This February we celebrated Local Guide’s 10th anniversary like hundreds of other members around the world. Local Guides program has emerged as one of the most vibrant community of volunteers that take pride in helping millions around the world. While many Local Guides marked the milestone worldwide with photo walks, online meetings, and efforts to update local business listings, four of us embarked on a hiking meetup on a cold windy February morning in the South East of Ireland. We picked one of the gems of this region, the Dunmore East Cliff Walk, a tough 5km coastal path that highlights the wild beauty of Ireland’s southeast coast.
Thanking other Local Guides who kept the location updated and helped us to plan our meetup with ease. All thanks to Google Maps, which is in my opinion more than a tool for us at this stage. As Google Maps also turned 20, this meetup was to acknowledge all the work and heavy lifting that goes behind these tools and programs.
Our meetup started at Dunmore East Harbour , a little fishing town where waves battered old docks. Though the trail’s beauty soon lifted our spirits, gusts of wind whirled around as we set off. The Cliff Walk winds past quiet coves, and along spectacular cliffs. We stopped near the beginning at Shipwreck Cove, where half-buried skeletal remains of a 19th-century vessel lie in sand.
The path led to Ladies’ Cove, a vantage point from which jagged sea stacks emerged from the turquoise sea. Here we observed the steep, rocky portions of the trail and flagging areas where hikers might have to exercise extra care. Later we stopped at Portally Cove, a peaceful beach only reachable at low tide. We changed parking information, fixed trail markers, and even added a small post-hike café to Maps, proof that every little contribution counts.
Although the weather didn’t cooperate, but we still decided to reach the half-way point and called it a day. Local Guides all around have sent over billions updates in ten years. That is over one billion times someone, somewhere felt more connected, informed, or inspired.
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” That change occurs subtly for Local Guides; through revised maps, new images, and honest reviews. Here’s to the next ten years of discovery and a decade of transforming little actions into worldwide influence.
Here’s a link to the shared photo album
Thanks
P.S. special thanks to @DavidTerronPla and Florian for making this meetup memorable and sharing so many wonderful stories.
