In this mountainous land of adventure the traditional rites of passage are disappearing fast. Newcastle's Slippery dip has already gone but the Rock pool still remains. The open air pool is constantly refreshed with unheated sea water making it difficult to forget the first time you jump in. It doesn't really matter if you dive straight in or dip in a few toes first, either way it's a bit of a shock A few years ago after the pool survived the threat of closure I decided to go for a swim. Determined to do my bit to preserve the last remaining sea pool in Ireland, I got changed, walked down the steps and chanced a few toes. This couldn't be healthy, the water is so cold that it actually hurts, however the water was already full of skinny kids that the cold hadn't finished off. By getting changed and descending the steps to the waters edge, I had burnt my bridges, I couldn't go back now so I took a deep breath and jumped straight in. The body soon adjusts to the temperature and the water starts to feel quite pleasant. Its hard to believe that a few short months ago I sat here sketching as the waves broke spectacularly over the wall, now I was floating on my back in the warm sunshine gazing up at the slopes of Slieve Donard. What had initially started out as a public spirited dip has now become a regular pleasure. Like many other hikers, I occasionally finish a long walk in the mountains by jumping into one of the pools, there is a particularly good one on the Bloody Bridge river. If you are planning to hike in the Mournes this summer why not finish the walk off with a dip in the Rock pool. It has excellent changing facilities, a shower and unlike the mountain pools you won't have to worry in case a dead sheep is lying somewhere upstream.