Carnlough to Ballyboley Forest: E2 Day 34

A day with grand views from the edge of the Antrim plateau, out to sea towards Scotland.

Fortified by a cooked breakfast at the Londonderry hotel I was off down the A2 road again. Branching off onto a quieter road I reached the village of Glenarm, where the streets were silent, the river was still, the castle gardens were closed, and no shops were open, maybe as today was Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Maybe not as quiet as I thought as later in my walk, a man said he had seen me in Glenarm. I think I am invisible, or at least not memorable, but obviously not.

I started on the long climb from sea level up to the Antrim plateau, following a road for the first few kilometres then turning onto moorland where the Ulster Way remained for most of the day. After some difficulty with gorse bushes the track was well marked with posts, soon climbing up onto the plateau. Initially it shared the route with the International Appalachian Trail as well as the Antrim Hills Way. The posts had information boards attached, mostly about the minerals found here, which was strange as very little rock was exposed, all covered by rough grass, apart from a curiously shaped standing stone. The track had been reported as rough and muddy but it was considerably better than my experience near Trostan summit yesterday. Apart from a few muddy sections later in the walk, and one very muddy section in which my boot disappeared, it was easy walking on firm ground. Some of the stiles were high and wobbly but I managed to negotiate their widely spaced steps safely, if without elegance. 

Curiously shaped but apparently ancient standing stone.

View from the top

The most scenic parts of today's walk were above cliffs or steep drops at the edge of the plateau with from which you could look down to the sea. In the distance the island of Ailsa Craig and the coast of Scotland was visible, below a patchwork of fields and the towns of Ballygally and Larne. Larne was an alternative ferry port from which boats sail to Stranraer, where the E2 in Scotland begins, so I could have diverted there rather than heading for Belfast. But as Belfast has had such a prominent role in recent history it seemed that bypassing it would diminish the value of this trip around Northern Island.

Larne is in the distance.

Maybe as it was a public holiday for the funeral, many people were in the hills, often with their children, something which I am sure the Duke of Edinburgh, with his belief in outdoor activities, would have approved. Indeed I was told that people completed their D of E awards in these hills.

There were descents and ascents, in one broad pass between mountains construction work, maybe for wind turbines, forced a trail diversion. Once I spotted the white topped posts this detour was easy to follow. Later on, entering a forest a sign said "No Unauthorised Persons", no diversion was given nor was there an obvious alternative route. Most unhelpful. As it was 5:30 pm on a bank holiday I thought it unlikely anyone was working, in this I was correct although I had to struggle over a wide avenue of broken branches and mud.

Nearing the end of the Ballyboley forest and with populated farmland ahead I needed somewhere flat and discrete to pitch my tent for the night. On one side of the track the trees had been clear felled leaving uneven ground. On the other side, possibly due to the lack of shelter those trees had previously supplied, there was a long row of trees blown down by the wind, their shallow roots now vertical, exposed for all to see. Fortunately I found a grassy track between old trees and those more recently planted. After climbing up it a little way I discovered a moderately flat area for my camp. My only concern (apart from the gathering gnats) was that the track was made by motorbikes. I hoped they were not planning to drive up here tonight.

A gpx file of my route can be found on wikiloc.com and OutdoorActive.