Sharing my journeys: my wanderings and wonderings...from day hikes, to wild camps...from forest to mountain...from solo adventures, to adventures shared with my partner, and my friends. I will share my inner journey too, with as much honesty and openness as I can, sketching out improvised maps for the inner world for myself; and if my words, perspectives and understandings can help you too, then that would be truly beautiful: a reaching out; human to human; broken to broken, along on the journey of healing.
Peace 🙏
Ricky
If you would like to leave me a tip of sorts, here is a link to buy me a coffee 🤓
ko-fi.com/saunteron
If you want to get in touch email me here: r.t.mcquillan@gmail.com
met you a few weeks ago in store, really enjoy your content mate, cool video production and a new bit of knowledge is always welcome, keep it going man!
Thank you. Just remembered it was the first time properly talking freely to the camera and it was a similar time of year too, at the end of summer...kind of nostalgic looking back...milestones 🙏
The practical difficulties were almost a nice distraction from the mental and emotional difficulties...which are still ongoing...think the practical things are less complex 🙄
I did this a couple of weeks ago with my dog. Loved it. Absolutely beautiful dander.... dander? 🤣 We found a way to avoid the high tide and at the beach before Ballintoy, where to get over and past the corner. It's in my videos.
I will have to check out your video. I knew the tide could be an issue and had checked the times, but just forgot the lay of the land and was in a bit of a mental crisis at the time, so not thinking very clearly 🙈
Thank you so much for that amazing compliment. I was hoping for something along those lines, but I wasn't sure if I was anywhere near hitting that mark. Much appreciated 🤓
It’s a great we hill caught me off guard first time I done it due the the incline straight away from the car. Class views from the trig of a clear day.
Thank you! 🙏 Yes, it was a shame in some ways, but I feel more proud about what we did, and the decision that we made together. Glad you have been enjoying the videos...and thank you for your message 🙏🤓🙏
Good first section. Enjoyed all the way. I love to collect water on trail or find it. For sure we appreciate it more. Great to see some of the nature. Re-the pitch. If the landowner comes it's like, 'Where do you want us?' Well, good going. All the best. Mark
Fantastic mix of ideas there. I like the mash and sage combo. I usually take cous cous with dried onion. I also take Chorizo because it lasts and chop that up. Well, I see your Wicklow vids. I look forward to watching. All the best. Mark
Thank you! Actually, I ended up loving cous cous with the soy chunks, and that is basically all I ate, well, once I did the chunks with rice, and I did add some gravy granules to a few things to add flavour, and the dried onions too. Wish I had got to experiment with the other things...but the soy chunks are for the win 💪😂
Honestly loved this tent, and seemed to hold up decently. I would feel pretty confident in it holding up to pretty crappy conditions, I would trust it in all but the worst conditions...I think it is well made. It is very lightweight, but it comes with a footprint to protect the floor. Unbelievably light for a tent this size. I ended up selling mine on though in favour of the 1.5kg Fjern Gökotta 🤓
We were so lucky, and it happened again a few days after, when we got to shelter and the heavens opened. Next video is the day that was full of rain though 😂
Yeah I'm apprehensive about trimming my medkit as well. You see all these ultralighters with 2 oz kits and they are basically gambling with their lives counting on things to go smoothly. My philosophy is to take enough to treat one serious injury, butterfly bandaids, super glue and elastic gauze with some leuko tape doublin as bandaids. The idea is to have enough to remedy an acute injury and all the items will treat many minor injuries. Refined it to 6 oz and Im unwilling to compromise with anything in my kit. Medkit assembly is a tough one, months of fine tuning
Yes, thank you for that comment. It is such an important decision to make. I think I continually adjust what I bring in my kit. I remember pouring boiling water over my hand once and that started me bringing burn gel with me on every trip, but then, I stopped bringing it because it just seemed too bulky 🙈
I took a day off work yesterday and me and my girls finally did the walk, from where you started and ended. Enjoyable day out, but in one part disappointing. If you go into around 7.00 minutes into your video and you mention something about a bench - that is where the old concrete footbridge used to be, if you look carefully, you can see something jutting out of ledge that resembles something metallic.. Since I was last there in the early 80's ('80 or '81 at the latest), nature has completely overtaken the area. Where the bridge once was, looks like some kind of landslide and it was too steep for my girls to get down and go across. I ventured down myself, but the area across the stream is now completely overgrown with trees, branches and brambles. The small field which was across the river, has now disappeared and as I said, nature has claimed it. Such a shame, as the old spring that gushed out of the ground into an old Belfast sink (it if is still there) would have been a welcome sight for thirsty walkers. Unfortunately, this is Northern Ireland and what should be classed as an asset, is left to fall into disrepair as we are a backward hole here (the ford at the bottom of Wolf Hill Road is littered with lager cans and broken glass). If this was England and I can vouch for similar areas in Dartmoor, they would have forest and mountain rangers seeing to the upkeep with the place. It is the same with Robin's Well, at the top of the Old Glencairn Road, reclaimed by nature, but it would not cost much to have it re-opened again for thirsty walkers. Maybe if you are feeling really adventurous, you might feel like climbing down and venturing across at around 7 minutes into your video and have a good sturdy walking stick to beat back some of the overgrowth across the river and see if the old spring is still there? Hoping to hear from you soon. Kind regards.
@@SaunterOn Brilliant, please keep me updated. Are you a member of the Belfast Hills Partnership? If so, hopefully you could look into having Robin's Well re-opened again. Kind regards.
I found another good Irish channel. Enjoyed that end-to-end my friend. I agree that nature will take over and leave only paradise. A fabulous space to retreat to from the city. Ah, but only if people would carry out what they carry in - gotta be a pet hate. I did the same a few videos back on my channel - carried a load out. Well done mate. Loved that water pit stop and lunch and the horse. All the best. Mark
Thank you for your lovely comment. I am reading it whilst sitting in a tent in the rain beside the Glencree River after day one walking the Wicklow Way. Will check out your channel when I get back 🤓🙏
I had actually thought about creating a cooking Instagram/RU-vid about six years ago, and that is what I was going to call the channel, hence the apron 😂
Awesome...thank you for your comment and your sub...hope you enjoy....next up...Wicklow Way, heading to Dublin tomorrow and starting the hike on Sunday 🤓
That's brilliant !! That string method is certainly gonna be a lot lighter, that's the first time I've seen that done ✔️ I do tend to use the ground sheet anyway but I'm possibly looking at getting the msr hubba hubba nx 2 ground sheet as apparently that does fit and is a lot lighter than my cheap hikeman, but it is like 50 quid. Your right about that zip cover, that and it not being a 2 way zip are my only niggles, I wonder how hard or expensive it would be for a seamstress to turn that into a 2 way zip ?? Did you keep the 1p tent ? Anyway welcome to the 2p club, great informative vid mate, oh and thanks for the shout out appreciate it 👍 😀
Ha ha, thanks Mick. It would cost about £40 per zip, and then the price of the zip on top of that...not an option. I did actually make a groundsheet for this set up, from builders plastic sheeting. And wee elastics to clip into the s-biners..weighs in at 160g which is more than I would like 😂
Nice sound. Stunning shots guys I recommended you visit the himalayan mountains k2 and Nangaparbat view point from one place moses peak. Add this sound in your bucket list. Moses peak is open Zone
Fantastic video, hope to do this walk this summer with my two girls. I haven't been up there in decades. My dad used to take me walks there, back in the late 70's. Is the old concrete bridge, just above where you started, above Ligoniel Dam still there? It went across a river, to your direct left, was a manmade waterfall, to your right, I think, it was the Forth River and behind the hedges opposite the river, there used to be a spring, gushing out of the ground into an old Belfast Sink. We did it the opposite way to you - up the Old Glencairn Road, on to Wolf Hill Road, over the ford and up the hills to your left, overlooking Ligoniel Dam.
@@SaunterOn Thanks for your reply. Chances are, the concrete bridge (more of a small footbridge) is no longer there. I recognised the path from near the start of your video and I think it might be further along, or further up into the hills. The old manmade waterfall should be still there, with the river to to right, so that should help as a landmark. If you go right to the top of the Old Glencairn Road and reach the now concreted over Robin's Well, there is another good walk ahead. If you take the road to the right, ignore the fence and road leading to the army base and keep walking until the road comes to a halt (back then, there was an old abandoned farmhouse to your right), you will come into fields and the river is to your right. Keep following the river right up the mountains and there is a tiny waterfall, with a natural pool. Talking of Robin's Well. I looked it up recently on Google maps and it is completely overgrown with grass and weeds. This is a total waste of a natural asset. Can Belfast Hills Partnership do anything to have it re-opened? The natural spring will still be there and it would not cost very much to remove the concrete and reach the water again. This would be great for locals and tourists alike. To the left of the old Robin's Well, was an old cottage (no signs of it anymore). That would be a great location for a cafe/coffee shop. On the opposite end of the mountains, to the left, above west Belfast, I believe someone has opened up a coffee shop on top of the mountain? We need to exploit the beauty of the Belfast Hills more and have the likes of this. There is a very good book called, Way Up Thonder, that is about the areas beneath the mountains, before the housing estates were built (Glencairn being the main one). My dad used to tell me about an old cottage halfway up the old Glencairn Road, that sold bottles of lemonade and it is featured in that book. You have definitely planted a seed though. Where we live in Finaghy, has a great view of the Belfast Hills and a few months ago, my eldest girl asked me if I would take her for a ramble on the mountains, your video Ligoniel to Glencairn has now spurred me on to do this now and both my girls are looking forward to it and hopefully we will find the old concrete bridge that crosses the river.
I got 100 bites on an overnighter in the woods two weeks ago - with bug protection on! I'd forgotten my midge net. I've decided I can't camp mid-season with the insects. Enjoying long walks and wild lunches instead. In the south we have Asian hornets now... which I'm allergic to... Great video and thanks for 'footery' definition.
Yes, I don't believe in most sprays etc for deterring midges...although there was the whole Avon moisturiser thing, which I think started with the Royal Marines...but it did seem to legitimately work. I rely on covering up, using a bug net, and I suppose smoke from the fire. Asian Hornets...well, they would freak me out tbh if I encountered one. Is that in the south of Ireland or England?? Thanks for your comment 🙏
Great chilled vid mate, that rain and wind did turn up sharpish !! Sound was great on this, have you been and bought a mic or something? Keep em coming bud 👍👌
Thanks so much Mick! No, I keep either forgetting to bring, or forgetting to use mics, but I doubled the volumes in the editing app I use if that makes any difference. Helps not having wind to deal with...weather wind I mean 😜 thanks again so much for the encouragement Mick 🙏
Our Norn Irish Attenborough;) I may well be converted to a hammock tarp setup ^^ Will probably still bring my bivi if I keep falling out of the hammock ;p
Thank you 🙏 In the full length video I talk about all the anxiety I was feeling that nearly made me not go out, and I had to process that throughout my time in the woods, but, despite that, yes, it was a great adventure 🤓
Hey! Hope you are keeping well! Yes, I have explored Colin Glen quite a few times...it is one of my favourite routes down off the hills, through Glenside Community Woodland, past the cracker waterfall into the National Trust part of Colin Glen and then through the wee often elusive joining but that takes you into the lower part of Colin Glen 🤓
It was an absolute pleasure to meet you guys it was a stroke of luck I was down at the lighthouse that evening. Glad to hear you all got home safely. Take care
@SaunterOn If I had have known at the time it was your birthday I should have gave you a bit of history on the lighthouse and the lighthouse service 😢
