Saturday 21st October 2017
Glenariff Forest Park – 5.8 miles
The weather forecast for our walk around Glenariff Forest Park was not great – Storm Brian was on route & it sounded grim! We arrived just after 10am and were met with a slight shower as we headed towards the waterfalls trail. Glenariff means ‘valley of the ploughman’and is known as The Queen of the Glens.
As we approached the first of many waterfalls we passed ferns and mosses growing out of the rock face. The sound of the Inver River intensified as we got closer, before we were met with spray from the falls. The force of nature was amazing, awakening the senses!
We continued on the walkway alongside the peat coloured Inver River. The walkway is an amazing piece of engineering in construction & you have to marvel at the efforts which must be required in it’s upkeep.
After passing the Laragh Lodge, we crossed over the bridge to witness another fantastic fall, this time Ess-na-Crub ‘fall of the hooves’.
Continuing on we were following the scenic trail which involved a steep ascent towards the ridgeline of the walk. It was tough going at times but we were rewarded with some amazing views of the valley below and the surrounding farmland leading down to Cushendall and Waterfoot.
The weather was holding up & the walk was not disappointing as the scenery continued to change as we descended towards the river again. Crossing the river near the old ford we had reached the upper end of the trail and we were ready for a lunchbreak!
After lunch some misty rain set in so the last stretch of our walk was a bit damp.
Shorter than our normal walks, but it was just great to be out and about after the grim forecast! And a coffee stop at the ‘Creamery Can’ helped round off a great autumnal walk.
Walking Through 2017 and Beyond 