Northern Ireland - The Wee Binnians
Ramblings
BBC
4.5 • 768 Ratings
🗓️ 16 February 2012
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the second in a series of inspirational walks, Clare Balding joins members of the Wee Binnians, Northern Ireland's biggest walking club. The walking club was set up in 1987 by Veronica McCann who, over the years, has inspired countless people to join her in walking the hills and valleys of Northern Ireland's Mourne Mountains. Described by Veronica as 'a social group that walks, the Wee Binnians Walking Club is open to anyone over 16 and the club is the embodiment of a cross-community, cross-border group whose members share a passion for walking.
Today Clare joins just some of the 300 club members to climb to the summit of Slieve Binnian, the third highest mountain in Northern Ireland. She hears from Veronica, a self-confessed non-walker beforehand, about what inspired her to set up the group, why it is so important to her and then from some of the members about what the club - and Veronica - mean to them.
Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I want to tell you why I love podcasting. Hi, my name's Tommy Dixon, |
| 0:06.3 | and I make podcasts for the BBC. I'm a big fan of stories, always loved a good book. But when I started |
| 0:12.0 | commuting for my first job, I discovered podcasts. I was blown away by how a creative idea and the right |
| 0:17.8 | mixture of sounds could take you into a whole new world full of incredible stories. You know, the type that make you go, wow. And that kind of inspired me to |
| 0:25.2 | give it a go myself, which, to cut a long story short, led to a BBC training scheme and a whole |
| 0:29.9 | new career giving other people that exact same feeling. So if you want to hear amazing stories |
| 0:34.1 | that make you go wow, like I did, they're just a tap or click away on BBC sounds. |
| 0:45.5 | This is the Coast and Country podcast from the BBC. You can find that terms and conditions on our website |
| 0:51.8 | at BBC.com.com..org forward slash radio four. |
| 0:56.6 | Today you can hear ramblings with Claire Balding. |
| 1:02.6 | There are days on ramblings when I just get so excited about the prospect of where we're walking |
| 1:08.9 | and when I get there I gasp at the beauty of it |
| 1:11.6 | but I promise you today I feel as if I could cry. |
| 1:14.9 | It is such a perfect, perfect day. |
| 1:18.6 | Woke up to the sunrise this morning coming straight across the water with the mountains to the right |
| 1:24.8 | which are the coolly mountains and the mountains mountains of Mourne on the left. |
| 1:28.5 | And we've driven about 20 minutes or so from Warren Point. |
| 1:31.7 | We're in County Down in the mountains of Morn, |
| 1:34.3 | and Veronica McCann is with me. |
| 1:35.9 | I couldn't believe it this morning, because of the frost, |
| 1:38.6 | and the sky being as clear as it is, |
| 1:40.5 | that you genuinely couldn't have written this day better. |
... |
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