Leg 36, last leg of my Ulster Way hike. 29K from the outskirts of Ballycastle to my starting point in Glenariff. My friend John dropped me at my Breen Wood start point on his way to spend the morning in the forest – the presence of a chain saw on the back seat of his […]
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SEA, WIND AND BATTERED AUSTRALIANS
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 […]
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CROWDS, AND PROGRESS FASTER THAN A SPEEDING TRAIN:
Leg 34, A very blustery 22k walk along the very edge of the country from Portstewart to The Giants Causeway. I am told that my constant companion on this walk was called “Abigal” the mid-Atlantic tropical storm now almost spent but shaking her withered fist at Ireland one last time before expiring. Logistical and transport […]
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LAWNS, TUNNELS AND THE SHOOTING OR HERDING OF CATTLE
Leg 33, Complicated two part hike today – Park one covered the 17k link section from Binevenagh to Magilligan Point, part two was 16k and consisted of the hike from Castlerock down the left bank of the Bann river to Coleraine then up the opposite bank to Portstewart. The reason WalkNI included the Castlerock to […]
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TREES, WIND AND AN ARSE LUGE DESCENT
Leg 32, from Cam forest to Castlerock, a long 35k leg with the extra distance over the planned 30k coming from adding the Binevneagh cliffs loop to today’s route rather than tomorrows. Rain was our constant companion all day and the rising damp from my boots met the seeping damp from my hood in the […]
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BISCUITS, SIGNAGE AND SMOKE FILLED DISHES:
Leg 31, a wet and windy start to today’s 30k hike over the two high obstacles of Benbradagh and Donalds Hill that lie between Dungivin and Cam forest. By mid-afternoon the rain did fade and eventually vanish but the high ground remained wind lashed all day, and the summit of Donalds Hill was only achieved […]
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Leg 30, a forest and road trail from Moneyneany to Dungivin officially 21k but actually 27k on the ground. The additional 6k came from a degree of wandering around looking for waymarker posts but mostly the extra distance came from a 4k navigational error that looped around probably the least attractive part of the route. […]
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SHEEP, QUOITS AND THE PROCLAIMERS
Leg 29, A long 34k from Gortin to Moneyneany in mist and a drizzle that had no ambition to ever become actual rain but hung around all day like a bored teenager pissing everybody off. The first 20k of the route is strikingly linear along the length of the Glenelley valley mostly using minor roads […]
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TYRE DAISIES AND PISSING OFF THE FAIRIES:
Leg 28, a walk of almost 30k through the start of the rolling hills that introduce the Sperrin Mountains. I walked from a spot just north of Gortin back to yesterday’s end point at the Ulster American Folk Park. In truth most of today’s walk might just as well have been on a stair-master in […]
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PEASANTS, CREATURES AND FRENCH MANAGERS:
Leg 27, Although this was a relatively short leg at just over 24k it did contain a bit of ascent up the twee named Bessy Bell Hill and it was conducted in either thick mist or thin fog (there is probably a meteorological difference between these two but the end result in terms of view […]
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