Walking/Trekking Holidays

Ayers Rock.


You may have seen hundreds of pictures and thousands of post cards featuring Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory of Australia, but nothing compares to walking the base of this sandstone creation. If you and your family are fairly hardy, you can let the cares of the world slip away as you tour this World Heritage site.

Take a camel into the desert and experience this ancient land in much the same way as the native ancestors did.

Australia is a unique location and probably one of the last places on earth where you can walk among rocks that boast a 300 million year history. Many people head for the beach or other touristy locations, but for the nature enthusiasts or those who prefer a trekking holiday over theme parks Australia's Northern Territory has a lot to offer.

In order to get the most out of this type of vacation in Australia it is important that you visit during the right seasons. During the rainy season streams that you could raft and trails you could hike are impassable. A visit to the Northern Territory is best done during the dry season, which is April- May or October.

WE DID IT!!!!

Sunrise on Lugnaquillia

March 4/5 2011

Where to begin describing this amazing and unique experience? We are all still getting our heads around what we achieved, a motley crew of women all pushing themselves in aid of our charity, Homelink.

I’ll start at the beginning. As we were all coming from different directions we agreed to meet in the Hollywood Inn, grab a bite to eat and then head, convoy style, to the hostel. You could sense there was excitement, anticipation and some nerves in the air as none of us had ever done anything like this before.

After what seemed like an age, even though it was only 5 miles or so, we found Mountain Ventures, our hosts for the evening. Once everyone was settled, Aaron the guide, went through the format for the morning and what we would need to bring. The main emphasis was on clothes, lots and lots of warm clothes. He described the walk we would be undertaking as tough for the first hour (steep incline) to Camera Hill and then it would level out to be a gentle slope to the summit. So we all headed to our rooms for a few hours kip hoping we would get to sleep easily.

By 3.30am everyone was up, drinking coffee, packing backpacks and eager to go. A bus ferried us to Fenton’s pub, a well known starting point when heading up Lug. It was pitch black but 23 head torches lit up the road enough to see where we were going and within half an hour we were on the mountain and the incline started. It was tough, very tough. The first hour climbing up Camera Hill put a strain on all of our hearts, legs and lungs. A quick break to regroup and catch breath didn’t last very long but we were all delighted that the worst part was over. Eh no! It eased up somewhat for a short while and then it was just as difficult. Everyone was repeating to themselves over and over again ‘one foot in front of the other, breathe, keep going’.

I was suffering at this stage but my faithful hound, Fred, put his head down and literally towed me up that mountain. Without him I wouldn’t have made it so thanks Fred. You are forgiven for all the destruction your puppy nature caused.

What remained was much of the same, walk, short break, walk short break covering grassy tracks, boggy tracks, streams and for the final part, pure rock. Three hours later and we were there, the peak of Lugnaquilla in time for sunrise. Unfortunately, a thick damp and cold mist had descended on Lug so visibility was non-existent. The funny thing was no-one was too bothered as the sense of achievement at reaching the peak in the dark was enough for us all. We didn’t hang around the top too long, it was freezing, and I mean freezing. No matter how many layers of clothing you had on, you were still cold. So after some hot coffee and snacks we regrouped to prepare for the descent. The guides insisted we all stay very close together as you could not see one foot in front of you and on either side of Lug are two very steep cliff edges.

So off we set and as we came out from under the mist we were all amazed at how high up we were and how far we had actually climbed earlier that morning. At 9.20am, when most people are getting up on a Saturday morning, we were back at Fentons pub where the bus brought us back to the hostel for a big hearty brekkie. You would think that 23 people all having brekkie together would be a noisy affair. Not so, it was head down, eat and don’t come up for air time including some well earned scraps for the doggies, Fred and Harvey.

That was it, our Sunrise on Lugnaquilla experience was over for now. We packed up our belongings and headed home where most of us were glued to the couch for the day with sore muscles. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would we recommend it? Definitely. Are we going again? Yep.

If you would like to join us on our next fund raising challenge please email homelink.fr@gmail.com. 

The day has arrived...........!

Today is the day. After much anticipation, time has worked it's magic and tonight 30 of us will be getting very little sleep for an early start tomorrow. Lugnaquillia, the highest mountain in Leinster, is our target. There will be all shapes and sizes, all levels of fitness and a couple of bow wows wrapping up warm for the ascent with the aim of arriving at the peak in time for sunrise.

The only request I have is to Mother Nature, please please be kind to us and keep clouds, fog and mist away. Wish us luck!

This n' That

Firstly, only one more sleep until our trek up Lugnaquillia and as usual I am completely unprepared. No waterproof clothing, no boots, no gloves etc. The only requirement I have are my legs! The weather forecast is looking good and whilst it will be bitterly cold, we should have a clear sunrise so great photos shall be taken for all to see.

On another note, I heard an interesting article on the radio this morning. Yes, our little country is in a bad way. Yes, there is a lot of unemployment out there. Yes, the winter has been very tough. BUT! Spring is here, we have a new government and let's look at what we have rather than what we have not. If you are one of the many unemployed, don't see it as a disaster. Look at it as an opportunity. Don't make it an obsession as you will just burn yourself out. Do your research, job hunting etc in the morning and then bring the kids to the park in the afternoon, get out in your garden, take up a hobby. Do things that previously you never had the time for.

And for an extra feel good factor, give a couple of your hours to a charity. Pick one close to your heart and help others who need you. Whether it's your time or your experience you will be very much appreciated. 

Training continues...........

My preparation for the Sunrise Walk this weekend continued yesterday with a more intense training session than before. I did every single aisle in Tesco Wicklow, some twice carrying a heavy basket. Thanks to pay day this was a significantly heavier basket than previous sessions and I'm feeling ready for Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt or Tesco Arklow before the weekend. That will be the ultimate test as both of these centres are huge!

On the subject of grocery shopping, did you ever wonder how your elderly neighbour/relation gets their shopping done? If they rely on public transport then how do you get heavy bags back home? I guess it's either do without or pay up for a taxi. Maybe the next time you are going to do your shopping, ask if they need anything that you could pick up for them.