Friday 1st
August DERRY - AN
CREAGAN - LOCH NEAGH
- ANTRIM - BELFAST
Another
moving day today, our second last in Ireland. Sigh. We’ve had a lovely day,
though, and just went with whatever was along the way to inspire us.
Lex was up
a bit after 6, but Jo and I both managed to sleep in until after 7. We woke to
a cloudy, grey morning, and got ourselves organised to depart by around 9. We
said goodbye to Derry, and drove across the double decker bridge (bottom level)
and headed west. We’d decided to go southwest and travel across the top of Loch
Neagh, which is a huge inland freshwater lake and the largest in the British
Isles.
We
travelled down through some obviously very pro-British towns and cities – there
were Union Jacks and red, white and blue everywhere. There were also a lot of
white flags with the red cross of St George, but with a red hand in a white
star. These are the Ulster Banner, the unofficial flag of Northern Ireland.
We stopped for morning tea at An Creagan, a holiday site in the middle of the boglands with a lovely café. We all enjoyed some freshly cooked scones and jam before going out to their pond area where we made friends with a lovely Irish kitty, and admired some examples of prehistoric items they had. The area is rich in prehistoric tombs and stone circles, apparently. It was a great place to stop for a break.
After that, we headed on, along the M2. We really wanted to see the loch, so we got off at Toome, and pulled up at the canal walk there. The canal doesn’t seem to be in use at present, but there is a lovely 500m walk along it to the top of the loch. We enjoyed the chance to walk off those scones and see the loch – it’s not as big as the Fairbairn Dam, but it’s a very good size.
From here, we were soon back on the M2 and heading for Belfast. We were going to arrive too early to book into our accommodation, so we decided to have lunch in Antrim on the way. I was just googling cafes, when we saw a sign for Antrim Castle Gardens. I quickly checked with the internet, and discovered that they had a café, so we navigated there. Antrim Castle was built in the 1600s in the Plantation period, but sadly was burned out completely in 1922 while the family were having a grand ball (arson was suspected but never proven). Its remains were demolished in the 70s, and the gardens and remaining buildings are now a lovely free park area for the townsfolk.
There were lots of people there, and we were lucky to get a park. We enjoyed looking at the garden – Jo and I were particularly taken with the carved statue of the Hound of Massereene. The brave wolfhound saved the lady of the house, Lady Marion Clotworthy, when she was attacked by wolves on the shore of Antrim Bay, and later saved the castle by warning that attackers were coming. What a GOOD dog! Sir Hugh Clotworthy had the statue carved in 1612 and placed on the battlements in his honour. We had lunch in the courtyard café there – which was all lovely, except I had a potato and leek soup which, to my surprise, was so spicy I could not eat it. In the end, I had to go and buy something else. After lunch, we went for a walk along the Sixmilewater, and admired the huge trees which have survived.
Finally, it was time to head for Belfast, which was just a short drive away. We found our accommodation easily, and let ourselves in. It’s a 3 storey Victorian, situated over a little coffee shop which our hosts run. It’s called Swan’s Rest, and has a lovely mural to suit. The front bedroom overlooks a large lake and recreation area with (you guessed it) swans swimming around. It’s a very nice house, but the annoying thing is that the bathroom/toilet is on the first floor, and the bedrooms on the 3rd floor. We have all decided we couldn’t live like this! The rooms are lovely, though – so big, and beautifully proportioned.
Lex was tired, so he went upstairs to have a nap while Jo and I put on a load of washing, then walked to the Tesco’s which is only a 5-minute stroll away. We checked out the neighbourhood and bought things for tea and to get us through until Sunday morning. Once we’d put the groceries away and hung out the washing, we went for a walk around the lake. The walking path is right up high, pretty much level with our second floor. It is just lovely, with views towards the city and the mountains. Lots of swans, geese, ducks and gulls, and so many families out enjoying the warm, sunny afternoon that had developed. There are two playgrounds, so lots of very happy kids and so many happy dogs being walked. We stopped and chatted to a nice young lad who was fishing (apparently they catch carp and eels there) and took multiple photos of the swans sailing serenely around. It was a lovely walk.
After we got back, Lex surfaced, and we put tea on. We had a Tesco’s chicken, leek and bacon pie (yum) with crispy potatoes and mixed green veges. Love the pre-prepared meals available here! Then I stewed some green apples we had left, and we had them with Dale’s Custard, which I have to say is the best bought custard I’ve ever had.
It’s been a
long day, so I hope we all sleep well tonight. We’ve got tomorrow to explore
Belfast.
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