A friend was telling me the other day that he is just back from walking the Camino and told me of what he described as an epiphany that he had as he walked the mountainous paths of the Basque Country and Northern Spain. 

The Camino is a sacred walk that pilgrims of all faiths embark on as they walk the pathway from one stop to the next.

His story reminded me of a time that a friend and myself set sail on a ferry boat across the seven seas from Warrenpoint to Omeath as we prepared to set out on our Camino walk along the magical Cooley mountains. Our very own Camino right here on our doorstep, blessed with spectacular views of Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains.

It’s amazing how the surrounding beauty replaces the chattering mind of its never-ending stories. The further we walked, the more we found ourselves switching off our internal dialogue and tuning into Radio Now. That station opened us up to our surroundings with mother nature’s s breathtaking beauty of both sound and vision.

The bleating of the sheep grazing on the hillside, the cawing of the crows as they flew overhead, leaving no trace in the clear blue sky. The sound of running water from the clear fresh mountain stream. The fresh air flowing through your body, revitalising every cell, as you inhaled and exhaled to the rhythm of the moment.

All my fears, worries and anxieties melted away like snow off a ditch, and gradually, as if by magic, I became one with nature, as I found myself present in each step that I took.

In the Cooleys you always get a sense of history—the famous raid on Cooley by Queen Meabh and of course the legendary Táin Bó Cualaigne. Your heart is filled with joy that you wish to share with others. It’s as if we step with the rhythm of time and find ourselves being blessed with the oneness of this moment. That feeling of connection with everything and everyone.

That was my epiphany in the temple of the Cooleys. In the words of our very own poet Van Morrison: "No guru, no method, no teacher, just you and I and and nature in the garden."

There's definitely is something special about mountain danders that refreshes and renews the very cells of our being and we get charged with the sacred sense of connectedness.

I remember sailing back from Omeath to Warrenpoint a new man with a serene smile on my face.

Here we are blessed with our very own Caminos: the Cave Hill, Black Mountain, Colin Glen, the Mournes and Divis. And that's only to name a few.