Foyle Hillwalking Club

Last weekends walk took us up Knocklayd from Ballycastle, a 13.1 km route with 522m of ascent across forest track and open hillside.

Plenty of shelter until we hiked above the treeline, when it was wind, rain and low cloud so not much to see from the peak, but great to be out and a chance to test that all the hiking gear was still waterproof 🌨

On the descent Ballycastle, the coast and Rathlin Island and Fair Head started to reappear. With big thankyou to Keith for planning and leading the walk🌨👍🥾

July kicked off with a proper Donegal welcome as we headed for Slieve Snaght in Inishowen in wet, windy conditions. We headed out on the 10km route from Drumfries School following laneways and mountain tracks before crossing wet, boggy ground and making the steady climb to the 615m summit. From there we continued over Slieve Snaght Beg and Largabrack, on open hillside and a few steep sections before looping back to the start.

Even without views, it was an enjoyable 4–4.5 hour outing with great company. Thanks to Monica for leading. 🥾🌨👍

A June Roundup: June gave us its full personality this year — everything from torrential downpours to bright spells of sunshine — but we still enjoyed these other two great outings with plenty of wildlife and bird watching along the way.

Lough Foyle Embankment – Sat 20 June
A flat 16km out‑and‑back route along the embankment at Ballykelly, with wide views and excellent bird‑watching all morning. Despite dodging roadworks and trying to steer clear of events east and west of the city, we enjoyed a relaxed, scenic walk with sunshine all the way and plenty of summer bird activity along the shoreline.
With thanks to Lori for planning - and replanning - and leading the walk. A great backup, distance walk to have in our box of tricks 👍🥾🔆😎

Binevenagh – Sun 26 June
A small group of walkers out that weekend, but we made the most of a sunny (and windy!) 12km on Binevenagh, climbing 468m over forest paths and rough track. Long trousers were definitely the right call with thistles everywhere.

Wildlife was a highlight — a speckled wood butterfly and a small blue spotted along the way — followed by a very enjoyable coffee and cake at the

Thanks to Keith and Lorraine for leading a lovely day out. 🦋🥾🔆☕

What a day to be up high in Glenveagh. Sunday’s loop from Glenveagh Castle took our group over Altachoastia (228m) and Mullangore (280m) before the big pull onto the Kinneveagh Ridge (384m) — wet underfoot, but the views were absolutely worth it.
Walking long clear stretches of the ridge then before dropping into the Glenleck Valley and following the track back toward the castle. Around 12km, about 4.5 hours, and 384m of ascent/ descent — a proper Glenveagh outing.

Wildlife highlight of the day: a golden plover in full breeding plumage, and according to Brian, it was “a very vocal bird” keeping an eye on us.

All topped off, of course, with coffee at the castle — essential after a wet‑footed wander.
Thanks so much to David for the planning and leading a beautiful day out 🥾🌤👍

Last Saturday’s route began at St Colmcille’s birthplace in Gartan, following the good track by Lough Inshagh through Glenveagh to the Stalkers Hut. We covered about 21km, included a 360m ascent.
Although the day started slightly damp, the sun made a few attempts to break through and the small group out enjoyed a very pleasant walk. To finish we rounded off with an enjoyable cup of tea at Glebe House, a welcome warm-up.

Many thanks to Peter for the planning and leading of the walk. 🥾👍🌤

Six of us took part in the Club Leadership Programme, meeting Dr Bren Whelan ( .donegalclimbing.ie) at Cnoc an Uininn for a hands‑on day of hill skills.
With OS3 maps and compasses ready, we focused on Direction — lifting our heads from the map, using what the landscape offers: slope, lines, and other natural pointers that confirm our position.
Bren shared his knowledge of navigating, and of flora and fauna, and lots of local knowledge and experience adding context to the places the club schedule their walks.

A practical, confidence‑building session for anyone thinking about organising club walks.

Thanks to Bren for a very informative day and to John for coordinate and planning the event. 🥾👍

Our Club's weekend take on the Mournes

A week ago 29 of us escaped to the Mournes for the club weekend away.
Huge thanks to Keith, Peter and Ita for planning and leading routes over Slieve Gullion, Slieve Beg, Meelbeg, Doan, Meelmore and Bearnagh.

Sunday’s planned walk needed a re-write as fire services dealt with fires across the hills. We had a brilliant Plan B - thank you Ita - a 13k hike through Tollymore Forest Park, along the river and up to a viewpoint with half the Mournes on display.

All in all we had great weather, great walking and great craic from start to finish, with the Mournes proving once again an ideal location for a variety of weekend walks.

Bringing you right up to date, when this Saturday we took on Mamore Gap to Glenavin Waterfall and back, a grade B, of about 15kms. It's a route with a mix of rough track, open hillside and a few boggy sections to keep things interesting.
The weather couldn’t have been better, giving us clear views across the hills and coastline for most of the day. It was great to be back out, with the added bonus of those sunshine conditions. 🌞🌤🔆

The walk rounded off with a group cuppa, with thanks to Monica for planning and leading and to everyone who came along and embraced the climbs. 🥾

Our hike of Slieve Gallion – Iniscarn Forest, a grade B, was one we needed our wet weather kit for.

We started out from Iniscarn Forest , a circular route beginning with a moderately steep climb through the trees before opening onto clear mountainside. The ascent took around an hour, followed by a broad plateau crossing where the wind and hail kicked in after a glimpse of blue sky and sunshine. Wet boggy conditions underfoot on the plateau and down through to the forest, via a different path.

A great walk....despite the hailstones.. a brill wee day out, and a proper test of the elements, which all made the hot tea and coffees back in Claudy at the Fat Fox all the more delicious :) 🧁☕

A rewarding outing, and a big thanks to Rory for leading another memorable walk 🥾👏👍.

The Urris Coast hike took us along a very photogenic stretch of Donegal coastline, starting from Lenan beach and following the track before dropping down to contour the rugged shore. Despite a forecast of wind and rain, the day turned out to be a brilliantly dramatic mix of wild gusts and bright sunshine.
All agreed it was a fabulous and brilliant outing, with amazing views and far more sun than storm.

Thank you David for planning and leading, it was a great day out for an intrepid group on one of Donegal’s most striking coastal paths.