THE BIG WALK

Over the weekend of the 4th, 5th and 6th of June 1999 our group completed their longest hike yet by completing a 50 mile sponsored walk around the Ards Peninsula on the east coast of Northern Ireland raising just over £3,000 for parish funds in the process. But where do we start our account? And what should we reveal, and not reveal of all that happened? A race home from school or work on the Friday, a quick light meal, a change of clothes to suit the occasion, and we were ready to be picked up at 5pm and transported to our starting point on the outskirts of Bangor, Co Down (approx 15 miles from Belfast). Despite showery conditions and the sound of distant thunder we made good progress through Donaghadee, Millisle, Ballyferris and onto Ballywalter before darkness began to fall. Photographs were important so we took one at every town, just to prove to any doubting Thomases that we really did the whole 50 mile round trip.

In contrast, the weather on Saturday was exceptionally hot and sunny making the sea and beaches around the coast look as if we were on some Mediterranean island. Because we knew this would be a tough walk we were very good to ourselves and everyone brought sweets. We also sampled "traybakes" and cookies provided by one walker's mother - delicious! On top of all that, an extremely benevolent walker bought ice creams all round on passing through Cloughey so we did rightly this time (strange thing though - not a Jaffa Cake in sight !)

Fortunately Sunday morning was delightfully cool and began, of course, with Holy Communion. Then after a quick breakfast we began the third and final leg of our journey along the shores of Strangford Lough and across the top of the peninsula back to Bangor. Near Kircubbin we spotted a former parishioner of St Molua's on his way to conduct the worship at Portaferry parish church. He seemed quite taken aback to see us in that part of the country early on a Sunday morning but nevertheless managed a wave as his car passed us.

In the course of the weekend one of our number rescued two lambs which had got their heads stuck in a wire fence and we later saw a riderless horse galloping down the central reservation of a dual carriageway. There was a black-headed gull who took a fancy to some of our sandwiches and then there was the time one member fell off the pavement and went on his ear. Unfortunately the guy with the camera missed that particular moment ! Isn't it interesting how bold people can become in their statements, when they've been in each other's company for some time?