The Hiking Hens who have brought women together for hikes in the Mournes are celebrating their second birthday by climbing Mount Errigal in Co Donegal.
Set up by Maria O'Grady and Fidelma Fearon during the start of the pandemic, the group has gone from strength to strength and even carried the Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games in June of last year.
On Saturday, the group took around 80 women to climb Mount Errigal and to spend the weekend together, to mark the milestone for teh group which falls on May 30.
Read more: The 'Hiking Hens' moving mountains for women's mental health
"We've all headed from Rostrevor and collecting girls from Warrenpoint, Newry, Armagh and then we're meeting all the Hens at Mount Errigal carpark," said Maria.
"We have girls that we've lifted from Belfast, Antrim , Castlewellan and Lisburn and one woman has travelled from Belfast to meet us for the first time so it's great to see people taking that leap of faith.
"There's a few girls from Donegal meeting us and there's another woman travelling up from Dundalk just to come hiking with us so it's really good."
Fidelma told Belfast Live that the group had been a great source of strength and companionship for the women who took part over the last two years.
"This was just supposed to be a temporary measure, it as like a community coronavirus>Covid response imitative," she said.
"We just wanted to make sure that it's for women of all ages and abilities, you don't need to have been climbing mountains before, it's about getting out of the house and meeting up with like-minded women.
"The very first time we went out, we had 50 women waiting for us so it was a massive shock.
"You always expected it to be short-lived but it just seems to be going from strength to strength."
Fidelma said she loved seeing how much the women got out of being together and from challenging themselves, especially with the harder climb that Errigal provides.
"It's just the experience and enjoyment of the mountains and the achievement of such a huge climb," she said.
"And then afterwards it's just about relaxing, and not to worry about things that might be pressing them at home, work family and what not - it's just a chance to got out and relax and get food handed to you for a change and let loose for the night, recharge the batteries and get back to it the next day.
"Particularly now, with the way things are in our society, it's not a very safe place for women at times and hiking in the mountains by yourself is not very safe, so there's that safety in numbers and for those that are nervous or who would have a little bit of social anxiety or whatever, it's really good to go in numbers."
Biddy Higgins joined up with the group after spending many years climbing mountains near Rostrevor and said she had made firm friends from doing so.
"The friendship, everything else with it, it's just camaraderie and good craic," she added.
"It's just gone from strength to strength, it's fantastic the amount of people that are coming.
"I can't believe it where the people are coming from and if I have to work and I can't make it, I'm missing the craic.
"You're making memories and meeting people."
READ NEXT:
- Co Down women's hiking group on creating a 'sisterhood' during the pandemic
- Northern Ireland property: Inside stunning Georgian style residence in Co Down on market for £795,000
- Northern Ireland property: Inside stunning new build in Co Down on market for £625,000
- Public asked for views on Co Down beauty spot plans
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
