Slieve Binnian March 18th

After several weeks away from the mountains we finally made it back and we're back to training. Plenty more cycling and more trekking to come! But on Sunday 18th March we were faced with blue skies, warm sunshine and so what can you do? Well you've got to go from a long trek in the mountains, obviously! The Blue Lough is just one of the great views we had on this trek.

 As we started the trek we had some company. The locals were slightly curious about the three people geared up in gators and water proofs on such a lovely day but the sleet and sudden downpour on the way back to the car vindicated out decision to waterproof up!

Unfortunately our equipment wasn't quite ours. In a slightly rushed moment I picked up a pair of boots and asked Oonagh if they were hers. She said yes so off we went. Sadly they weren't Oonagh's, they were her sister Eileen's which were identical... but a size and a half bigger.

Despite the 'malfunction' Oonagh gallantly continued on the trek and we're glad she did. The Mourne Mountains are home to some wonderful scenery which has largely to this point been enjoyed while covered in rain, snow and cloud. It make a nice change seeing the mountains in the sun. To show how much we appreciated the sun we took lots of photos. Now we realise that it seems slightly odd taking black and white photos on a gloriously sunny day, but we think they look lovely nonetheless. 

 

 Near the top of Slieve Binnian there is a large open space. Above you can see Ruud majestically striding across it. This is what we should have crossed last time we did Binnian but were forced to turn around due to 100 mile an hour winds. Even the less diminutive of our group would have struggled to stay grounded in those conditions.

Our return to the mountains was even celebrated by the local search and rescue team who organised a fly by in our honour. Please note it is an assumption on my behalf that the fly by was for us, it could have been a training exercise, but here's hoping. 

Lunch at the top of Binnian led to some debate. More on that in the next post. Still we were there to enjoy the last of the sun before the clouds closed in and we were chased off the mountain by rain and hail. The waterproofing paid dividends, apart from the lighter trekking trousers I decided to wear. By lighter I mean not waterproof and with two soggy legs I squelched back to the car... lesson learnt!