Wild Camping Antrim | Sileveanorra | Antrim Hills

[@Rodaportal]

Your latest video exploring Slieveanorra in the Antrim Hills was such a refreshing adventure. The forest wild camp brought a unique twist to your usual trips. The wind turbines were surprisingly massive - I didn't realize they were that tall! The eerie tranquility of the woods at night had me on the edge, but your tent choice seemed spot on. Morning birdsong in the woods is truly a symphony. Your videos never fail to inspire me to venture outdoors more. Keep up the awesome work, Gerry! 🏞🏕🌳

[@gerrymcveigh]

Thank you👍 It was different camping in the forest🌲 and it did take getting used to in the trees in complete darkness. Definitely something I would do again, maybe even in the bivy😊 Waking up to birdsong is one of the things I love about wild camping. Appreciate your very kind comment👍

[@RamblingOn]

Great to see you taking to the woods. There's a whole different vibe among the trees. They are a lot more forgiving in the winter than the mountains would be too, which isn't a bad thing. Cheers Gerry, mind yourself 👍

[@gerrymcveigh]

Jason, all your woodland adventures must have seeped in to my head🌲😊 Def a different (and cool) vibe and as you say maybe something to plan into future trips to manage when the weather is unforgiving👍

[@wendingourway]

What a very pleasant area for adventuring! Every thing seemed so nice and still...and just the bubbling of the streams...perfect! Bruce and Otis

[@gerrymcveigh]

It was a lovely trip👍 Our summer has been very unsettled here so it was cool to get a still evening and night to camp in the forest🌲😊

[@IrelandOutdoors]

Looked like a great night away Gerry, totally get the creepy factor in the forest, not sure if I could ever get used to it either! It must have been beautiful to wake up to the sound of that bird song in the morning, don't blame you for just chillin. Great video with some class b-roll as usual, thanks for sharing.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Gary, it was a cool wee micro adventure👍 It was also great to spend a night in the closed in environment of the forest when I am so used to sleeping out on the hillside or summits. Definitely something I would do again though I do like my views when wild camping😊 It was a slow morning with no rush to do anything or be anywhere😊

[@donaloutdoors]

Great video as always Gerry. I love camping in the forest.. the fresh air, damp, and cool. The comfort of the sphagnum moss or pine duff under the tent. Although, I used to feel like I was looking out from inside a fishbowl.. wondering who or what was lurking in the darkness.. watching me 😂 Nowadays I feel sheltered and protected by the forest.. tucked away and hidden from view.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Donal👍 I do like a spot out of the way when wild camping and the forest certainly meets that criteria👍 The thick moss felt like a soft carpet only broken by the harsh sound of twigs breaking as I walked about. It isn't often I feel nervous when wild camping, just because I am usually well off the beaten track away from others (and it is usually people that would cause nerves).

[@ashleyjarnold]

Hi Gerry, great video. Loved all the running water clips and the spiders web. Agree with you about the wind farm and turbines, I can be quite conflicted about it all. They’re a blot on the landscape but we need renewable energy. Also big impact on bird life that gets forgotten about. I’ve never been where you were, but it seemed very remote and quiet. Regards, Ashley

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Ashley👍 Similarly conflicted with wind farms. These massive offshore windfarms seem to be the ticket producing enormous amounts of energy. There weren't many people about, a bit like some of those forests in Fermanagh😊

[@nigelmcardle4112]

Love the videos Gerry, thanks for sharing all the wonderful footage.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Nigel👍 It is cool to be able to show others what I get from being out in the hills😊

[@walkwatchers]

Honestly thought you were gonna break into Bjork's "It's Oh so quiet" when you were in the forest! I reckon a singing Gerry would go viral!!!! Ha ha ha. I love a forest at night though, that dampening down of all other sounds is like being wrapped in a big blanket. Another great adventure Gerry and beautifully filmed too. It was all so green, even the trees were covered in thick green moss. Beautiful. I loved this Gerry. Thanks for sharing the journey with us. Also, is the "squelch factor" a recognised scale of soddenness and is there a course on that, that I should take?

[@gerrymcveigh]

Alyn, that would have been a well appropriate song for the conditions😊 Everything is covered in a thick carpet of moss in Slievanorra Forest which gives it a different feel to some of those other commercial plantations that have no other plant life at all on the ground. It was cool to try out camping in the trees and it definitely gets a 👍 I think the squelch factor is a thing though different people might have their unique take on it💧😊

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Nice footage and lovely scenery 👍 Great hike 😊

[@gerrymcveigh]

Thank you👍 It was a cool hike and sheltered camp in the forest🌲😊

[@frozenmist-w4k]

Can’t believe that was your first ever Forest camp !! You seemed to enjoy it though , even though those woods looked haunted , I’ve no doubt something or someone visited you in the night 😬 Glorious B roll giving the film a nice sense of place as you sojourn to your pitch . I love a good wind in the forest , the trees come alive and dance all night swaying to and fro celebrating the night . As long as one doesn’t fall on you and kill you , I noticed quite a few fallen near your pitch , maybe a good thing the wind wasn’t blowing. 🙏 As for those bloody turbines , they are blight on the landscape , heinous eyesore . Enjoyed this one Gerry . ATB Colin

[@gerrymcveigh]

Colin, I am glad that i wasn't killed by a falling tree👍 It was a cool experience and I would like to return with a wee bit more (though not deadly) breeze😊 I am confident that i was all on my own through the night😊 Lots going on to film in and around the forest on Slieveanorra. I am torn by turbines as I believe in the need to move away from fossil fuels though am very aware of their impact on the landscape, especially in the NW of N.Ireland and into Donegal.

[@MiriamKennedy]

I hadn’t considered that a bivy in the forest would open you to the potential of slimy visitors….of course 😮 Loved the morning birdsong in the forest and the silence around you when they weren’t sharing their news. Adventurous of you to try a new camping experience and that you got to follow that urge from a previous trip 😊 Nice that you didn’t have to travel too far for a lovely night out with nature Gerry!!

[@gerrymcveigh]

Miriam, I was thinking of waking up to find sticky slug trails all over me 🐌😊 I think I am rediscovering the Antrim Hills, somewhere I have ignored for pastures greener over the years. It was a great wee trip and it was cool to try camping in the forest which worked so well I will no doubt give it a go again😊

[@journeytoaphotograph]

My home hills, the area around Slieveanorra is gorgeous, especially down into Glendun. There used to be thousands of people lived up there, going back over 5000 years - fun finding all the things they have left. But, aye, slugs are the reason I hate Bivvys and prefer Hammock or the Banshee@@gerrymcveigh

[@adventurousdavee]

One of my fav places Gerry . That was some walking you done , I have tramped that way a few times now.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers👍 I do like a good dander before settling down for the night😊 I had done a similar walk a few weeks previously and knew I had to return for a wild camp in the forest there - it was just calling out to me😊

[@Andrew.........]

Hi Gerry, lovely sounds of nature and water. Camping in the forest !! 🥺. You've gone to the dark side Gerry 😂. I think the tent was the best option 👍. Too many crawling critters there for using the bivvy. All the best.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Andrew👍 The forest is definitely the dark side as I am used to seeing at least some light somewhere out on the open hills. There is so much going on nature wise at this time of year and it is cool to get out and experience it👍 I think I was always going for the tent😊

[@JenniferLupine]

Great hiking and scenery! Fun to have your first night camping in the forest! It’s very beautiful, with a peaceful atmosphere! I Guess there weren’t too many creepy crawlies over night… and the early morning bird song was wonderful. Interesting to think of the pros and cons of wind turbines. We don’t have any very near us, but there are quite a few in eastern Washington. Happy September!! 😉😄🌲💚

[@gerrymcveigh]

Jennifer, Happy September - we are having a late Summer flourish of warmth and settled weather after a couple of months of unsettled weather☀ It was super still in the forest and a good first experience of camping there. i do think it would be good to return in windier conditions to experience that too. As you would expect the north and west of Ireland is quite prone to windy days though there is much debate over the siting of turbines in upland areas as they are so intrusive.

[@patrickobrien8902]

Fair play Gerry, an amazing dawn Chorus.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Patrick👍 I could have sat listening to that bird song all day, so peaceful and relaxing (and proven to reduce stress levels!)😊

[@noelmckendry-yr9hc]

Nice looking wee camp in the forest

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Noel👍 It was a great wee camp in the forest, especially for my first go at it😊 I will no doubt give it another try at some stage😊

[@WyeExplorer]

'82 meters?' I thought no more than 50 gerry - they're huge turbines. Well, you made a good feature out of them. This was different for you - wet too. But hey you can handle that on the way to camp. Ha, a bivvy or tent. I thought with midges about you would choose a tent but their were none. That stillness hung around though. I love that. Well, a decent pitch in the dark after. Nicely tucked in amid the sea of green. I imagine you enjoyed this outing - I did. All the best over there. Mark

[@gerrymcveigh]

Mark, you are pretty much spot on👍 I was reading on the go and the 82 m is the diameter, the turbines are 60m and just over 100m to the tip of the blade. It was cool to try out camping in the forest, having seen so many other people doing it (including yourself). It was super still though I would like to try it again with some more movement in the trees🌲😊

[@WyeExplorer]

@@gerrymcveigh I thought so - not a bad estimate gerry. Still big! I hope you do make it back to the forest - I love them. Still was a bit eary for you then? Well, have a great weekend.

[@TomMcClean]

Looking good Gerry. ummmmmm! I'm not to sure about turbines. They kills a lot of raptors and other birds and their blades cannot be recycled. So what to do with them whenever they need changed? Land fill? They also need electric power to get them going and they need wind! ( funny that) Good to see the headstone remembering those brave boys. Love your wee artistic close up wildflower/fungi/spiders web etc shots. I'm looking at the 2 birds in the fir tree! They look like cormorants!!!!!!!!! There must be attractive fishing near here. I would put the tent up! If a big buck deer ran right over wee you! aaaaah! I bet you were being watched and checked out. You take care Gerry!

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Tom👍 I am not too sure about them either though am certain we need to stop using gas and oil (and coal in some places) in the way we have been for so long. I like the idea of those big wind farms out at sea which are enormous and produce enough power for millions of homes. Though maybe out of sight out of mind. Lots of WW2 plane crashes around Ireland and I think the survival rate for aircrew wasn't too high so brave indeed. I thought they were cormorants too - must be plenty of fish in Altnahinch reservoir. There seemed to be much more life amongst those trees than in some of those commercial pine forests. A good trip and it was a positive experience of wild camping in the forest🌲😊👍

[@TomMcClean]

Thanks Gerry.

[@EireRider.motorcycle.adventure]

Beautiful views wow.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Ben, there are cool views from the Antrim Hills as far as Scotland to the east and Donegal to the west on a good day👀

[@EireRider.motorcycle.adventure]

@@gerrymcveigh that must be something. Scotland seems close from the north.

[@gerrymcveigh]

With clear air sometimes you can feel you can reach out and touch it👍

[@paulpayton8238]

Your doing well my friend all the best from me in England

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Paul👍 All the best back across the Irish Sea to you😊

[@DavidDoyleOutdoors]

Great wee video Gerry, loved the shots of all the flowers and the sounds of the birds, you got great weather for it, although it wouldn’t be the Antrim hills if it wasn’t boggy. Don’t think I’ve seen you use a tent before, what tent is it, looks like a terra nova of some sort. That cow looked angry lol

[@gerrymcveigh]

David, have had that Terra Nova Laser Competition for many a year and it still does a great job with virtually no size or weight in the rucsac. I thought it would have been much wetter with all the unsettled weather we have been having. It was a cool wee trip with lots of interest walking through the windfarm, the forest and out on the mountain. I think the 🐄 was just wondering who is that eejit😊

[@alanlyness8413]

I like the way you convinced yourself to use the tent over the bivi 🤣 English Woodsman was in a bivi in the woods his last video and a few noises spooked him and he bailed out 😎

[@gerrymcveigh]

Alan, I like how I convinced myself too😊 The bivy would have been grand too👍 There wasn't a noise at all as it was so still and it would be a different story in windier weather with all sorts of movement and creaking from the trees I am sure😊

[@BigFly028]

Hi Gerry, another great video, but with a slight difference. Lucky you wen't out Friday night with those high winds. That water did'nt look that great even after you boiled it!👍👍

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Aidan, I must have had one of the few windless nights so far this summer😊 Peat flavoured water is just the business for some tea when out wild camping😊

[@edpikestone6800]

Glad things didn’t go bump in the night for you in the woods. It was like watching a Hitchcock movie!😂. I think I’d rather sleep in the woods than bivy in the open though. Great video.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Ed👍 It definitely has a different feel in the woods though I would say more soft and sheltered than out on the open mountain. I love a bivy spot with a great view where you can see the sunset or sunrise☀

[@EireRider.motorcycle.adventure]

Lots of wind turbines around Roscommon. Yeah you can hear them turning when your close enough.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Ben, those big blades do make a noise alright when slicing through the air. Bigger and bigger turbines seems to be the way it is going and there are some giants out in Mayo near to Bangor Erris (where they used to burn peat).

[@EireRider.motorcycle.adventure]

@@gerrymcveigh interesting... More of these popping up these days

[@kennybideau5435]

Another great video Gerry. Dont think I could camp in the woods.....the Blair Witch movie kinda put a stop to any notions i had lol

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Kenny👍 I wasn't sure if it was for me though it was all cool😊 I have heard stranger noises and felt more unnerved at times out on the hill where the weather can play all sorts of tricks on the mind.

[@amasyalkuscudestek]

92 like very nice video hello 🇹🇷☕👍💯🙋🏻‍♀️

[@gerrymcveigh]

Thank you👍👍

[@tomkelly240]

You’re my hero. Love to join you on your adventures. One question--What’s you secret for midges?

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Tom👍 I am not sure if I have a secret for midges🦟 At times I have been driven to distraction by their incessant pursuit and have had plenty of bites. I have tried different sprays though none seemed to make a difference. I have recently bought a midge net though haven't had the chance to use it as the wind has been doing the job of keeping them at bay with the unsettled weather we have been experiencing this summer. Sort of pot luck I think and the weather probably plays the biggest part.

[@brandonmckay1912]

I was thinking about camping there or above dungonnell dam I'm definitely going to go there

[@gerrymcveigh]

Brandon, it was a cool spot to camp and I am sure there are other spots in Slieveanorra which is a good sized forest👍 I have thought of camping around Dungonnell too as it is a great area👍

[@EireRider.motorcycle.adventure]

So green.. Yeah the it's getting dark noticeably earlier now.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Nearly Autumn, summer has flown in.

[@HikingandcampingwithAdrian]

Another great watch lovely shots. There was talk about putting wind turbines up the Mourne mountains. Not sure if that will ever happen I really hope it doesn't. Looked like a nice peaceful forest to spend a night in. What camera do you use to record on? I look forward to your next Adventure 🙌

[@gerrymcveigh]

Adrian, not sure if they would get away with them in the Mournes. Out west and north seems to be the preferred options to now and I suppose that makes sense in terms of where most of our weather comes from. It was a great camp in the forest in the stillness and might have to go back to experience in more mobile conditions😊 I use a gopro 9 when talking and a panasonic digital camera with a zoom lens for all the other shots.

[@seancorr7172]

Great video gerry Were you by any chance in cotswolds today

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers Sean👍 I wasn't in Cotswolds, trying not to spend too much money after getting my new pillow😊

[@christophermcgukien6549]

Brilliant video Gerry, can i ask what sleeping pad or mat you use? Thanks

[@gerrymcveigh]

Cheers👍 I use an Exped Synmat 7 outside of Summer - good insulation and comfort though probably lighter mats out there with same insulating properties. In warmer weather I have a three quarter mat which is way lighter and smaller.

[@christophermcgukien6549]

@@gerrymcveigh thanks Gerry for info 👍 and fairplay for camping in those woods

[@robinferguson8911]

The comments about wind turbines being a blight, noisy, harmful etc leave out what they think would be better. Oil rigs? Peat mining? Ever seen a surface coal mine? I think we all need to consider the impacts, full life cycle, of the alternatives. And minimize our own demands on the system as well.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Hi Robin, there are definitely different viewpoints on the location of wind turbines in the mountains! I agree that our rampant desire to consume (and discard) - whether it is fast food, mobile phones or energy places enormous demands on our landscape and environment. I do think it is right that we are moving away from reliance on fossil fuels and that wind and solar play an important part in this. If I am honest I am torn to a degree between the necessity for the cleaner energy brought by wind turbines and their placement in mountainous areas. I suppose it is about how we get a balance with it all. Lots of ongoing debate about our upland areas and how 'unnatural' and barren they actually are with current land management practices - I often talk about the lack of trees and all the wildlife that comes with them in our upland areas and for me that would be hold more importance in terms of our upland areas. Thank you for your thoughts and questions👍

[@pablo65315]

oil rigs in my opinion. would have a beneficial release of carbon into the atmosphere, which currently sits at around 440 parts per million. at 150 ppm all plant life dies. considering that when the whole planet was covered in tropical plant life during the paleocene era, CO2 in the atmosphere reached levels of 8000 ppm i think its fine if we go carbon intensive a little while longer, especially with the non reliable nature of so called renewable energy and lack of adequate power storage available. in the last 10 years, the climate, thankfully has been warming and the result of this? re-greening on the planet equivalent to the size of north america, including a reduction in deserts overall.

[@TheartofCamping]

😀

[@gerrymcveigh]

That was a cool camp in a local forest and something different for me.

[@bruceparr1678]

Lots of subsidy windmills in Antrim. Bugger the wildlife.

[@gerrymcveigh]

Our whole countryside and environment seems to be under so much pressure with the way we have been living and farming. It seems that those with money and connection can pretty much do as they want.