Lowland Leader Refresher

If you have completed Lowland Leader Training; with us, or elsewhere; and feel like you would like a refresher day this spring, get in touch on info@outdoorsireland.com

Hoping to run a one-day a refresher course; covering things like navigation, group managment, leading techniques, flora + fauna, dealing with emergencies, hazard awareness.

Plus any areas you may feel need brushing up on...

Thanks, Nathan - Outdoors Ireland

Camping Leader Assessment Dates For 2025

Just Scheduled Some Camping Leader Assessment Dates For 2025:

The Camping Leader qualification is for people who wish to supervise a camping group and develop participants camping proficiency by teaching campcraft activities.

Terrain:
A qualified Camping Leader can operate in a variety of campsites, all with vehicle access, including land with no facilities and commercial campsites offering a range of facilities.

A qualified Camping Leader who also holds a mountain training walking leadership qualification can operate in terrain within the scope of that scheme, such as a journey and a wild camp.

The Camping Leader Scheme is ideal for those involved with the Duke Of Edinburgh Award, Gaisce Award, clubs and school groups among other things. The skills covered apply to groups using commercial campsites as well as wild camping.

Price: €135 Per Person

930am - 530pm

Camping Leader Assessment Dates
Glengarriff/Cork:
25th Apr 2025
16th May 2025
23rd Oct 2025

Course Director: Nathan Kingerlee

Details: info@outdoorsireland.com

Biscuit McCormack

Catching up with a great friend and colleague, from Scotland, I haven't seen or worked with for 21 years; Biscuit McCormack :)

It got me thinking about some of the really great places I worked over the years; and the experience, vision and ethos they gave me - as to how I wanted my adventure school to run.

Cappanalea OEC, in the highlands of Kerry, working on their sailing and river kayaking courses; and being involved in working on what was the first fast-track instructor course in the country at the time.

Then Scotland, Aviemore, driving mini busses and trailers in and out of Glasgow, taking folk skiing and white water rafting.

Back to Ireland where I was incredibly lucky enough to be taken on as a freelance instructor with our National Training Center, Tiglin, up in Wicklow. That was such an inspirational place, with such inspirational instructors - sadly closed now. Rock climbing and mountaineering mostly.

Some time with Pat Falvey, training folk for overseas expeditions and higher peaks.

And some time with an excellent guiding company, Go Ireland, which gave me so much invaluable guiding experience; with groups of Americians and Canadians; hiking Ireland's waymarked trails for multiple days, going from b&b to b&b. Each morning urgently reading up on the folklore and history of the area we were heading to!

Thanks to legends Sean O Suilleabhain and Noel O Leary, in the days before Google, for answering my last minute text questions; such as did de Valera know we'd only get 26 counties before he sent Michael Collins to negotiate; and why was butter buried in the bogs on hot days... And now year 20 of running Outdoors Ireland...

Lowland Leader Refresher This Spring

If you have completed Lowland Leader Training and feel like you would like a refresher day this spring, get in touch on info@outdoorsireland.com

Hope to run both a one-day and a two-day refresher course; covering things like navigation, group managment, leading techniques, flora + fauna, dealing with emergencies.

 

Plus any areas you may feel need brushing up on...

Tea Break, Waiting For Moonrise

Tea Break, Waiting For Moonrise

Upgrading Your Backpack

Upgrading Your Backpack:

1.The waterproof cover that comes with a backpack is no good for proper wet (or windy) conditions - you can't beat a heavy duty binbag, with all your contents dry inside.

2. A whistle on a shoulder strap is good for those unplanned emergencies. Technically the emergency signal is repetitions of 6 whistle blasts, or six torch flashes; however in general whistle blasts or torch flashes are seen as an emergency signal; so don't worry too much about remembering the number!

3. Then for map reading/navigation a waterproof stopwatch for timing, plus 10 pacing beads for pacing. Pacing beads can be put onto a piece of lace or paracord.

Here Are Older Posts On:
What Backpack Kit To Have: http://outdoorsireland.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-kit-to-carry-in-mountains.html

What First Aid Kit To Have: http://outdoorsireland.blogspot.com/2018/01/mountain-skills-first-aid-kit.html

Text Message 112 Register: http://outdoorsireland.blogspot.com/2021/02/emergency-text-message-to-112-for.html

Sea Kayak Wipeout

Two days sea kayaking, exploring the beautiful Beara coastline, down near Dursey Island. Arches, tunnels, sea stacks, rocky headlands, narrow inlets...

One of the reasons we were there is a few weeks back now, my paddling partner and I took a wipeout in a narrow rocky gut (inlet). Major set of breaking swell came out of nowhere, and kept coming. Luckily we'd reversed into the gut, so as swell began breaking on us I was able to power out. My partner wasn't so lucky and swam inside there (or got sucked out of his boat moreso).

I had to wait outside the swell for about 4/5 mins before I could paddle back inside. Over those few mins things were looking a bit grim for him, so touched base with the local coast guard. Fair play to them; within minutes the lifeboat and helicopter were launched.

Anyway after about 4 mins I was able to paddle back inside, and swim-tow my partner out of the danger zone; abandoning his kayak. Got him onto the cliffs and he scrambled up to safety. At that point the main coast guard stood down. That day continued too rough to safely retrieve the sea kayak, despite abseiling part way down from above; at which point the kayak was totally twisted and folded, with blown hatches 🙁

So we were back looking for it the past two days. No joy though - I'll need to ask CH Marine Kayaks & Watersports and P&H Sea Kayaks nicely for another boat 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E8mXT3Zcw/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19kPSexTLi/

In terms of emergency communication these three items are great; mobile phone in a waterproof case, vhf radio and an emergency beacon (plb). The vhf and beacon can be got from the likes of CH Marine, Darrens Kayaks, Great Outdoors

I should mention that with work, we would never get into situations where students/clients are in proper danger. That's not good. However with personal paddling or personal climbing we do push things a little from time to time - it keeps our skill progressing and keeps us sharp! We do consider though, causing hassle for rescue services, or family, if things were to go wrong.

A training course should be done to use a vhf radio - and it's a really good, straightforward, course.

Thank you to Derrynane Inshore Rescue CRBI, Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat, Castletownbere Coast Guard and Rescue 115

Finger Splinting - Tactile Session - On A Lowland Leader Training Course

Finger Splinting - Tactile Session - On A Lowland Leader Training Course

Looking at finger splinting, using purple moor grass (fionnan grass), on a guiding/leadership course.

As a medium term fix this would have been used by Fianna tribes, Celtic warriors, shepherds on lonely hills; even rebel fighters in slightly more recent times...

New Prepper Skills Course

It's been a while coming, here are details of the four-day Prepper Skills Course (divided into 2 two-day blocks)

www.outdoorsireland.com/activities/prepper-skills-training-ireland

Syllabus is pretty encompassing and intensive, but also very much designed to be totally beginner friendly.

Have a read through the weblink and get in touch if you're interested in booking:
info@outdoorsireland.com
+353 (0) 86 860 45 63

Beautiful Winter Route In The MacGillycuddy Reeks, In Recent Snow

Thanks for all the interest in last week's winter mountaineering shots. It was a straightforward enough route, but been on my bucket list and had been waiting for winter conditions for a long time now. The route may not mean much, unless you know The Reeks.

Up Curve Gully to Carrauntoohil for sunset; down Central Gully, back up O Shea's Gully. Across Beenkeragh Ridge in thick powder snow for dusk. Beenkeragh (second highest peak) for nightfall and semi whiteout conditions - which needed careful ice axe probing to ensure I didn't step over the cliffedge. Then down easy side of Hag's Tooth Ridge as the whiteout lifted and the moon emerged.

And in fact with the moon reflecting off the snowpack I didn't need my headtorch whatsoever for the 3/4 hrs of darkness - apart from the occasional map check! Nice 10 hr day; slept well that night!

Willow Aphids

Thanks to a very knowledgeable park ranger at Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve who was able to tell us these cool looking bugs are Willow Aphids.

The world's largest aphid, and only females exist, they need no males to repopulate.

This Jan Lowland Leader Training; And Mountain Skills 2 Training, Happening

Heading to Scotland winter mountaineering for the best part of two months; so here are my last couple of courses if anyone is needing to get Lowland Leader Training or Mountain Skills 2 done in Jan.

Lowland Leader is 18th & 19th Jan. Mountain Skills 2 is 25th & 26th Jan. More details here: www.outdoorsireland.com

Then back to kick ass with training courses and kayaking tours from sometime in March

Magic Afternoon Across Glengarriff Bay

Magic afternoon on the bay, running a guided sea kayaking tour. If you look close you'll just see mist rising up off the water's surface...

Winter Conditions On Carrauntoohil & Reeks Report From Tues 7th

 Winter Conditions On Carrauntoohil & Reeks Report From Tues 7th

Prepper Tip: Stove + Map

Prepper Tip:

1. Keep a camping gas stove at home, with plenty of lighters and plenty of gas cannisters. In terms of cooking, even a longterm power outage becomes no big deal. One pot meals such as stew or spaghetti bolognase are good.

2. On a totally separate prepper aspect, you should expect your phone to be dead, and internet down, so have a road atlas for your country. And have OSI maps for your area. Road atlas will allow you navigate roads and they will often have city plans also. OSI map will allow you navigate across country; plus show you the whereabouts of water sources, forestry, trails, access to coastline...
Places you may use to forage food, collect water, wash, gather firewood, or take shelter.

Mountain Skills 2 + Lowland Leader Training This Jan

This Jan two training courses are scheduled, running in Glengarriff, Cork:

Mountain Skills 2 : 18th & 19th Jan

Lowland Leader Training : 25th & 26th Jan

Click Here For More Details Or To Contact Us

Jan also has availability for private training courses, plus our Glengarriff Bay Sea Kayaking