Sperrin and Killeter Walking festival

by Gráinne Connolly

This weekend the anticipated Sperrins and Killeter walking festival will take place on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September. 

The festival is hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council in association with outdoor adventure specialists Far and Wild. 

The annual event is aimed at walkers of all abilities and encourages as many local people as possible to attend and discover some of the area's hidden areas of beauty. 

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh said:

"The Sperrins and Killeter Walking Festival has proven to be an exceptionally popular event in recent years with both serious walkers and novices alike. 

"Its reputation as an event for all ages and abilities to enjoy is down to the strong working relationship between Council, Far and Wild and the walking guides who come from the local community and have a genuine passion for welcoming people to their local area and sharing majestic local landscape. 

There will be different walks ranging from 4km, 8km and 12km for different levels of experience, each led my a walking guide. 

On Saturday, walking will be around the Sperrin areas followed by an evening hosted in Plumbridge, where all walkers are invited to Warrs Barr for refreshments, traditional music and dancing by the local Comhaltas club. 

On Sunday the action moves to Killeter where walkers will be led around the scenic landscape of the area, by walking guides with experience about the history and folklore of this remote part of West Tyrone. 

After the walks everyone is invited back to Killeter to enjoy refreshments and a variety of local activities such as turf cutting demonstrations, horse showing, needlework and storytelling. 
 

This years festival will also be raising and awareness and supporting an organ donation charity founded by a local transplant survivor. 

Aaron Smyth founded his campaign after his own successful transplant operation in October 2016 where he became the first adult from Northern Ireland to receive a live liver transplant. 

His charity aims to raise funds for Kings Hospital London, the RVH Liver Support Group and Organ donation awareness group Live Life Give Life who played a supporting role in his life changing procedure. 

You can donate to Aaron Smyth's organ donation fund at: 

https://www.gofundme.com/aaron-smyth

(Mayor of DCSDC Councillor Maolíosa McHugh, pictured with Lawrence McBride, Far and Wild and Emma Devine, Marketing Office at DCSDC)

For more information on the Walking Festival or to register you can go to http://www.sperrinskilleterwalking.com/ where full details of all the different walks are available.