Britain 09 - Day 12

Introduction

Despite the intermittent rain and gloomy conditions, we decided to continue with our plan to drive around the Glens of Antrim. There are 9 main glens:

• Glenarm - The glen of the army, with Glenarm village, eleven miles north of Larne, on the famous Causeway Coastal Route.
• Glencloy - The glen of the hedges, two miles north of Glenarm, with the village of Carnlough at its foot.
• Glenariff - The arable or fertile glen, the best-known of the nine as the 'Queen of the Glens', sweeps majestically towards the village of Waterfoot.
• Glenballyemon - Edwardstown glen, at the foot of which is Cushendall - more of less at the centre of the nine glens.
• Glenaan - The glen of the colt's foot or rush lights, a rugged glen - having the site of the legendary Ossian's grave, with the Cushendall-Ballymoney mountain road.
• Glencorp - The glen of the slaughtered, close by Glenaan and roughly parallel to the main road from Cushendall to Cushendun.
• Glendun - The glen of the brown river, adjacent to Cushendun village; spanned by a viaduct on the main Cushendall-Ballycastle road.
• Glenshesk - The sedgy glen, east of the town of Ballycastle, and sweeping towards the ruins of historical Bonamargy friary.
• Glentaisie - Named after 'Taisie', princess of Rathlin Island, roughly west of Ballycastle and, like Glenshesk, close to the town

Our first locality was the old beech trees that form a covered lane. A photo of the trees features in many tourist brochures and websites of the area, but none give the location. We discovered the lane was named Bregagh Road, and it was the old entrance lane to the golf course. Armed with a topographic map of the area and the location of the golf course we set off and soon found the location. With the sun trying to shine through the misty conditions, the lighting was ideal.

We then drove back to the coast at Ballycastle and took the coastal road around Murlough Bay. This stretch of coast had been recommended to us by an enthusiastic local that we shared a drink with back in Glengarriff. I am sure that if we had been able to see the coast through the mist it would have lived up to her hype! Then we went on to Cushendun, found a cafe for lunch and viewed the houses designed by the Welsh architect Clough Williams Ellis (of Portmeirion fame). The inland road took us up through Glendun and back down Glenaan to Cushendall. Then back along the A2 to The Nook, the local pub at the Causeway. For our evening dinner, we drove into Bushmills and dined at the stylish Bushmills Inn. This is based on an old coaching inn, suitably modernised. The restaurant was well-run and the staff were cheerful and accommodating. The menu was inviting, but I felt that the food and presentation lacked some of the flair that had been presented to us elsewhere for a similar price. Overall, a pleasant evening but overpriced.

The Beech Trees of Antrim

The avenue of beech trees on Bregagh Road looking north	Looking south along the avenue	Fungi from the recent rain...
The trunk of the old beech tree	Looking up into the canopy	A reminder of the location

Murlough Bay and Coolranny

The coastal road took us out to Torr and Murlough Bay. The rain thickened and the remaining view disappeared. We wended our way around to Cushendun.

The sign at Torr was about all we could see	More of the sign	The view to the east through the mist
From Torr Head looking inland	The fuschia hedgerow in the rain	What we might have seen at Coolranny
The church at Coolranny	The view over Cushendun Bay	A very wet pony oblivious to the view over Cushendun

Cushendun

We arrived in Cushendun as the rain eased to occasional showers, giving us the chance to see some of the town, the rivermouth and to find the local cagfe and get some lunch. The cafe had downsized after the summer (!) crowds, so we sat in the basement section adjacent to the kitchen. Here the cook held court with a few locals, ably assisted by her equally well fed daughter. There was barely enough room in the kitchen for them both.

The description of Cushendun harbour	And Village	The sandy beach at Cushendun
Cushendun Hotel, now converted to apartments	Apartments overlooking the harbour	The river mouth at Cushendun
The houses at Cushendun designed by Clough Williams Ellis	More of the houses	The Maude Cottages also designed by Williams Ellis
Closer view of Maude Cottages	The cottages end-on and their name	Glenmona House, restored by Williams Ellis and now a day-care rest home

The Glens of Glendun and Glenaan

Inland from Cushendun the local road climbs up Glendun, passing under the viaduct that carries the main highway. Further up the glen the watershed is reached where the road crosses over and descends Glenaan.

Glendun

The signpost for Ballure	Looking across the glen, with the main road descending to the right	Looking up the glen to the road viaduct
The view down valley	About to drive under the viaduct	Beaghs, a small valley on the side of the glen
The stream at Beaghs, with a sheep crossing the river	Across the glen near the top	Up Glendun and down Glenaan, from Cushendun to Cushendall

Glenaan

Peat cutting site in Glenaan	Moss growing on the peat	Heather on the peat
More mosses	Coming down Glenaan, into the misty rain	Nearing Cushendall

Carrick-a-Rede

This tourist trap, dressed up as an historic fishing site, attracts thousands of tourists each year, all to walk across a substantial suspension bridge. The view from the carpark and visitor centre takes in the north coast, with views across to the Mull of Kintyre and Scotland.

The location map

West to Larrybane

East to Carrick-a-Rede

Even the roads are getting into the low-salt diet!

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Last updated: 16/06/2017