WHEN the organisers of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Sperrins and Killeter Walking Festival sought walking guides from within the local community to lead the hundreds of hiking enthusiasts who will converge on the North West next week, Nicola and John Pinkerton came custom made for the role.
The Plumbridge couple’s ‘Pinkerton Day To Day’ store is much more than just a local shop, it is a central hub for the Co Tyrone village’s population of a couple of hundred residents and walking around its stunning hinterland has taken on a critical role in their lives in recent years.
Not so long ago, the notion of spending a free afternoon in their busy schedules hiking up nearby Moat Mountain would have been the furthest thing from their minds but all that changed in 2014.
“John was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and it understandably stopped us in our tracks,” Nicola, who works as a Regional Manager with Lloyds Pharmacy, recalled.
“John was in his late 40s and you don’t expect it to happen to someone who is still relatively young.
“He was told that he needed to lose some weight and get as fit and healthy as possible togive him the best possible chance in surgery.
“We started to go out for walks and found that, as well as raising our fitness levels, it was something we enjoyed and it had a positive impact on our emotional wellbeing during a stressful time in our lives.
“Thankfully John’s surgery was successful and he has been free from cancer since but we continued to go out walking regularly because we were enjoying it.”
From the novices who headed into the countryside just two years ago, John and Nicola will now take the lead as walkers navigate their way out of Plumbridge and into the Glenelly Valley for the festival’s ‘Up the Moat’ Charity Walk on Saturday September 17th, one of six walks that will be held over the weekend.
Walk beneficiaries MacMillan Cancer Support are obviously a cause close to their hearts and the £5 fee for walkers, as well as any donations visitors want to make, will all go towards the charity.
“One of the points MacMillan are keen to make is the emotional benefits of walking,” Nicola continued.
“We are probably not your average walkers, we both work full time in busy jobs so we don’t have a lot of opportunities to be hiking around the countryside but it’s something we think is worth making time for because of the wellbeing we have gained from it.
“We started with our local walking group in January and it very quickly opened our eyes to the natural beauty that exists in our local area.”
The festival’s six walks offer a variety of terrain and distance to suit all levels and ages.
The ‘Origins of the Ulster Appalachian Way’ 15k hillside and trail walk on Saturday will suit more experienced walkers but the ‘Up the Moat’ charity challenge walk, an 8km hillside hike leaving from Plumbridge may be more suitable for beginners.
Wildlife enthusiasts and inquisitive kids alike will also have the opportunity to join the Bat and Moth Twilight Walk, a 3km exploration of the local habitats of these special night time creatures led by a local expert.
On Sunday Killeter is the starting point for three walks, including the popular the Killeter Camino, a 15km multi-terrain experience.
Moderate walkers can experience spectacular views along the south Tyrone section of the Ulster Appalachian Way crossing 8km of trails and heather, while more leisurely walkers can join the Killeter Community Ramble which is 5km in distance, led by the newly formed Killeter Rambling Group.
“Visitors who don’t know the area sometimes aren’t sure where they are allowed to walk through and where is safe,” John noted.
“But all our routes have been well researched and permission has been granted by local farmers to pass through their land.
“With the aid of the guides, there is someone with the local knowledge to navigate them through the best route.
“We’ve been trained for the role in Health and Safety, First Aid and Map Reading so the visitors are in safe hands.”
Anyone who wants to donate to MacMillan Cancer can do so online at https://www.macmillan.org.uk or at the Pinkerton’s Day To Day store in Plumbridge.
The Sperrins and Killeter Walking Festival will take place on Saturday September 17th and Sunday September 18th.
For more information and to register for a place on any of the walks go to www.sperrinskilleterwalking.com.
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