The Outdoor Fox

Unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago I found myself working at Shanagmor! Even more unexpectedly less than 24hours later I found myself sharing a minibus and ferry on our way to Scotland! Imagine my shock on meeting the mini bus at Belfast to find it full of ould boys! The great and good of instructors from Shanagmor and Killowen! I was a bit horrified ……. I am used to going on trips with young people like myself!!!!!!!!!!!! The age can be judged by the fact that every one to a man had a sensible breakfast of porridge every morning of the trip.But even more we all enjoyed sharing a glass of Malt each night. The purpose of the trip was to experience the mountain biking with in a two hour drive of Stranrarer! This we did! I found it a relavation! Lets all campaign for NI Forestry to follow the example of The Scottish Forestry Commission. Its time NI in general joined the 21st century! Also we spent a morning at an Outdoor centre at Kinder Forest which specialise in dealing with people with disabilities. Again a revelation! Its amazing what can be done with a bit of thought,care and discussion! The first time I have seen a climbing wall that can be used by all including people with little or no movement in their legs! Cheers Guys a great few days and thanks for the invite! Lets do it again! Life is Good!Mountain Biking Took place at Mabie and Kirroughtree. Details at www.7staines.gov.uk. Great accommodation at Leisure Confiers Leisure Park near Newton Stewart [45mis from ferry]Outdoor Centre visited Calvert Trust at www.calver-trust.org.uk/kielder.As usual my pictures take a while to get uploaded! Hopefully tomorrow! If anybody is inspired give myself a call I can take up to 5 and their bikes for one day or longer.

Amazing winter still here! Four of us gathered on thursday 14th in our new favourite cafe! [opposite the Stone Boat]! The decision was made to start from Shepheards Lodge. This meant we where soon in snow. We contoured round into the Pot. Playing about on patches of snow! The way in was steep and the constant break through into soft snow tireing! A stop was made in the bowels of the Pot! This was short because of the cold but necessary because of the exertions! Food and hot drinks where downed quickly. Then we started to climb up the back of the Pot. Dougie leading the way like a young pup which he certainly is not! He aimed to our left which brought us out at the steepest part of the Pot. The snow was soft but mostly stiff enough to take our kicked steps though when you broke through it was hard work dragging your legs out. Meg bound up and down between us making full use of her four paws with their built in crampons! It was a long pull to the top but what met us when we got there! The pics just about doing it justice. I don’t remeber seeing so much snow and frozen shapes in the Mournes. We followed the height down between the 2 pots but made the mistake of hitting the forest at the recent tree felling thinking this would-be quickest way out. What a mistake! Branches everywhere, ruts from tracked machines, lots of water from snow melt! Awful! After a strenuous day this was the most unpleasant half hour-in the hills for a decade! It was a great relief to eventually reached the car, all of us covered in mud, tired but buzzing from a great day, Thankfully I ended up in Gambles for food and wine and a complete relax! Star treatment from them as usual! Click here or on the image below to view the gallery of our day in the pot.

Guys what a weekend you give me for my 60th Birthday A surprise of a late breakfast on Saturday in a snow surrounded Spences cottage. Then a short walk,stopping for picture talking, snow balling, sliding on the solid ice on the path. Young Gamble did an amazing job carrying the bottle of Bush and passing it around when it was needed! On arrival at Rocky river we where able to play about on crampons on the frozen waterfalls and icy banks. Simple but fun in the short peroid we had but off putting to see Meg running past me as I front pointed up a gentle slope. The night to follow will go down in legend. We really should use glasses and not just drink whiskey out of the bottles. The stew was fantastic and the craic as they say was mighty. However imagine letting me the birthday boy sleep on the floor without my top of the range sleeping bag and just some doggy blanket thrown over me! The Big Day Dawned! It was tough but I did manage to get you all up! Then thanks for the tidy up while I wandered off for a soak in Newcastle Sea Bathe House [http://www.soakseaweedbaths.co.uk ]. Great guys one to keep for after a long tireing day in the hill! It definitely helped with my 60 years of aches and pains! Then up to the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast [www.fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com]! From there I was escourted round to Zens [ http://zenbelfast.co.uk/] where I was met by  20 very generous friends. It was strange as I walked back to my hotel holding on to two 60th Birthday balloons followed by a crowd! Good guys much thanks and I feel humble for all your gifts and good wishes. I just hope I do not need to wait another 60 years for such craic! See you all soon! Click here are the image below to view the gallery of my 60th.

Its Official winter is here! The temperature is low, snow is on the ground and the news full of gloom and doom! Civilization as we know it will end because of a wee bit of white stuff! But some of us are made of sterner stuff so the last Wednesday of the year found a bunch of instructors gathered at  Mauds Newcastle for 9:30 sharp! Hardly an Alpine start but all eager for the hill except Blue Mark who did not arrive till 10:30! Some excuse about helping ladies get their cars  out of ditches! This was to prove ironic later in the day! His lateness was tampered by the fact that he brought Hazel! So at 11 suitable geared we start the walk in from the happy valley car park! It was cold and gray but we where all in a state of excitement that only cold and snow can bring! Good progress was made, well except for me I was always struggling at the rear! The col was soon reached, hiding in snow hollows, snow ball fights and the making off Snow Angels soon followed! Then the  walk round to the Slabs began! This was a bit harder, the wind picked up and was blowing spindrift into all nooks and crannies. I arrived at the base of the slabs hoping for shelter, my hands cold, my energy levels low and a bit stuned to find Johnny P and Green Mark gearing up for an ascent at the wall end of the slabs. Well done Johnny and Mark for getting organized so quickly in less than perfect conditions and what an introduction to winter in the hills for Mark. Me …. All I wanted was hot calories and a break! Watching the others dig a snow hole to eat their lunch in provided the entertainment! Fortunately the weather improved! I soon struggled with getting my crampons on and went scrambling about taking pics of the incredible pair.  All too soon it was over! Those new to snow did their obligatory ice axe brake practice while I stated back early knowing they would soon  catch up. But what a journey back to the car. Sharp cold, still air, blue skies and a golden sunset. A silence that crashed into your ears only to be broken by the crunch of snow. What a day and what a finish! View the images by clicking here or on the image below.

The day dawned! That might be a bit of an over statement. WE the brave souls or mad fools depending on your point of view had all celebrated the New Year till 4:30!!!! So a while was spent stumbling around looking at each other wondering how we had got to this! Eventual on the stroke of noon well maybe 12:30ish with the look of condemned man we all staggered down to the shore. The air was cold but thankfully the wind and waves had calmed! The hangers on all stood about happy in the knowledge that the wettest they where going to get was the hot shower that awaited them when they got home! They where bless their cotton socks offering words of encouragement :- like you must be mad, get on with it you wusies and other forms of endearment not suitable for a family web site! Then suddenly the shout came and before we had time to think the fleeces came off and we where running and in my case stumbling into the water! Yes your right it was cold. Not in the sense that we general know it but in a painful way that was unexpected. My legs had the sensation of having lots of pins stuck into them! A lot of frolicking, some swimming and all too soon it was time to get out! So much thanks every one for the support and so far the total for Clic Sargant is getting close to £300. Great effort and much thanks to Green Mark, Pete Gamble and my son Luke. Good one guys and yes its on again next year as it was surprisingly enjoyable!Click here or on the picture below to view the gallery.

Just recovering from an easy walk on Fair Head! Yes we all know the climbing there is great and hard. So what harm would come from a gentle invitation from  Sharon and her side kick Doreen! To go for a relaxing cliff top walk admiring the balm views all the way to the Paps of Jura! Just the thing to help me recover from a period of back and leg pain! After all it was not proper mountains! I would be able to tell them tall tales of epics on the face! A couple of hours stroll would be followed by a leisure pub lunch! You would think by now I would be more in tune with the cunning of the female species! My first premonition  of a problem was when I discovered we where starting at sea level just past the Golf Course! Most of my previous visits had entailed a drive to a nearby car park then dander to the bottom of the crag and a struggle to get up some route? So when after 100m of gentle walk Sharon decided the way was up! I had the second premonition of the day! And I mean up this wasn’t the usual gentle zig zag path up a mountain developed over the years by wily old mountaineers! No this was the work of a demon! So straight up we went Stephen and particularly me panting away at the back with no breath left for tall tales while the 2 girls amble on up chatting to each other about handbags in a totally unconcerned fashion! We did eventually make it to the cliff top to be met by a force 7 gusting 10 and wind chill of minus 10! So Sharon a great day! A Fine and Interesting day in the hills even though it was after all only a cliff top! I did eventual get my pint and chips but after four and half hours of torture-pleasure,mud splatters-stunning views, cold gales-warm company, pain-calmness, and another memory of a day spent doing what comes naturally- messing about in the outdoors! The 2 dogs we had with us have not moved since they got home over 24 hours later? I have being on cortisone injections. Click on the image below to view the gallery.

Hi. I hope you have overcome the stress, happiness and overeating at Christmas! Now I expect you are thinking of the New Year? The Outdoor Fox  is offering a great idea to get you into the mood for the new decade—- Start 2010 with a SPLASH! This is the start of my 60th year and as a way of celebrating the fact that I have survived to this stage in relatively  good health I thought I would raise some money for Clic Sargent.This is a charity close to me as my young brother died of Leukemia 55 years ago and so me reaching this age is doubly important! Clic Sargent looks after children and families of children with cancer.So what is this Splash. Well you can join me by running into the sea at Ganaway at Midday on New Years Day. Either sponsor me to jump into the sea for you or raise sponsorship for you to do it.So please come we hope to have soup, rolls and coffee afterwards!Ganaway is between Millisle and Ballywalter.See you Here! Happy New Year John 07779295299

Welcome to The Outdoor Fox. We at The Outdoor Fox , The Outdoor Activity Providers, are going to start blogging to keep people up to date with what we are doing in the great outdoors. So anytime we are out and about doing what we do best - outdoor activities- we will let you know! So expect adventure stories of hill walking, rock climbing, bouldering and our new activity coastering! We hope by doing this you will find something that is of interest and you will want to join us for an Adventure that only we can provide! So lets us help you follow your dream and contact The Outdoor Fox where dreams become a reality!