Coast To Coast Challenge

Dublin Simon Community Coast To Coast Challenge

Trip Price:

The registration fee is €200, and the total then to be raised is €1,800.The breakdown of the total money is;

• €1,000 covers the hotel, bus & all food costs
• €1,000 is the sponsorship for Dublin Simon Community

The Trip:

Total Walking Distance: 188 miles
Average hours walking: 7-8 hours – 3 miles per hour

Getting There:

Our trip starts in Dublin and ends in Newport, Co. Mayo.
We will meet on Sat 6th September 2008. Meeting point will be given nearer the trip.

Trip Difficulty:

This walk is classified as easy; it has no steep hills, no difficult terrain. It follows the Royal Canal Way for half of its length and that section is all on canal towpaths which range from tarmac through gravel to grass.
The second half of the route is on tarmac, on minor roads and lanes, and allows for good progress. One five mile section is on a gravel bog road.
While it may be classified as easy, it should not be undertaken lightly, it is a long walk by any standards.
Stamina will be important, the distance overall is over 180 miles, but anyone of average fitness can complete this walk with a bit of preparation.
Our experience has been that the trip delivers a tremendous sense of achievement to participants.
Anyone who manages to complete it will be a member of a very exclusive group; the number of people who have walked coast to coast in Ireland is probably very small indeed.
Doing it with a group like this, supported by a backup team that moves luggage and provides tea break and lunch facilities along the route, is a much easier option than trying to do it alone.

Accommodation and Food:

Staying in 3* and 4* hotels along the way breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal will be provided.

Do you want to add to the story, can you walk the walk?

Last year 19 people made the extraordinary journey from the Coast of Dublin to the beautiful Coast of Mayo in Western Ireland .
It was such a great experience that many of them have already signed up for this years walk.
So the question is, would you like to retrace these historical steps with Author John Mulligan whilst raising vital funds for the Dublin Simon Community?

Who Were The Flannery’s – The Story

In the early 1860’s four young men left their families smallholding in the West of Ireland and set out to walk the 120 or so miles to Dublin. This was the first leg of a journey that brought them to New Zealand, where they found themselves at the centre of an extraordinary story.

Nearly a hundred and fifty years later Author John Mulligan set out to walk the same route, and in doing so he found time to consider the story of the four Flannerys and their achievements. This is not just his story, but theirs as well, and even by modern day standards it is an amazing tale.

References:

Following in The Footsteps of the Four Flannerys - A walk across Ireland from Coast to Coast including the Royal Canal Way by John Mulligan - each person who signs up for Coast to Coast 2008 will receive a signed copy of this book by Author John Mulligan. For more information, visit the Four Flannery's website.
How to apply for this walk:
• Download our application form and our fundraising agreement from our website www.dubsimon.ie
• E-mail us at fundraising@dubsimon.ie
• Or Contact Kelly on 01 671 5551
Coast to Coast 2007 Feedback:

“The concept of the trip was great and the challenge was attainable”.

“Exhausting, fun, agony, craic and laughs, physically and mentally challenging!”.

“Having John Mulligan along the way was great!”

“A wonderful project, very well organised - and the route of it was very clever”.

Dublin Simon Community:
We are a charity working to end homelessness in Dublin and were founded in 1969 by a group of students in Trinity College who started by going out at night with sandwiches and soup for rough sleepers.
We have expanded and progressed since then - not only do we offer soup and sandwiches but a friendly face to offer advice, information and provide opportunities for rough sleepers to link in with our services.
We have 14 services in total, including the Soup Run, Supported Housing, Emergency Shelter, Aftercare, Addiction Services, Tenancy Sustainment, Social Club, and Learning and Development services.
Over 2000 people in Dublin are homeless, trapped in emergency hostels and B&B’s, with many sleeping rough. Dublin Simon offers real hope for the future to Dublin’s most needy and by supporting our fundraising you can make a real difference to someone’s life!

Dublin Simon Community