This might appear like another New Years goals post but I promise you that it’s not. It’s more about documenting what we already do rather than actually doing something new, and it’s something that you can join in with too so it’s a win win for everyone.
We love nothing more that a walk at the weekends…okay, I’d probably love a luxury mini-break more but that’s not looking likely so walking it is!
Few weekends pass without us going up the Slieve Blooms for a hike or on a trip to feed the ducks in Emo Court or for a cycle in the stunning Lough Boora. We have our favourite trails but try to add new ones too.
Santa and birthday’s resulted in 3 new bikes for the children so they are always keen for a cycle and while the busy country roads aren’t ideal, Mr HF often takes them on a Sunday morning cycle when things are quieter.
So this year we have decided to keep note of the walks and cycles that we do. This will help ensure that we keep doing what we love and also will ensure that we try new routes and trails.
There is something wonderful about visiting your favourite spots at different times of the year and spotting the changes that seasons bring.
That waterfall that is so loud and wild in winter, becomes a gentle trickle in summer. Seeing a carpet of wild garlic appear when a few weeks earlier there was no sign at all. Watching as dark woodlands become magical with the appearance of a sea of bluebells. And so the discovery of new places won’t be at the loss of revisiting the old.
We have a big family planner calendar on which we will mark down all out trips. Due to the busyiness of life it isn’t always possible to have all 6 of us do each activity but we have decided that an activity only counts if at least 3 of us are doing it.
We are aiming for 60 hikes and 20 cycles this year. I’m hoping that we will achieve more than this but I don’t want to set the bar too high.
We got off to a great start on New Year’s Day with a stunning looped walk up past Glenbarrow waterfall in the Slieve Blooms. I’ll post some pictures from that at the end of this post.
As the year goes on I’m hoping to keep all my social media posting together using the #HikeItBikeItDoIt hashtag and would love if anyone else joined in. My very favourite social media tool is Instagram and you will find me at Life_on_Hushabye_Farm or follow the link on the side bar.
So go on, get outside and enjoy this stunning country that we live in.
