Videos & Books

Many members will beware of walking trips I have led in the area around Nerja in southern Spain in recent years.  For anyone interested in going there, our member, Jim Ryan, in conjunction with Cicerone has produced an excellent book with 24 walks catering for different grades of walker.  Jim has a detailed knowledge of the area having walked extensively around Nerja for over 15 years.  The book can be source on the internet from Cicerone, Amazon etc.     Michael Carey 


The Mountains of Nerja Sierras Tejeda, Almijara Y Alhama by Jim Ryan
Guide to walking in the compact but action-packed mountain ranges just north of the seaside town of Nerja on the Costa del Sol, less than an hour's drive from Malaga airport. The ranges that make up the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama National Park contain 50 summits of Munros status, as well as lots of wilderness areas and peaceful valleys. Many of the routes described in this guide are now waymarked as the superb year-round walking in this area of southern Andalucía becomes better appreciated and more popular. All the routes described can be tackled as day trips from the coastal towns and they range from gentle strolls to serious challenges up to high summits, like the formidable La Maroma and Cisne. The 24 graded day walks are described step by step and illustrated with extracts from the official IGN mapping with lots of extra information about the natural environment and local history.








"Help Me" The Secrets of using 112 on a mobile phone in an emergency/accident

Video on the use of your Mobile Phone in case of emergency. In addition we also recommedn that all members should have a contact number named ICE (in case of emergency) in their phones. Extremely useful in the event of your becoming incapacitated.




Short Video on the Kerry Mountain Rescue - ignore blank screen at the start gets going after 15 seconds or so.


Molehill to Mountain (Kerry Mountain Rescue) from 








Book-Carrauntoohil & MacGillycuddy's Reeks
A Walking Guide to Ireland's Highest Mountains
By Jim Ryan



The MacGillycuddy's Reeks are Ireland's highest mountains with Carrauntoohil tallest at 1039m. Occupying about 100 square km., they stretch from the picturesque Gap of Dunloe in the east to Glencar in the west. Attracting over 25,000 walkers annually, they are a wonderful playground. However, many routes are not clearly marked and mist or fog covers them for three quarters of the year. Access to a proper guide is therefore essential before venturing on to the Reeks. This guide to 20 popular walking routes on the Reeks contains full-colour maps specially commissioned from the Ordnance Survey, clear photographs and precise map references. However, this is not just a walking guide. It also encompasses the history of the area, its geology and natural history, its place names and people. Useful information on travel and accommodation is also provided. It will be the most comprehensive guide to the area to be published for some time.






Book - Scenic Walks in Killarney




Just published is Jim Ryan's new book on Scenic Walks in Killarney.
It is said that there is a walk for every day of the year in Killarney. For this practical and easy-to-use guide, Jim compiled eighteen low-level walks, accompanied by excellent photographs, maps, precise directions and the length, time and difficulties of each.
Walks vary from flat walking to more challenging rambles, and provide enough scope and variety for locals and visitors alike. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable, Jim takes readers through the town of Killarney, out to Muckross and Torc, down to Ross Island, and on peaceful strolls in the countryside. One of the walks includes a boat trip through Killarney’s lakes. Four of the walks are nature trails that follow markers, with the flora, fauna and landscape at each described. Woven into the route descriptions are historical notes, anecdotes, folklore and natural history to add to the walker’s enjoyment. This is a book to be used and put away, then taken out again, for the visitor to Killarney, having savoured its beauty, invariably returns.
The book, published locally in Cork by Collins Press is available in paperback for €9.99 in all good bookshops and online at www.collinspress.ie. who offer 20% discount on online purchases although there is a charge for p&p.





Book - A Patina of Frost Novel by Jim Ryan (pseudonym C.S.White)




Jim Ryan has published a novel based on his climbing experiences in South America titled "A Patina of Frost". It is published under the pseudonym of C.S. Whyte by Pegasus Publishers.
Please note this is not the same Jim Ryan (big Jim) who leads walks.


Broadly the novel follows two men so different they are each others extreme, meet in the Argentinian city of Mendoza, where they join an expedition to trek into the Andes. David is young and inexperienced. He is reticent and troubled, and this restrains their initial encounter. Pete, thirty years his elder, is more casual and outgoing. He has come back to scale a mountain that beat him four years before. For David climbing the mountain will be the pinnacle of his recuperation from a serious car accident. It is Christmas, but neither is celebrating. For both men, the expedition is a form of escape.The trek brings the two closer, soon to become each other s confidant exposing their deepest secrets; meeting others from various countries each character more colourful than the last. Their mountain adventure presents the team of climbers with challenges as disaster strikes. Partnership and trust are cardinal as they struggle to cope.