READ THE SIGNS:

I take back most of what I implied about today’s leg. It was 34k long, 32 on the Ulster Way plus another 2 to my brother’s house – because, like, he too busy and important to bother his arse coming to get me (my hope is that my pretence of indignation will secure a further donation from him). Actually today’s was a surprisingly pleasant walk. 10K of rural road led to the outskirts of Newtownabbey where the council impressed me by cleverly finding a narrow largely green little corridor that traced its way from the hills all the way to the sea at Belfast Lough. And at the lough itself they have constructed a path right on the sea edge all the way into Belfast. True, you have the roar of the M2 motorway right beside you for some of the journey, and you do end up in the industrial Hades of Drumcrue, but full marks for effort.

What struck me most today is the fact that it is only walking that lets you take in the detail of a place. I know I have previously mentioned signs and the challenge of reading them from a speeding vehicle so today I deliberately took time to read the signs I passed, I attach few examples.

The first is a picture of a sign just outside Newtownabbey which possibly didn’t repay the time taken to examine it.

Park benches occasionally sport a sign or plaque, usually commemorating the death of a loved one who enjoyed the park. Well in Newtownabbey I noticed that some park benches sport up to 36 plaques. Possibly Newtownabbey benches are leased out like a type of time-shares for the departed, or maybe they are so expensive each one can only be procured by a consortium of the Dead. I found this odd, but not as unnerving as the later bench where if you chose to sit you will be guarded by 3 sinister cut-out figures, I don’t know how many napping drunks have awoken in the night to the terror of leering wrought iron lace spectres.

The last sign I spotted this in Belfast’s industrial shambles. It cleared up that long-standing question asked by curious children “where does my piss go when I flush the toilet​”, turns out the answer is Drumcrue street for processing and storage.

I have a rest day tomorrow when I will be attending the Huntington’s Association annual conference and AGM held at La Mon’s hotel. If you want to see what triumph over adversity looks like in the flesh pop along and meet some of the families who have taken this awful genetic condition by the throat and challenged it to do its worst. If you can’t attend but what to help you can make a donation at  Virgin Money Giving | Fundraising | Brendan Major versus the Ulster Way