The Mountain Pass is a National Lottery Community Funded walking and mindfulness pilot programme that commenced in November 2022.

The programme is being delivered in collaboration with Nightingales Recovery Café and is attended by people who are at different stages of recovery from alcohol or substance misuse. Each week the group meet up to undertake a 3-5 mile walk starting from different locations across the Wirral with the intention of building up their fitness so they can complete a longer Challenge Walk. The participants also get access to a ten-week mindfulness programme supported by a mindfulness coach.

The very first Mountain Pass Challenge Walk took place on 3 May 2023 and was to Moel Famau in North Wales. Moel Famau is the highest hill in the Clwydian Range and the highest point of the county of Flintshire in Wales. It lies on the boundary between Denbighshire and Flintshire. The hill, which also gives its name to the Moel Famau country park, has been classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1985.

A group of eleven including walk leaders boarded the minibus at Nightingales Café at 9.30 a.m. and by 10.45 a.m. they were on their way up Moel Famau. The weather was fantastic so the views of North Wales as they accented the hill were breath-taking and by mid-day they had reached the top. They all climbed up onto the remnants of Jubilee Tower to take in the spectacular panoramic views and there they stopped for a well-earned lunch break before descending back down the hill.

The 7.5km walk took the group approximately 2.5 hours to complete and was an amazing experience for all involved. Joey Dillon The Mountain Pass Project Co-ordinator said ‘It was a brilliant day. Everyone did a great job completing what was a challenging walk, they should all be very proud of their achievement.’