This article is from page 85 of the 2008-10-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 85 JPG
AS the Ballyvaughan/Fanore Walk- ing Club prepare to bring their year to a close at this weekend’s AGM, members have been looking back at one of the most busy and successful years in the club’s history.
From Las Vegas to Ben Nevis, the club have taken on some of the world’s most challenging walks in the year the culminated in the staging of Clare’s first ever walking marathon.
The walking year started back in November of 2007, with a new pro- gramme of weekly walks and a trip by some of the club members to Las Vegas, where they took part in the
Las Vegas Marathon. While there the group also walked the Grand Canyon and visited Monument Valley and Navajo Tribal Park in Arizona.
In April, club chairperson, Kevin McCormack, led a group of mem- bers on the challenging Camino De Santiago pilgrim route in Spain. The 550 mile trek over the Pyrenees saw walkers move through snow, rain and blistering sunshine until they reached Santiago after 29 days of walking.
Back in Ireland however, the other member were not idle. Weekly walks around the Burren proved very suc- cessful with the club also venturing farther afield to the Aran Islands, Tory, Mt Errigal in Donegal, Croagh
Patrick and Carrauntuohill.
Inspired by the this success 26 club members decided to take on Ben Ne- vis, the highest mountain in Great Britain and Ireland, as the groups last challenge of the year.
Led on this occasion by Gerry Rei- dy, all members of the club reached the top of one of the most challeng- ing walks in northern Europe.
During the year club members took part in a marathons in Cork, Galway, Longford, Inverness, Miami, Vegas and Dublin as well as the first ever Clare Burren Marathon Challenge.
This marathon, organised by the club, attracted 1,000 participants to the Burren to take part in the big-
gest event organised by the club to date. It attracted walkers and runners from all over Ireland, as well as par- ticipants from UK, Norway, Nether- lands and USA.
The club have just announced that they will be staging the marathon again next year with May 23 already earmarked for the event.
The Ballyvaughan Fanore Walking Club will host it’s AGM on October 25 in the Conference Centre, Bur- ren Coast Hotel, Ballyvaughan from ool] 0) 008
Anyone interesting in joining the club should contact www.bally- vaughanfanorewalkingclub.com for more details.