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Delamont and Gibbs Island
Delamont Country Park is one of the few areas open to the public which give access to the shore of Strangford Lough. There is a short section of shore trail and a prominent hilltop with great views over Strangford, the low hills near Downpatrick and, on a clear day, the Mournes beyond. Gibbs Island is a wonderful tranquil reserve with lough side walking, old woodland with a herony, a rookery and intriguing hints of previous human occupation. Combining the two into a single walk gets around the very limited access and parking at Gibbs Island and adds the necessary distance to get your head and senses tuned in to this precious piece of Strangford shoreland.
Continue readingDivis and the Black Mountain
Belfast is a city surrounded by uplands – the silhouettes of Cave Hill, Divis, The Black Mountain and the Castlereagh and Holywood Hills form its backdrop. Yet these hills for most remain unvisited and unknown. This is partly owing to the usual Northern Ireland problem of general lack of public access, but now, in the case of Divis and the Black Mountain this is no longer a factor. If you haven’t made it there yet this walk should serve as an introduction to this expansive and rewarding area.
The area is owned and maintained by the National Trust who have provided two car parks, a café and a very well designed and maintained series of trails. There is no admission charge so if you can get yourself to the car parks this is a very accessible mountain experience just five miles from the heart of Belfast City.
Continue readingThe Hills of Mount Stewart
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Before first visiting the great mansion and Gardens of of Mount Stewart it would not be unreasonable to imagine it perched on an elevation with magnificent views over Strangford Lough to the distant Mountains of Mourne. In reality the house shelters in a hollow whose benign microclimate supports lush and verdant gardens which completely shield it from the world beyond.
However, the hills are still there and, thanks to the recent acquisition by the National Trust of land covering the whole of the historic demesne, this walk allows you to visit some of them.
Today we saw an Otter
Today we saw an otter eating its fishy breakfast just off the seawall walkway at Holywood. For 10 minutes it slipped in and out of view, sometimes just a raised line in the water, sometimes head up, jaws wide open and a fish clutched in its front paws and then a downward roll and just a magnificent tail slipping back below the water.
We were probably looking for seals (quite common here), or maybe Eider, but we were looking, and that makes all the difference!