How tinny we were today with the weather! There was heavy rain
throughout the night and as we set off this morning, it looked like there was
still plenty to come. We crossed the gentle lush farmland of County Coleraine
and into County Antrim, seeking a route not yet travelled, through Moss-side
and Armoy, then arriving on the edge of Ballycastle after sweeping around the
south and east of Knocklayd, the summit of which stands at 517 ASL. The western
path followed the flow of Glenhesk, the most northern of the Glens of Antrim.
“Glen” is defined as “a narrow
valley especially in Scotland and Ireland”, a geographical feature that is
formed of course by a river. Here on the northwest corner of Ireland, County
Antrim celebrates nine such rivers that have carved their way down from the
Antrim Hills, the other geographically celebrated feature of the county. And
the most northern of these were to be the focus of our trip today.
We left the more major A2, taking the narrow minor roads out
toward the coast, to Torr Head. Small roads wind their way incredibly steeply
down to farms near the shore, and we did venture part way down to one of these,
then considered that our arrival may not be altogether welcome.
As we climbed back up to the through road, Chis spoke about the
effort required to leave the farm for supplies especially in times past before
powerful motor vehicles. I flippantly suggested they might do better to row
over to Scotland for their milk and bread, because the Mull of Kintyre is in
fact within sight of this coast, as well as various Scottish islands. Yesterday
when we were walking toward the bridge at Carrick-a-Rede, we had seen the
outline of Scottish mainland, and further west we had spotted the same silhouette
while able to look back in the opposite direction and see Inishowen, the most northern
peninsula of County Donegal, this meaning we were able at that moment to see
three different countries.
Today as we travelled these roads of east Antrim, we passed lovely
hedgerows of vibrant fuschia, still peaking here further north, and rosehips, and
the inevitable gorse. The rowan trees are just lovely at the moment with their
bright red berries, and of course and remarkably there are always the New
Zealand cabbage trees and the odd hebe to create a little nostalgia. And best
of all there were patches of blue sky and periods of sunshine.
Further south of Torr Head, we paused at a view point high above
Loughan Bay, and here we learnt that until the mid-1800s, the settlers along
this section of the coast did indeed travel across to Scotland, at this point
just twelve miles away, this an easier option that trying to access nearby
market towns by land. Many of these settlers were of Scottish origin, having
been part of the Plantation of the 1600s.
Here as in so many places about Ireland, the North little
different than the Republic in this regard, remains of cottages stand as
memorials to the mass emigration of the 1800s.
A little further south of here, descending steeply yet again, we
arrived at Cushendun situated at the foot of Glendun. This little safe harbour
has been used for a very long time, by those travelling between Ireland and
Scotland, long before the Plantation settlers arrived. High above the village
sit the remains of Castle Carra, once owned by Shane O’Neill and a fine
watchtower for the comings and goings below.
However the village that greets the traveller today is rather
special, not only because much of it has been under the administration of the
National Trust since 1954.
Welsh architect Bertrum Clough Williams-Ellis, he who created the
Italianate village of Portmeiron in North Wales, was called upon by Ronald John
McNeill, Baron Cushenden to design the village and in 1912, he did just that. The
Cornish village effect is obvious and the rows of white washed cottages and a
variety of other styles make this rather special. 
We walked the trail about the village suggested by the National Trust
notice board, a nature trail up the river and through the woods that lie behind
the Glenmona House and then back along the seafront. Red squirrels live in the
woods here although we saw none today. We crossed the bridge to meet the sculptured
goat and learned that he represented the last animal to be culled in the foot
and mouth outbreak in the spring of 2002.
Leaving Cushendun, we climbed back up the valley and over to the
next little town, this Cushendall, where Glenaan and Glenballeymon meet. We
passed on through without stopping, slowing down for Glenariff in Red Bay named
for the red of the iron ore which was mined here in the 1800s.
The Glenariff Iron Ore and Harbour Company was formed in 1873 to
mine the Glenariff tract, Production reached a peak in 1877 when almost 13,000
tons of first quality ore was extracted. There was a burst of production in
1882, however the following year the mines closed. Cargoes of the mined ore were
taken out through the harbour to Bristol Channel ports. No plans remain of the
mines today, only the zigzag of the railway track and grassed over mine dumps marking
the blocked entrances to the addits offer evidence of past industry.
Our destination was up the valley away from the bay, the Glenariff
Forest Park where one pays £5 to park for the day and undertake the walks about
the park or linger in the inevitable tearooms. We parked so we could enjoy the
view down the valley and across the Irish Sea as we ate our lunch and drank our
cups of coffee, then set off on the Waterfall Walk.
The area around Glenariff was opened up to
the tourist industry in 1889, very soon after the closure of the mines and folk
like us have been climbing the paths, the bridges and stepped steep rocky gorges
ever since. The path follows the flow of the river, tannin coloured from the
upland bogs, as it cascades down in the most spectacular way. It really is
quite lovely, but as the descent is steep, the return one and a half kilometres
was surely to be the same? Happily the ascent is on long more gently inclined
paths, slowly zigzagging back to the top, still an effort and better walked in
the clockwise direction we took today. 
The Park, which includes the former Parkmore
Forest, covers an area of 1,185 hectares of which 900 hectares have been
planted in trees. The remainder consists of several small lakes, recreation areas
and open space left for landscape and conservation reasons. The main tree species
are Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, Japanese larch, Lodgepole pine and Norway spruce.
High above the park, waterfalls drop over the
edge of the surrounding cliffs, and today after the rain, very spectacularly. Chris remarked that £5 was
expensive for a walk, and so it is, but the park is lovely and the views are spectacular,
and although we were probably only there for a couple of hours, we could have
filled a whole day walking longer trails had we so wished.
From here we headed home, but by another roundabout route, taking
the B64 through Clogh and Glarryford to Kilrea, then north back to Coleraine
following the River Bann. By the time we hit the Ring Road, it was absolutely
pouring with rain. We decided to leave our shopping until tomorrow morning; the
park here allows for rather late departures.
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