Slieve Croob

Sunday February 2008 01:40 PM
13 of us gathered at the car park at the foot of Slieve Croob on Sun 24th Feb for a linear walk to Slieve Croob Inn. It was a fine day, with a manageable breeze and reasonable visibility. David Gordon was leading with his usual good humour and enthusiasm.  This is an easier walk than any of those in the Mournes and also shorter, so you could say that David was breaking us in for the more challenging walks over the spring and summer. We walked up the path to the summit of Croob, with a detour to take in views to the North. On a fine day, you would be able to see Lough Neagh and the Sperrins, but it was misty, and we could only make out Scrabo, Strangford Lough and the Belfast Hills and the city itself.  Croob has at its summit several ugly communication masts, sentinels of the modern age, but the real delight of this mountain, unexceptional and insignificant in itself (in a person, you would call it plain),is the view you get of the entire Mournes range. Put simply, this is one of the best views in Ulster with the mountains disappearing into the Irish Sea at Newcastle.  So, it was such a pleasure to find a spot for our lunch, sheltered from the wind, just below a rock on the eastern side of Croob and this unsurpassed view of the Mournes. David did his usual trick of throwing chocolates bars at us! A good gossip and craic, and we were ready for the off again. As we were preparing to set off down the mountain, several fell runners passed us. As we walked along many others came into view, most stick-like and wearing orange tabards. They were in an orienteering competition and we equipped with charts. We climbed Slievenisky (sounds a bit Russian!), more of a hill than a mountain really. Throughout the rest of our walk, the same marvellous vista was in front of us. The Inn was now in view, and the fell runners were still pouring over the hill sides. It was no time at all ‘til we were down at the Inn for a welcome and restful drink. We had been lucky with the weather, as we have been so far this year.  Thanks to David for organising this walk.