Northern Ireland Young Walkers .  
Many young walkers may find it unproductive to join a walking club as many contain mostly older members with different aspirations and probably very different lifestyles from those in their twenties or thirties .  Northern Ireland Young Walkers is designed for those who wish to walk and socialize with others of the same age range .  This club fulfills that need , they have their own web-site, their own social events and a steadily increasing membership.  I have little doubt that their club will continue to increase its membership .

Established just over 3 years ago, by a small group of friends, the Northern Ireland Young Walkers has not only grown from strength to strength in terms of its membership- which now stands at over 70, but has led the way in providing training courses and skills attainment sessions for its affiliates.
With the attainment of a National Lottery Awards for All grant in 2007, the club was pleased to be able to offer its members the opportunity to train in REC First Aid, hillwalking skills and the Mountain Leader Award, through its Strides for Success project. These residential courses were undertaken by experienced and new members alike and proved edifying, informative and enjoyable.
The thriving membership and level of commitment involved with taking hill walking forward has not equated with an impersonal club filled with fanatics whose sole purpose is going further, higher, faster. Instead, a warm friendly atmosphere where walks and scrambles are undertaken by like-minded people, has developed.  Strong friendships have been forged and social events including nights out, dinners, house parties, salsa, pub quizzes and weekends away are the norm.
As a member I am often asked ‘Where is the club based ?’ A definitive answer does not exist, but rather my reply is frequently, ‘Wherever we are assembling for that day’s walk.’ Without meaning to be as flippant as it sounds, I feel that it is fitting that a hill walking club is not centred at a single address or base, but is as nomadic as the activity itself. Whether it’s the Mournes, Sperrins, Wicklow, or the Antrim Plateau, the club is based in whatever car park in which we convene and where the cakes and coffee are served up after.
The walks themselves are as varied as the people who lead them. All members are encouraged to plan and lead walks to whatever their level of competency. Newer members gain confidence in leading walks along coastal and forest paths, while more experienced members often treat us to more strenuous ventures ’off the beaten track’.
The future for the club looks as bright and promising as the last few years, with plans to apply for further funding  to educate members in initiatives such as ‘leave no trace’, more first aid training and navigational skills. More weekends away are intended and a busy diary of upcoming walks is being prepared for 2009.
The Membership Secretary Andrew Branagh ajbranagh@hotmail.com is always glad to hear from anyone wishing to come along and try out a walk or two, or even anyone just curious as to what we do. Rest assured that at the Northern Ireland Young Walkers, a warm and friendly welcome awaits you.
Web-site :http://niyw.multiply.com/
(Contributed by Lynne McClelland)
 

hf RAMBLING CLUB BELFAST

The origins of hf go back a long way, starting informally in 1926 with a group of friends who enjoyed walking and was formalised in 1927 when a joint club was formed with the Countrywide Holiday Association (CHA) However during the first year constitutional differences arose and it was decided by amicable agreement to separate and to form a Holiday Fellowship group. The inaugural meeting was held on 28 Feb 1927 and a committee was appointed from the seven men and seven women who were present. At an early stage rules were drawn up covering all aspects of Club management, these were updated as time passed evolving into today’s Constitution.
A thriving Social Club operated for many years with music, drama, dancing, games etc. These gradually tailed off as times changed and the “Troubles” finally brought the Social Club to an end; but socialising among members is still alive and well. We regularly share a meal after walks to which CHA members are invited and hf/CHA socialise again at our respective annual dinners and holiday breaks. .hf annual summer break takes place at the end of August so far this has generally been in the border counties.
In Feb 2007 hf celebrated its 80^th anniversary at a lunch at which all members attended and some friends were also invited.     A Carol Service, organised jointly with CHA takes place each December, followed by tea and chat.
A cottage rented at Upper Ballagh, Newcastle, has been widely used and was particularly appreciated during WW2.In addition to our club many other groups and organisations enjoyed using it and returned to it regularly over the years. Unfortunately the owner was unwilling to invest in repair or modernisation and gradually it fell into disrepair.
Membership is 52 most of whom are in retirement and despite efforts we are no longer able to attract younger people. In earlier years membership exceeded 150 but not all walked, the Social Club boosted numbers .
We walk every Saturday afternoon commencing 2pm and these walks would be graded “easy” lasting 2-3 hours. Once every month there is a longer walk commencing 11 am which lasts 4-5 hours and is graded “medium”
Membership fee is £6,subject to annual review, and has been so for some time. A copy of our biannual programme is sent out in response to all enquiries and sets out details of walks and how to make contact. We do not have a website

                                                                                                                                                                                                           





Click photos for larger pictures

Lagan Valley Walking Club

In May 2001 the Health Promotion Agency provided a small grant to set up the Lagan Valley Exploration Project.  Bill Ervine used the grant to organise a series of Tuesday evening walks that summer and to get guests to explain the history and wildlife of the river from Lagan Meadows to Slieve Croob.  In September, when the grant ran out, the walkers decided to set up the Lagan Valley Rambling Club, to extend the walks to weekends and to widen the range to the rest of Northern Ireland and beyond.
Our club is based in Lisburn, it has approximately 40 members, of which about 15 – 20 turn up for each walk.  Most members are late middle aged so most of the walks we do would be in the easy category.  We tend to walk in the more picturesque parts of the country, and while we like the mountains we seldom climb to the top.
We have programmes for both weekend and evening walks.  On the first Sunday of the month the walk starts at 2 pm, and is usually to somewhere pretty local to Lisburn.  On the second weekend we have a Saturday walk which starts at 10 am.   Finally, on the third Sunday there is a walk starting at 10 am.  These all-day walks allow us to travel a bit further away, and we usually bring a picnic lunch.  In the winter we arrange the Saturday walks so that people can get a hot meal in a local restaurant or café.  All weekend walks finish by teatime and we are usually back in Lisburn by 5 o’clock.
In the summer (April to September) we have a programme of Tuesday evening walks starting at 7 pm; these are also pretty local.  For all walks we meet at Hill Street car park in Lisburn, except for the Saturday walks when we meet at the Island Centre car park.  For Hill Street, turn into the housing estate at the crossroads (traffic lights) at the top of the hill on Laganbank Road, immediately (in 10 metres) turn right and you’re there.  For the Island Centre enter the car park by Canal Street, on the County Down side of Union Bridge.
Transport to and from the walk venues is by car pool.  You are welcome to bring your own car, but if you travel as a passenger we would like you to make a donation to the driver.  £1.50 for half-day and  evening walks, and £3.00 for a full day.
The Club also organises various social functions.  Once or twice a year we go for a weekend in a hotel.  This allows us to enjoy some walks that are too far away for a day out, on the north coast, in Fermanagh or Donegal.  A couple of times a year we attend a musical show in the Island Centre in Lisburn, for example a Musical produced by Lisnagarvey Operatic Society.  We also have an annual dinner and we round off the summer season with a Barn Dance.
Annual membership of Lagan Valley Rambling Club is £10.  The Club is affiliated to the “Ulster Federation of Rambling Clubs” (UFRC), which itself is affiliated to “The Ramblers Association” in Great Britain . We get our insurance cover through the UFRC.
You will be most welcome to join our club, in fact you will be welcome to join with us on one of our walks as a visitor, without obligation, to see how you get on.  I look forward to seeing you on one of the walks, just turn up at Hill Street or the Island Centre.  If you need further information, phone me on 028 9260 1943, or David Jamison on 028 9267 8277.
Jim Allen(Secretary)
 

Some photos of Lagan Valley Club on their walks (click photo for larger image)

GLENS OF ANTRIM RAMBLING CLUB

The Glens of Antrim Rambling Club had its beginning with a group of walking enthusiasts in Cushendall in 1980, a time when walking for leisure was not in fashion.  Bobby McMullan, a Cushendall resident, in his professional capacity as Health Promotion Manager with the Northern Health and Social Services Board had a special interest in promoting exercise. Having taken part in the Bannsider’s Causeway Coast 20 mile walk, on a number of occasions with colleague Jim Murray, he saw this as a means of giving the not so young an opportunity to get and keep fit. David Munnis, a founder member of the Bannside Club agreed to address an invited group of prospective walkers in the Cushendall Sailing and Boating Club on issues affecting formalised rambling and on how to affiliate to the Association as it was called in those days. Bobby together with Pat Clerkin, Jeannie Walsh, Ann McAlister, Ann O’Hara, Jim Murray and Molly Kernohan and a few others, wanted to get more out of the beautiful countryside they lived in and enjoy the challenges of the surrounding hills. In recognition of his work for the club Bobby McMullan has been made an Honorary  Life Member.
Their first task, as with any organisation, was to formalise it by giving it a name and electing a committee. As they were situated in the midst of  the glens, it was a natural  choice to call our club “The Glens of Antrim Rambling Club“. Our logo , quite appropriately is an outline of Lurig, viewed  from the coast road out of Cushendall. Much work had to be done in negotiating with local farmers in the Glens to allow access  to their land.
Our Chairperson for the first three years was Pat Clerkin, followed by Molly Kernohan in 1983, then Mary Doyle from 1984 to 1994. In 1994 Alan Turner was elected Chairperson and he held office until 1997 Alan was followed by Liam Murphy for the next three years. And in 2000, Mary Doyle was again elected Chairperson and has held that post and guided the club confidently  ever since. Our subscriptions are  nominal, enough to cover the club’s expenses, and are collected by Patrick Powell who has been our worthy Treasurer for the last 15 years. Our membership currently stands at around 44.
Over the years, our club was known for organising challenge walks. The Horseshoe Challenge Walk which starts and finishes in Cushendall and covers a distance of 15 miles (25Km) and rises to a height of 1800ft (578M) the Moyle Way Walk from Glenariff to Ballycastle  over Knocklade which is 20 Miles (37Km) rises to 1700ft. (514M). These walks which were enjoyed by many took a lot of man and woman power to organise and run.
The bread and butter of the club is the weekly walk, usually on a Sunday. A long walk starting at 11-00am and a shorter walk starting at 2-00pm on alternate Sundays. We produce a Walks Programme every six months and circulate it to our members. This programme tells you where the walk takes place, names the meeting place, who is leading the walk, and his or her phone number in case you need any advice on the walk. All these walks will have been researched and led by different  club members . Most of our walks are in the Antrim hills area but our Chairperson Mary Doyle arranges walking weekends for our members, during the bank holidays, in the Mournes, the Sperrins or in Donegal or Fermanagh . We insure all our club members know and respect the “Code of Behaviour for Rambling Clubs” by having it printed on the reverse of our Walks Programmes.
The club is fully insured.
On the social side, just before Christmas we have our “Mince Pie Walk“, a short walk in the Cushendall area ending up in the Boat House for our hot mince pies and a cup of tea followed by singing some carols, usually accompanied by Brian Duffin on his guitar. Every year in the Spring or early Summer, we have a B.B.Q. at the Cushendall Boat House. In November we hold our annual Dinner Dance in the Londonderry Arms Hotel in Carnlough, open to members and their guests. In 2005 we celebrated the 25^th anniversary of our founding. At the dance that year we were honoured by the presence of Bobby McMullan and some of our other founder members and their spouses. At these dances,  Sheila Powell leads us in her famous Circle Dances and James McKeown leads us in some Set Dances before the main dancing of the evening, for those who have any energy left.
A number of our members arrange, amongst themselves, to have walking holidays abroad. Switzerland, Austria and Poland were their destinations  in recent years.
Our club is affiliated to the Ulster Federation of Rambling Clubs  and we are listed on the Federation web site.

Patrick McLaughlin

Hon. Sec.