Northern Ireland - 1st to 7th May 2017

A select band of 11 of the Reeth Amblers set off on 1 May in 4 cars, on a beautiful day to drive to various B&Bs for an overnight before catching the 1130 ferry to Belfast on Tuesday 2 May.  The ferry crossing was very smooth and we all duly disembarked for the drive to our hotel, The Enniskeen Country House Hotel on the outskirts of Newcastle, Co Down.  We all arrived at roughly the same time despite one or two or us having taken the “pretty” route.  The hotel is in a glorious setting at the foot of Slieve Donard in the Mountains of Mourne and far exceeded our expectations.  We had a very warm welcome and enjoyed tea on the terrace in some lovely spring sunshine. The next day, Wednesday, we met up with our walk guide, Eimear Flanagan, and we set off to do a linear walk of approx. 8 miles, the Brandy Pad, which is an old smugglers route through the Mountains of Mourne, only we did it from inland to the sea.  It was a fairly tough walk but we all made it and the weather was perfect. 

Brandy Pad Walk

 On Thursday, we set off for a circular walk from Ott Mountain, which took us up to and over the Mourne Wall.  We then contoured through a peaceful valley before going up a very steep slope – but we all made it and the views from the top were worth the effort.  We then followed a fairly gentle path down and back to the cars.  The sun shone but there was a cold wind.

Strangford Lough Ferry

We all took a day off from walking on Friday; 3 of the group went to Belfast to see the Titanic Exhibition while the rest of us drove to Mount Stewart on Strangford Lough.  Mount Stewart, which is a National Trust property, has recently undergone a £7 million refurbishment and is well worth a visit.  The gardens are superb.  We then drove in convoy to Portaferry to take the local ferry over Strangford Lough, followed by a delightful drive along the coast back to our hotel. 

Our last day, Saturday, we opted to go Silent Valley,  where 2 large reservoirs have been created along with various walking trails all of which seem to give lovely views of the surrounding mountains.  We then all drove down to the coast for an ice cream before going back to the hotel for one last get together on the terrace but this time with a nice glass of Prosecco and strawberries dipped in chocolate.  This was a chance to say thank you to Eimear for all her hard work on our behalf.

Silent Valley Reservoir

Our journey home on Sunday was uneventful; the ferry crossing was smooth and the weather was lovely.  We all stopped at the Inn on the Loch, Crocketford for a meal together before going our separate ways.  All in all, everyone had a great time and the rumour is that we plan to do it all again next year!

Margaret Lowery