Mourne skyline mountain race - Vary's Cottage

Nestled at the foot of the Mourne mountains, in some sense you could say a world of it's own, sits the quint Vary's Cottage surrounded by hand made Irish stone walls, the lights from the neighbouring homes glisten in the distance and the power of the nearby river rings in the air as it breaks the silence of this quiet land.

Last year dad, Shane and I travelled down to the Mournes in my aunt's caravan for the mourne skyline mountain race. It was such a fun memory, we arrived on the Friday evening, made a nutritious dinner of beans on toast and parked in the carpark of the registration building for Shane's race on the Saturday morning. It was my first time down in the Mournes and all I wanted to do was get out and see the race first hand in the mountains but I was tied down with a broken toe that restricted me from going anywhere. Dad and I followed the race by road, we were able to watch the start then the half way check point where the racers clock up some flatter ground before they veer off along the mountain trail and finally the finish line. There was so much of the race that we didn't get to see at all unfortunately but it gave dad and I some time to drop in with some friends in Kilkeel for a visit.

This year things were going to be a little different, this was my chance to get out and have a little fun of my own. If you remember reading in my Scotland blogpost I made a decision to enter the Garmin Mourne Skyline Granite Trail Race on the Friday night, a two mile UPHILL only race (incorporating approximately 300m/1,000ft of ascent). The race was fun, tuff on the legs for sure but I held back at the beginning of the race, I prefer starting near the back of the pack because for my own motivation I would prefer passing people than to be passed. Shane popped his head out of the trees every so often cheered me on then reappeared further up the course; I honestly wonder how he does it especially when he had a gruelling 35k to run the next morning. I ran the race to prove to myself that I could and to dip my toe in the edge of this giant pool of mountain running; it was so much fun.

Dad wasn't able to get the time of work to join this year so we looked at other accommodation options. The couple who dad and I visited last year whilst Shane was racing are very close friends of the family and days before leaving we were stuck with no where to stay, mum remembered that they owned a cottage in the Mournes which they rent out all year round, she gave Robert a quick call and we were sorted with a bed for the night. We met with Robert after my race and he gave us a tour of the cottage and what a spot, we arrived that night around 10pm and were planning to leave the next morning at 7:30 so most of our stay was going to be in darkness, unfortunately we were there to sleep and leave. The heat that hit us when we entered was pure bliss, the house was modern yet held onto those traditional values of a cottage with it's thick walls and cosy corners. This is by no means a paid advertisement but you have to check out the link below, it's the perfect get away spot for a family break or a chill-out no distraction weekend; off the grid.

http://www.mournelettings.com/property/varys-cottage-self-catering-kilkeel-co/

I woke early the next morning to have a look around outside in the light of the sunrise, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw, to wake up and be surrounded by absolute silence was so refreshing. This type of secluded luxury was some kind of dream to the two of us who had got drenched from head to toe the previous night and would have slept in a bath tub if I had found one.

We got back on the road after having to drag ourselves away from the house, down the windy dirt lane and on the road to Newcastle for registration. Shane got myself geared up, I wised him luck and began my trek through the forest, I perched myself at the end of a straight trail in the forest and watched the runners begin their gruelling climb into the fog topped mountains. Once they passed I followed the orange flags that were laid out along the trail as race markers; my plan was the climb to the top of Slieve Donard to see Shane they hope to the other side of the wall and watch him descending before making my way back down to the finish line. I knew I had plenty of time before any of the racers would be reaching that point of the race so I took my time, taking a stroll through the forest and finally following the trail that runs along side the river, weaving and winding its way through the valley to the beginning of the famous Mourne Wall which was built between 1904-1922 by the Belfast Water Commissioners to enclose a reservoir's catchment area in the Mourne Mountains.

I had time to climb to the top of Slieve Donard before finding the perfect spot to cheer Shane as he made his final ascent, unfortunately it was incredibly foggy, I could barely see six metres in front of me, nonetheless it was still worth it, just means I'll have to go back and see the view. Shane was insight and at this stage of the race he was in the top ten, with one more tuff climb he was one step closer to finishing. I cheered him on and hiked back down to the bottom of Slieve Donard to cheer him on one more time before he kicked into high gear for his blistering descent. I packed up the camera gear, got my backpack on, strapped into place and started my run to the finish line, I was back at the bottom where it all began 5 hours earlier were I found Shane, to no surprise in full conversation with his fellow running buddies; it's those people who show up in the rain and hail with a smile on their faces, both runners and volunteers that make an event like this. Thanks to Robert and everyone who helped make those 24hours, 24 hours not to be forgotten, until next time Mournes.

Check out Shane's blog for the entire race review.