Saturday 5th May 2018
Hudy’s Way, Moneyneany – 6.9 miles
After discovering this area in April, when we sampled Eagle’s Rock, we decided to revisit to tackle Hudy’s Way. We were blessed with fantastic weather a really warm, dry and sunny day, which only added to the enjoyment of the walk!
Hudy’s Way is classed as an easy to moderate circular walk so can be started at any point on the route. We chose to park up at the small parking area at Moydamlaght Forest, just outside the village of Moneyneany, 5 miles north-west of Draperstown in County Londonderry. Walking in a clockwise direction, we followed the trail into the forest.
It brought back great memories of our Eagle’s Rock Walk in April, especially as we rounded the first corner and saw the long trail uphill!
However, after about 300 metres, we took a right turn towards the forest boundary along a rather damp, grassy path. Crossing our first stile we soon picked up a section of boardwalk which led us towards a farm track where we spotted these cute lambs!
We continued down through the farmyard and on to some very quiet country roads.
Initially the sky was a bit overcast and there was low lying cloud over Mullaghmore. However, it was still fantastic to look back and pick out Eagle’s Rock and recall our lunch spot from last month!
The hedgerows were full of life, from delicate primroses to the vibrant yellow of the gorse bushes and their coconut aroma.
Before long we had reached our next signpost, turning right into the Fivemilestraight and back towards Moneyneany village. We stopped to chat with a couple of litter pickers involved in a community clean up. It was great to see the local community taking such pride in their village and surrounding countryside – well done Moneyneaney!
Heading out of the village we crossed over the Douglas River and found our next waymarker at Drumderg Road.
From here it was all uphill towards Crockataggart. We were looking forward to lunch but I think we must have been too relaxed in the sunshine and managed to miss a waymarker! We ended up slightly off course but managed to retrace our steps and were soon back on track. Needless to say, lunch was very welcome!
After lunch we crossed over the Drumderg River using the metal footbridge and into another field before joining the Dunlogan Road. The sun was breaking through and Mullaghmore was looking stunning against the blue skies.
We felt really privileged that this public right of way gave us access past old derelict farmsteads and through fields full of sheep and their lambs – truly magical!
The last couple of fields were a bit muddy in places and so we were very glad of our boots!
However the home stretch was along fairly quiet country roads, via Crockawilla, and we were soon back at the car.
We concluded our walk with some well earned apple pie at ‘Time Out’ in Draperstown. Another enjoyable walk with the added bonus of great company, coupled with sunshine and blue skies!
Walking Through 2017 and Beyond 