The hills and mountains of our countryside can look so spectacular, but so inaccessible to those without the skills, experience and knowledge to plan and undertake journeys in them. You may be a regular walker with friends, or with a club, but do not have the skills to plan and undertake journeys under your own steam. This course is designed to introduce you the skills required to develop a foundation for future hillwalking trips.

This course is for those with previous, but perhaps limited experience of planning and undertaking hillwalking journeys in the hills and mountains of Ireland. You may be unsure of your ability to use a map and compass, or of the range of equipment available to you. You will have a reasonable level of fitness, and want to ‘get the basics right’ with regard to developing your hillwalking skills in the future.

This course, which is a combination of our Hill & Mountain SKills 1 & 2 courses,  covers all the skills required to develop independance as a walker in the hills and mountains of Ireland and the UK.

We have developed a syllabus, which will be covered over the course of the 2 weekends. We have also developed a useful logbook, which you may choose to use if you wish to pregress to any of the governing body leadership schemes.

Course Aims

-          To develop a basic level of understanding and independence

-          To apply newly learned skills in a new environment

-          To provide an individually tailored learning experience with nationally qualified coaches and instructors

-          To provide guided mountain days in the West of Ireland

Skills Covered
This course will provide participants with the opportunity to develop their skills in a new environment, and therefore to develop a higher level of independence.  As a stand alone course, this week will provide participants new experiences, rugged mountain scenery and the opportunity to learn new skills during the course of guided mountain days.  When the staff meet the group at the start of the week, and discuss aspirations and previous experience, they will decide on a more accurate structure for the week.  However, e do plan to complete some of the classic hillwalks in Ireland, such as the Mweelrea Horseshoe and Glen Inagh Horseshoe, as well as sections of the Maumturks ridge. This will ensure that all participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills at a pace and in an environment that suits them.  It will also bring course participants into the planning process, looking at the current weather and what is forecast for later in the course. 

Areas generally covered include:

-        Development of various navigation techniques, including pacing and timing, feature recognition, contour interpretation and setting a map

-        Route planning, using maps of previously unknown areas

-        Introduction to compass work, poor visibility navigation

-        Hillwalking equipment – what is available and what should you have

Outline Programme

The precise programme will be weather dependant, but the course will commence at 9.00 a.m. on Monday morning and finish at lunch time on Friday.  Transport will be available from Tollymore on Sunday evening.

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide.  Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff
The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified.  Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its full time and part time staff bring to its courses.  Our staff are all keen hillwalkers and mountaineers and know the Mournes very well.  You may well have met them in the hills in the past or will bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!

All are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses

What do I need to bring?
The following list is a suggestion of what you should bring.  Waterproofs, walking boots and rucksacks may be borrowed from our extensive stores.  We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs. You should bring the following:  Walking boots, gaiters, waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, arm outdoor wear (fleece is ideal), hat, gloves or mitts, 1:25000 Map of the Mourne area, compass (Silva type 4 or similar), headtorch, plus spare battery, day rucksack, waterproof rucksack liner (bin liner is ideal), small first aid kit, water bottle, vacuum flask, personal medication, notebook and pen, tent, sleeping mat and sleeping bag.

Tollymore Information
Tollymore Mountain Centre, on the edge of the Mournes, is Northern Ireland’s National Centre for Mountaineering and Canoeing Activities.  It is funded and managed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland as a National Centre. The Centre is an attractive, purpose-built facility of log construction with accommodation for 30 people in 2, 4 and 6 berth bedrooms.  Quilts, pillows and bed linen are all provided.  The Centre is well appointed with toilets, showers, modern kitchen, lecture room, workshop and drying room.  Outside there is ample parking space, a ropes course and a floodlit granite-climbing wall.  A modern indoor climbing wall is open year round.  The centre is ideally situated on the edge of the Mournes, with quick and easy access to the hills.

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969.  In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust.  In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates.   However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2007.  The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Accommodation will be hostel based.  This is not included in your course fee.  We may plan one night in the mountains, camping.

Catering
Your course is self catered, so all you will need to bring some additional snack food.

What next?
Having completed this course, you should have an understanding of the skills required to plan hillwalking journeys in mountain terrain.  You may decide to develop your skills further, and should look at Scrambling Skills, which follows directly from this course.  You may wish to try your hand at rockclimbing (See our Climbing Courses section) or expend your experience even further and travel to Scotland or Wales, for winter or summer mountaineering courses.  Contact us to discus any of these options.

You may choose to join a hillwalking or rambling club, or join the governing body for hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers – the Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI).

A full list of clubs is available from the MCI.

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore
Hillwalking by Steve Long (published by MLTUK)

Useful contacts:

Mountaineering Council of Ireland,

Sport HQ,

13 Joyce Way,

Parkwest Business Park,

Dublin 12.

Tel +353-1-6251115

Fax +353-1-6251116 

Email mci@eircom.net