out between March and October for 18 years on the trot.

And this is their legacy in the landscape

and a really good way to get up to the top of Slieve Bernagh.

We're drawn onwards and upwards by the beckoning silence.

Glimpses of a rooftop that can only be seen on foot.

The thing about spending a day out in the mountains and reaching for the summit

is you don't know what you going to get when you get to the top.

Sometimes you're going to get mist and cloud and sometimes you're going to get wonderful views.

There is a silver lining to the clouds on a mountain top

where the mist mesmerises and the mountains dazzle and beguile.

I have climbed mountains all over the world

from the Andes, North America, the Rockies, New Zealand.

Huge mountains, wonderful places.

But you know, when I come back home and look out my window at my own Mournes,

they're such a special place.

It's really possible to feel very small on top of a mountain

and you'll stretch the legs to get up here,

but you don't have to be super-fit and the dirtier your boots, the clearer your mind.

If you have been inspired to put on the walking boots and see it for yourself, check out the website:

You will find route maps,

safety advice and links to walking clubs in your area.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media

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