At Wild Mountain NI, we aim to provide high quality and safe guided hikes and adventures, including wild camping trips, mainly in the Mourne Mountains and Belfast hills, but also throughout Ireland. We like to escape the ordinary and make each adventure a unique exploration into not just ourselves, but also the beautiful and amazing countryside we are blessed to have on our doorstep. Ran by Petra
and myself, we are a female-led company, we are both qualified Mountain Leaders, so you are always in safe hands. Don’t let that put you off boys…you are more than welcome to join in the adventures. We provide guided hikes and adventures for people of all abilities; we go at a pace to suit all. Never underestimate what you are capable of! Generally, there will be 2 Mountain Leaders on our hikes (may vary), so we have the scope to split to suit all abilities if needed. Petra and myself believe people are capable of more than they believe they can. Most limitations are only in our heads. We are all guilty of this! But, with our help, support and encouragement we will have you reaching new heights...quite literally!! After a day on the hills with us, you will feel energised, accomplished and most of all…ready and motivated for your next adventure. We believe in you! Great things never come from comfort zones! We always try to add a little something to each of our adventures to make them extra special and memorable, whether it’s some hot chocolate and cake on the summit, or a campfire where you can toast your own marshmallows and make s’mores at sunset…we always like to go that little bit further to make it special. We provide a mix of experiences from sunrise hikes with freshly cooked pancakes, to night hikes where you can experience the mountains in a whole new way and do a bit of star gazing and everything in between. We will make sure that you can tick all of the main summits off you bucket list in unique ways. The mountains always have something magical to offer, no matter what time of the day or night, summer or winter, rain or shine. The main thing that we take away from our hikes is the craic and laughter that everyone has. One of the beauties of hiking in a group, and having plenty of rest stops, is that the group will always mix, meaning you end up talking to someone new each time we set off. MIDWEEK HIKES
We work in partnership with both the National Trust and Belfast City Council to bring you safe guided hikes within the Belfast Hills. We provide regular midweek guided hikes at both Cavehill and Divis & the Black Mountain. These are great wee hikes for breaking up the week and setting you up for the weekend. We set off at 7 o’clock, usually on a Thursday, so during the darker nights these are when you get amazing views of the lights of Belfast City. Then coming into the lighter nights they will be sunset hikes and the colours in the sky are just magical plus the craic is always flowing. CARRICK COTTAGE
We work with the award-winning Carrick Cottage at Carrick Little in the Mourne Mountains. We arrange hikes that start off with a lovely breakfast or finish with a delicious lunch, watch out for up and coming events. We will also be doing more family friendly picnic hikes with a lovely packed lunch supplied by the cottage. WILD CAMPING
Our wild camping trips are always great fun. We provide tents, cooking equipment and sleeping mats. We can also provide other pieces of equipment on request from rucksacks to boots (size depending). A wild camp is a great way to do a bit of re-wilding and getting back to nature. We have a campfire in the evenings where we can all sit around and have a bit of craic over a hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows and s’mores. You may even have the opportunity to cook dinner in the wilderness; food never tasted so good! After a night tucked up in your cosy tent with only the tranquil sounds of the mountains around us, we will then rustle up some pancakes in the morning with plenty of delicious toppings. What a way to start the day! SUMMIT SERIES CHALLENGES
Who’s up for a challenge? At Wild Mountain NI we take challenges that people would love to do but feel that they are out of reach and break them down into achievable goals. Two of our biggest challenges are the
- 7 Sevens Summit Series
- The Mourne Wall Summit Series
We have taken these 2 iconic Mourne Challenges and made them more manageable by breaking them down into a number of hikes. We believe in you!! BESPOKE/PRIVATE/TEAM BUILDING BOOKINGS
If you have an idea for an adventure but don’t know how to pull it off, then leave it to us to arrange. We can organise a bespoke, fun event for all fitness levels. Why not have a birthday party with a difference? Maybe a wild camp with a campfire , s’mores and hot chocolate…or how about getting the girls together for a ‘Sunset, S’mores and Prosecco’ hike? Need a little morale boast for the work crew? How about getting the team together for a little team building and head for the mountains. We can come up with a bespoke events to suit your individual needs, requirements and abilities. The world is your oyster. BLACK SHEEP MOURNES SHUTTLE
We work with this fantastic company so that on occasions we can start and finish our hikes at different locations so that you really get the most out of your day in the mountains. DOG FRIENDLY
We pride ourselves as being dog friendly. For all you dog lovers, you will have to agree that there is nothing better than getting out for a day in the hills with your best friend. You can both go home and chill out after, with a tired and content pupper. We do have an on-lead policy for not only the safety of the group but also for the environment, wildlife, and of course your pupper. IRELAND
We will be bringing you hikes in all the beautiful mountain ranges throughout Ireland from the Mckillycuddy Reeks, to the Blue Stacks to the Maumturk Mountains of Connemara and everywhere in between. THE TEAM
Petra and I met when we were doing our Mountain Leader training. We both clicked immediately due to our massive passions for the outdoors and all things adventure. We have spent many days and nights mainly in the Mourne Mountains, and have visited many other mountain ranges throughout Ireland; drilling our navigation and honing our skills to pass our gruelling 5 day Mountain Leader Assessment. Since then, we are always looking for our next adventure! Our passion and love for the outdoors was always very evident in our social media posts. After each trip we were both finding lots of people very excited and motivated by our adventures and asking to join us…and so the idea was born of starting Wild Mountain NI. We wanted to be able to provide events for people so they can experience all of the amazing adventures that we have been lucky enough to take part in too. PETRA
Petra has a passion for all things outdoors! She is a hiking enthusiast, qualified Mountain Leader, Duke of Edinburgh Leader as well as being a sport and outdoor activities lecturer. She is a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer with years of experience in the field. She has three dogs of her own and is a member of the K9 Search and Rescue team. Petra is also qualified in REC Level 3 Outdoor First Aid. Petra is always up for an adventure from her wild camping trips, to her paddle boarding. There isn’t much Petra wouldn’t give a go. She has the Pacific Crest Trail and Camino De Santiago on her ever-increasing bucket list. And of course…buying a camping van is top of that list
CATHY
My name is Cathy, I am a fully qualified Mountain Leader and as well as running Wild Mountain NI with Petra, I also have my own Dog walking business, Wander Dogs (). I am also a keen member of K9 Search and Rescue and I am currently training to be a Search Planner within the team. Along with being a massive dog lover, I also have an enormous passion for the mountains. I have recently returned from a Himalayas trip, successfully summiting Meara Peak; the highest trekking peak in the region standing at 6476m. I am always up for a challenge and have completed a few in my time.
- National 3 Peaks challenge in 24hrs
- Killarney High Peaks
- Grand Canyon - North Rim to South Rim
- Dirty Rat Race - twice - worlds longest obstacle course.
- Croagh Patrick - barefoot
As well as hiking all the ranges in Ireland, I have also trekked in the beautiful Dolomites in the Italian Alps and in the Mountains of Montenegro. Another passion of mine is my campervan. It has opened up the whole of Ireland to me for adventures, and hopefully further afield in the future. Re-wilding is also a great interest of mine and can often be seen having a dip in a mountain lake or walking barefoot round a forest park. INSURANCE/YOUR SAFETY
We are fully insured through the Ascend Scheme with the Mountain Training Association. A risk assessment is carried out for each event we do, highlighting and minimising all risks before we head out on an event. Everyone is required to complete a medical form prior to each event. This way we will be aware of any medical conditions within the group prior to the event. Safety equipment is always carried by the leader,including group shelter, emergency bivvy, first aid kit along with spare clothing, hat, gloves, warm layers, torch, whistle, spare map and compass
FIRST AID
Both Petra and myself are Rescue Emergency Care first aid trained to Level 3. This training is regularly refreshed through training with K9 Search & Rescue. I am also Pet First Aid trained so your best friend is in safe hands too. WILD MOUNTAIN NI, where adventures make memories. See you on the next adventure Cathy x
