Friends of the Glens host annual walk to breathtaking peak of Bes

BREATHTAKING views of the rolling Sperrins Mountains will greet walkers taking part in the annual New Year’s Day walk, hosted by Friends of the Glens.

Taking place on Sunday, January 1, 2023, the trek up the ‘Bessie Bell Way’ – now in its seventh year – often attracts hundreds of people from local areas, as well as those who travel further distances to meet up with friends and family.

Many of the participants of past walks have been recipients of organs, having received the gift of life by donors.

Some come along in support of organ donation awareness – while others just take part to start the New Year off on the right foot.

More than 130 people in the North are waiting for an organ transplant, and, sadly, around 10 to 15 people die each year while on the waiting list.

With a suggested £5 donation, all monies made on the day will go towards various local charities in support of organ donation awareness, and everyone is welcome to sign up for the walk.

Feel free, too, to bring along your four-legged friends as dogs are allowed on the adventure – but they must be kept on a leash due to livestock along the trails.

Holy well

Participants will leave from the Mellon Country Inn, and will ascend along the Bessy Bell Way from 10am.

The walk leads through farmland across open moorland of grass and Irish heather, and features some fantastic points of interest along the way, including stunning views of the Sperrin Mountains, mind-blowing wind turbines and a historical holy well near the summit.

A large wooden telegraph pole was installed to mark the holy well by Michael and John McAnulla in 1958 and is still standing there today.

Folklore has suggested that the holy well can cure warts, while people from centuries gone by have also been known to place white stones within the well and make a wish.

So, why not start your New Year off on a positive note, by getting out for some fresh air, a brisk walk, while making a wish for the months ahead!

Sean Harpur, a friendly and familiar face of Friends of the Glens, has encouraged everyone interested to come along, and join in the fun.

“There is a new stone seating area on the trails,” Sean Harpur, who is coordinating the walk, keenly pointed out.

“We intend to engrave this resting place with the message ‘Rest and be grateful’; offering a place for people who want to sit and have a chat, or to simply reflect upon the beautiful views of the Sperrin Mountains and streams surrounding it.

“There is also a stone along the way has been carved with the number ‘2000’ to mark the millennium.

“The farmer who is believed to have engraved it has advised that people do not try and move the stone, as it is it said that it may upset the fairies.”

Ancient graveyard

A map from 1859 also shows an ancient graveyard on the mountain.

Believed to be an unconsecrated Christian cemetery, this point of interest is now a grass bog about 20 by 30 yards in size. It features flat boulders and stones surrounding several mounds, around five foot long, all filled with lovely greenery and rushes.

The summit of the mountain sits between the two townlands of Legacurry and Ballyrenan.

A seven mile round trip, This intriguing trail is listed as a ‘moderate’ walk, and it clearly way-marked.

So, don’t miss out on your chance to witness such natural beauty and mythology while you step into the New Year with Friends of the Glens. The walk will take place at 10am on January 1, 2023 at the Mellon Country Inn.