"If you're not in one then you're in the other" advise salesmen if you plan to buy a bed or perhaps like me you are thinking of getting a new pair of boots. I'm reluctant to throw the old pair out. Many artist's become attached to their boots, Millet felt that boots symbolised the poetry of the peasants way of life and no artist painted and sketched his boots more than Van Gogh, poverty meant he frequently covered huge distances on foot. In my case the reluctance is due to the blisters associated with breaking in a new pair rather than artistic sensitivity. This is better done over short distances, so the last outing of the old boots coincided with the start of the Summer Walks programme organised by the Mourne Heritage Trust.


Half way across Long Seefin the assorted fitness levels of the walkers started to become more and more apparent, but our guide Domnall McComish ensured that everyone managed to keep up. Leaving Seefin we crossed the bog of Donard, then along the Brandy Pad, over the shoulder and followed the Glen river path down into Donard park. In conditions that ranged from driving rain to glorious sunshine, Domnall pointed out old quarrying huts, sections of the stone path he had helped make and the imposing Devils coach road. He also recalled an incident many years ago when a group of kids attempted to run barefoot through the Binnian tunnel. The tunnel is over two miles long and can quickly flood, they were soon spotted by the security man and reprimanded with the words "clear off! before you give half the people in Belfast verruca's ". The next walk across Ott Mountain takes place on Saturday 18th June, if you've a good pair of boots, are reasonably fit and have never seen what's up there, put your name down.