Trailhead Newsletter
December 2025
Migrations!
Each winter, migratory birds arrive into Ireland and the UK from redwings, fieldfares, geese and other seasonal visitors escaping harsher northern weather. Their instinctive journeys remind us that this season has always been shaped by movement.
The Christmas story also begins with a journey. Mary and Joseph travelled 150km from Nazareth to Bethlehem to comply with a Roman census. This was a difficult trip that ended with no room to stay. That moment of uncertainty still resonates today, and this year we are supporting a Christmas Appeal to raise funds for Focus Ireland. You’ll find more details about our Mystery Trail Box initiative further below.
This month’s newsletter explores migration in wildlife, in history, and in the human stories that shape the landscapes we walk.
Beara Way
This month’s Trail of the Month heads to the Beara Way with Wonderful Ireland. After two decades designing walking holidays in the region, Peter Galvin knows every inch of the trail and he’s sharing his favourite sections, secret viewpoints, and planning advice.
Wonderful Ireland are offering €100 Off all Beara Way packages this December, simply mention Trailhead when booking to receive the discount.
LIVE Q&A Session!
We are delighted to announce our first Live Q&A Text Session on the Beara Way with Peter on Tuesday, 16th December at 8pm (Irish time). To register and send in your questions, drop us a line at asktheexpert@trailheadnewsletter.com, and we will send you a reminder an hour before we go live.
Beara Way
On our first Live Q&A Session, on the 16th December, we talked with Peter Galvin from Wonderful Ireland and asked him some of Your Questions about the Beara Way.
Birds to Watch Out For
Discover the remarkable birds that arrive in Ireland and the UK each winter. From soaring geese to swirling murmurations, our landscapes fill with life when the weather cools. Here’s what every walker should know to spot these seasonal visitors along the trail.
Greatest Navigation Mystery
The cuckoo’s call is familiar, but the journey behind it is astonishing. A chick raised by foster parents somehow migrates alone from Ireland to Africa, guided only by instinct and the natural world. How does a bird with no experience know where to go?
Five Trails with Human Stories
Migration isn’t just a modern headline, it is written into the land beneath our feet. This month we explore five remarkable trails shaped by ancient travellers, exiles, settlers, and survivors. Each route invites walkers to step into a story carried across centuries.
The Refugee
Introducing Walk in My Shoes. This will be a monthly feature that invites us to consider the journeys others take. We begin with the walk of the refugee. Steps shaped by fear, hope, and necessity. A quiet reflection on their extraordinary endurance and the stories we rarely see, especially meaningful at this time of year.
Homeless Charity Fundraiser
This Christmas, we are supporting Focus Ireland through a limited run of Mystery Trail Boxes. Each box includes three trail guides or maps for €10. They’re older editions, but still full of ideas and inspiration. With every bundle sold €5 goes directly to Focus Ireland to help provide vital homelessness services.
Everyone has the right to a place they can call home. In Ireland, more than 16,000 people are experiencing homelessness. Your support can make a real difference. Help us work towards ending homelessness for good. Learn more at www.focusireland.ie.
Adding a Touch of Zen
Even the most familiar walk holds a point where something shifts. The view widens. The mind quietens. The world seems to pause. This new monthly feature invites you to identify one such place on your daily route, name it, and give it meaning. A simple gesture, but one that can transform an ordinary walk into a journey with intention, anticipation, and a moment of stillness at its heart.
We begin this month with the Point of Zen.
Winter Garden Birds
Seasonal visitors are arriving in gardens across Ireland and the UK, offering great chances for close-up bird photography. This month’s workshop teaches you how to capture them using just your phone. Submit a photo to join in. One participant will be chosen at random for a Silva Pocket Binoculars prize.
Last Month's Workshop
Last month’s workshop tackled night photography with a mobile phone. It seems the darkness won. We had no public entries for the binoculars draw, maybe because nobody could see their phone screen to click 'send'. The prize has rolled forward to this month. Meanwhile, here are some of our own night photos.
Latest Updates
Just Arrived: Read about the latest publications and special offers now available on our Trailhead websites.