Taking to the hills for mind and body
Lifestyle - Excercising in the fresh air while enjoying great scenery and living in the moment while stepping out of your comfort zone are just some of the benefits of hillwalking. In Galway, many of these these hiking trails are on people’s doorsteps. Several in Connemara have now been mapped for a local publication as BERNIE NÍ FHLATHARTA learns.
Haulie Dowd used to hate walking – and he still hates walking on roads or footpaths. But in the past three years, after joining a local walking club, he has climbed the highest peak in Morocco, the second highest in Ethiopia and summited Scotland’s Ben Nevis in the snow.
Haulie has discovered that he’s a hill-walker as opposed to a rambler on the flat. He thrives on the sense of achievement gained by scaling heights, overcoming discomfort and enjoying fresh air and exercise, not to mention the mindfulness aspect.
A psychologist by profession, he especially appreciates the value of mindfulness and now speaks from experience and with conviction when he advises others to “get out and walk”.
As chairman of the Moycullen Walking Club, he laments the group’s diminished activities in 2020, the year when the club should have been celebrating its tenth anniversary.
To be fair, the club did launch a bilingual ‘Walking Guide’, embracing the 15 most scenic walks in the Moycullen and Killannin area, at a function in a local pub just before the first lockdown. However, like many other walking clubs in Galway and countrywide, the organisation couldn’t fulfil its programme of walks, which normally take place every second Sunday.
Members did manage to get a few walks in when Covid-19 restrictions were eased last summer and Haulie looks back on those outings with happiness.
“I’ve never smiled as much as I did on reaching the top of Lackavrea, (a 396-metre hill in Maam in the heart of Connemara). There’s a great sense of achievement and especially for someone like me who never walked and hated walking,” he says.
“I only joined the club three years ago and have since joined a few other walking clubs which have opened up other options, such as giving me the opportunity to go hill-walking abroad. I have reached the highest peak in Morocco, the second highest in Ethiopia and spent nine torturous hours walking up Nevis in the snow.
“By joining my local club, I’ve ‘found’ Connemara which is on our doorstep and provides so many fantastic walking trails with great views. I use maps or apps on my phone, when there’s service. I’ve made new friends locally too, through the club, so it’s a good way of socialising,” adds Haulie, whose regular walking companion is Paul Brown, one of the club founders.
Haulie has his sights on climbing in the Himalayas and/or peaks in South America when the Covid-19 virus is under control.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.