17-02-2008 Ballyhornan to Ardglass (and back)
A Coastal Outing for Walking Club
February found the Mid-Ulster Walking
Club travelling to the Lecale area of County Down for a gentle walk from
Ballyhornan to Ardglass and back again. The Club’s coastal walks are
always popular and over thirty people set out from the car park above
Ballyhornan Bay.
Just offshore lay Guns Island. It was a little to the north of the
island that the French ship ‘Amity’, carrying arms and canon for the
1798 rebellion, struck rocks and foundered. One of the coastal paths,
‘The Steersman Path’, remembers the sole forlorn survivor who found
refuge amongst the local population.
Today there were no indications of such drama, with the sea calm and a
bright sun penetrating a cloudy but clearing sky. The walkers headed
south along the shore and then, following an obvious path, up onto the
grassy cliff-tops. Very few other walkers would be met, but a local
collie dog, eager for some company and sport, soon attached itself to
the group and joined them for the day.
The walkers continued on past little coves and beaches and rugged
promontories where visible layering in the bare rock bore witness to
geological processes and pressures. Sheepland Harbour, lonely and
deserted, was reached and gradually Ardglass began to draw near. Seals
were spotted in the waters below and basking in the sunshine on the
rocks.
Lunch was taken on a height near Phennick Point, looking across Ardglass
harbour at the town spread out beyond. Finally shouldering their
rucsacks once again the walkers set about retracing their steps the five
miles back to Ballyhornan. It was now a beautiful afternoon with blue
skies and a sun-dazzled sea.
In due course all were safely returned. The walk had not been a
demanding one, but on such a fine day it was simply a pleasure to be out
and able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the shore.
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9-03-03 Three Counties 'The Tra Walk'
A seventeen-strong party assembled in
Knockatallan, County Monaghan, when the Mid-Ulster Walking Club met in
early March for a walk on Sliabh Beagh. Rain was expected later in the day
but for now the morning was dry though extremely cold and breezy.
From the village the walkers began a long climb, gaining height gradually
but steadily, following first a quiet road and then a track as they moved
out into the wide open spaces of the mountain slopes. Once the track ended
the going became more difficult, the terrain being one of hummocky grass
and soft bog. But the group continued on its way undeterred, from Eshbrack
to Crockanalbanagh and onwards.
The Three Counties Hollow was now spied, a rather anonymous depression but
one where, with a couple of steps, the walkers could place themselves in
Monaghan, Fermanagh or Tyrone. It was now just a short stride to Sliabh
Beagh’s highest point at Doocarin (366 m). From here a remarkably
extensive view, given the mountain’s modest height, stretched down into
the Irish midlands and for many miles around. On the horizon the Cooley
Hills and the Mournes were visible to the east and Slemish could just be
seen in the north.
Pressing on the walkers reached Shane Barnagh’s Stables, a crest of ground
beside a small lake. The name relates to a seventeenth century outlaw, a
rustler and extortionist, who reputedly used this spot. The cold grey
waters of the lake did not invite exploration for the loot said to reside
in their depths.
A dark cloud was now hurrying towards the walkers and they pushed on
quickly before it, finding their way down to Mullynavale and into
Mullaghfad Forest, where they were finally overhauled by a mixture of
sleet and hail.
However the day’s weather was proving unexpectedly kind. The shower was
brief and the final section of the walk, back now on roads, was very
pleasant, with a fresh, clean air, vibrant colours and warm bright
sunshine.
Knockatallan eventually materialised ahead and soon another walk was
concluded. |
