Mountaintrails

18/06/2026

Changable weather on our latest midweek MOUNTAIN SKILLS 1 course.

Wednesday was mostly fine and dry but Thursday started damp and misty.
After the rain cleared in the afternoon all was fine and sunny again..!

Great to see the guys applying their new found navigation skills to move around the hills with confidence.

Nice one...

16/06/2026

SALIX herbacea, Dwarf Willow or Least Willow.

A very low growing woody plant, sometimes called the smallest tree in the world, it only reaches a couple of centimetres in height.

An alpine or sub alpine plant it is found in the northern regions of Europe and North America, around the Atlantic ocean.

It is a rare plant in Ireland and this photo was part of a sparse population I found on the flanks of Aghla More (Donegal) last weekend, at around 500m elevation.

A deciduous woody plant, one of the smallest in the world, it is wonderfully adapted to cope in harsh, cold, alpine environments.
It's continued presence in Ireland will certainly be threatened by global warming.

16/06/2026

Another amazing day on Sunday for our latest CUSHNABINNIA HORSESHOE (Galty mountains) hike.
The route takes in Cush, Galtybeg, Galtymore and Cushnabinnia.
A challenging but very rewarding day.

A bit shout out for these guys who completed the circuit in style.
Well done team..👏👏

Many thanks to Marzena Rosiak for looking after everyone so well and for the photos..🙏

15/06/2026

Fantastic day on Saturday for our latest CARRAUNTOOHIL guided hike.

Perfect weather for these lucky people, a very welcome change from recent windy and wet conditions.

Big thanks to all the team and to Richard Morrison for looking after everyone so well.

14/06/2026

Day 2 of our EXPLORERS weekend in Donegal and the sun came out to play..

Lough Altan, Aghla More, Aghla Beg and Crocknalaragagh.
A superb linear walk over these stunning mountains with exceptional views.

Interesting to come across a patch of Dwarf Willow on the flanks of Aghla More too.

Tired legs at the end but happy smiling faces as well.

13/06/2026

A superb day in the Bluestack Mountains, on a 3-day weekend in Donegal with our EXPLORERS group.

We were greeted by clear weather with a little mist on Croaghgorm summit.

Woderful to be out in this spectacular part of Ireland with great friends and colleagues.

11/06/2026

Complete the amazing '4-Peaks' Challenge in your own time with a Mountaintrails.ie guided hike.

Go to Mountaintrails.ie for more information and to book a place.

10/06/2026

Are you busy with the family at weekends?
Working shifts and not able to get away?
Our midweek MOUNTAIN SKILLS 1 course was designed just for you.
We still have places available on the midweek MS1 course on 17/18 June.
Sign up now and learn the essential skills to become competent and confident when navigating in the hills.
Take you hiking to the next level with Mountaintrails.ie.🙂

To find out more and to book your place please go to:
https://mountaintrails.ie/skills-courses/skills-1/

Our instructors are fully qualified Mountain Leaders with REC first aid certificates. We are accredited by Mountaineering Ireland to provide Mountain Skills courses.

09/06/2026

Complete the amazing '4-Peaks' Challenge in your own time with a Mountaintrails.ie guided hike.
Kick off summer 2026 hiking season with a bang..🔥

Upcoming dates for each of these four stunning mountains:
Carrauntoohil - 11 July & 08 August
Mweelrea - 25 July & 22 August
Slieve Donard - 27 June & 02 August
Lugnaquilla - 21 June & 11 July

More dates available on our website.
Go to Mountaintrails.ie for more details and to book your place.

Make it your goal to complete the '4-Peaks' in 2026..🙂

09/06/2026

A very busy weekend at Mountaintrails included another of our REMOTE EMERGENCY CARE level 3 First Aid Courses expertly delivered by Paul from 1StepMore.ie

It's great to see such enthusiasm and commitment from a group of young scout leaders, and to see more hikers out in the hills with these essential first aid skills.

Great job everyone..🙂👏