Leg 35, 27k along the northern coast from the Giant’s Causeway to Ballycastle – though actually walked in reverse from Ballycastle to better accommodate my walking companions for the day. The 10k from Ballycastle to the Rope bridge carpark at Larrybane is on road; but a road lifted directly from some video driving game full of hidden dips, blind bends, unmarked access roads, sharp corners, unexplained narrowings and widenings, and perhaps understandably populated by drivers who appreciate such things. So arriving at Larrybane unhurt felt like a small triumph.
Here I picked up my dog Oscail, brother in law David, my nephew Zac and my cousin Eimear for the walk to the Causeway. The National Trust warden on duty advised us to walk from rather than to the Causeway so the expected high winds would be at our back. David and Zac had just arrived from Australia were jet lagged, wearing borrowed clothing, and were completely unused to Irish winter conditions so naturally I declined the advice and we set off into the teeth of a strong wind.
Now yesterday I waxed enthusiastic about the views, and exhilaration of the walk from Portstewart to the Giants Causeway – well for those of you that don’t know this area I can confirm that the Portstewart section of the coastal route is actually the dull half Causeway path. The track we walked today hugged the cliff edge and the coves and bays of the headland open up one after another below us. In good weather the sea ripples and glints, black basalt sea-stack fingers hold caps of bright green sea grass above the sea swell, and the waters show a whole pallet of blues, greens and browns. In poor weather, like today, The waves crack and split far from the shore and the rolling surge breaks into foam and spray against the rocks below.
The tide was in our favour so we managed to walk around the headland rocks at either end of White Park Bay’s 2k long strand. Just before we entered that beach my GPS beeped to inform me that I had walked 1000k since I set out all those weeks ago. I resisted the temptation to stop immediately, ring for a cab and go directly home to a bath.
Eimear runs a tour company (Away-a-wee-walk) that provide wonderful guided walks along this stretch of coast and as I leaned more and more steeply into the strengthening head-wind I could just about hear her making sure David and Zac got the full value tour package “…in 1588, the Spanish Armada treasure ship the Girona foundered on the rocks below this point … slowly cooling lave spread over the limestone rocks … Finn McCool was a giant who … “. Fighting against the wind it was nearly 4 o’clock before we squelched our way into the lobby of the Causeway Hotel. David had the face of a man confident that his decision in the 1980s to emigrate to Australia was the correct choice while Zac seemed unsure if what he had just experienced was adventure or abuse.
I spent the night in Ballycastle with my friends John and Sarah, Sara’s Facebook alter ego The Woman Next Door ensured that I had a splendid dinner and though I had planned an early night we had to sort out both Northern Ireland politics and the Middle East so it was nearly eleven o’clock before I got to bed. Tomorrow’s forecast is for heavy rain for my last day’s hike over the Antrim Hills and home.
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