Danger on Carrauntoohil:Nathan Kingerlee of Outdoors Ireland has alerted us to a further deterioration of the Devil's Ladder (the main tourist access to Carrauntoohil). A recent mini land and rock slide near the top has made the Ladder even more unstable. We recommend that the area should be avoided.
Wildlife in Poland
Tourism Pure Walking Holidays is offering a guided walking and wildlife observation trip to Biebrza and Bialowieza national parks in eastern Poland from March 17th to 22nd. Led by a Polish national parks and wildlife ranger, there will be opportunities to view elk, bison and beaver. Accommodation is shared in traditional Polish pensions and all meals are included. The trip costs €500pps, excluding flights. For more tel 094-9027797 or see tourismpurewalking.com.
Walk and talk
The Walkers Association of Ireland in association with Mountainviews.ie are hosting an event in Bewleys Hotel, Leopardstown, Dublin at 7pm on February 25th.
Everest veteran Gavin Bate, who has led four Everest expeditions, will give an illustrated presentation on trekking locations around the world – when to go and how much treks will cost. Other speakers on the night include Mountainviews.ie founder Simon Stewart, and winter walkers Sharron Schwartz and Martin McCritchly. This will be followed by the annual MountainViews awards, which are given to people who have completed a hill-list, like the Vandeleur-Lynams (hills over 600 metres) or all the Irish county tops. The fee is €5 and numbers are limited to 150. See walkersassociation.ie.