I last went up Slieve Binnian, or the only time I’ve been up Slieve Binnian, was in May 2021.
I did it as the third of the Seven Sevens, which is the seven highest peaks in Northern Ireland, that I decided to do over the course of a year. In May 2021 as well, I was also doing an average of 10,000 steps, so 310,000 steps throughout the month, to raise money for Make-A-Wish UK, so that was part of it.
Out of all the mountains that I’ve done, that was by far my favourite. The views are just incredible. I just really enjoyed it. I always found the ascent quite difficult (I’m not going to lie) it was always quite a challenge but, I just really enjoyed it. Just the buzz of being up there, on a clear day and looking down on the valley and on the coast. How far you can see, just absolutely incredible. Some amazing memories for me. Then going down into Newcastle afterwards, for some ice cream (just to get those calories back!)
Yeah, I have incredible memories of doing that, of just being in the Mourne Mountains. The closest I’ve been is Downpatrick since being ill. December 2021 I got long Covid and now I can only walk very short distances using two sticks. Using ironically, the hiking poles that I bought for the Mourne Mountains and used for the first time going up Slieve Binnian. So my mountain hiking poles have now stopped me falling over when I try and walk a few steps.
So yeah life’s changed a bit thanks to Covid. Almost two years on, I miss the Mournes, I miss being out in the mountains. It’s just incredible. So if I possibly could have been, that’s where I would be right now.
