A new/old Sunday Dander for me – Fair Head Ballycastle

Having dandered mainly inland this year, I decided for this dandering Sunday to walk a walk that I have actually done before but over 30 years ago and I though it was time I revisited it to see (a) if it was still awesome and (b) could I still do it.

Ballycastle is basically right up in the top of Norn Iron to the right of the Giant’s Causeway

and as you can see has Rathlin Island a couple of miles off shore. Rathlin is a strange island famed for the story of Robert the Bruce and the spider where Bobbie having had his bottom spanked by the English at the battle of Perth in silly long ago time may (or may not) have hid in the Uaigh na gColman (Cave of the Pigeon) on Rathlin and saw a spider having problems spinning a web the spider kept trying and encouraged Bobbie the Bruce to “try try and try again”

Rathlin aside, as it is a trip for another weekend, Ballycastle is backed by the lowering lump that in Knocklayde another fine and thigh bursting dander.

and flanked by the imposing sea cliffs of Fair Head and it is Fair Head I am headed for today, from the car park in Ballycastle Harbour over land to Fair Head, down in to Murlough bay and then back by road to the car

Now I have to add at this point this is NOT a Sunday afternoon wander in the country! You should not attempt this walk if you are less than reasonably fit, not scared of heights and equipped with stout waterproof boots, waterproofs and a decent walking stick. The going in the off road bits is always wet, sticky and in some places very very very vertical!

Also be aware that you are crossing farm property at the top of the cliffs so do not leave gates open, watch out for livestock and most importantly do not drop litter like fecking confetti at some deranged wedding. (I hate this hate hate hate it)
The route is relatively simple, park your car on the Promenade or Harbour Car Park in Ballycastle and head towards the beach, cross the River Margy on the foot bridge and walk the full length of the beach. When you get to then end take notice of Pan’s Rocks and for those eagle eyed enough walk half way out over the bridge and look at the rocks on the other side of the pool and you may be able to pick out a face carved in the rock

The face it that of a man that a lady was forbidden from  marrying or seeing ever again by her sisters. So if she could not marry the man she wanted he vowed never to marry anyone. She went out to the rock every day for weeks to carve the face of her lover, returning each evening with bleeding hands

One day when working in the fields she had a fit and gave birth to baby girl and nearly bled to death in the field. Her lover the man who she could never see again picked her up and took her to the Doctor in Ballycastle. Overcome with sadness at the thought of never being able to see his love and his newborn daughter, he threw himself into the sea and drowned.

The woman and her daughter survived and she would go out to the carving and weep for her lost love, and her wails were heard above the lashings of the sea even in winter.

That’s the story or it could just be some ancient graffiti … who knows?

Where was I .. oh yes.. the route, come off the beach and up onto the road and keep on until you reach a junction that points up the hill to Corrymeela ,a place worthy of a library of posts all to itself. Corrymeela in Irish means “Hill of Harmony” and at the top of the road is a centre for reconciliation bearing the same name as the hill. You can find out more here. It was a place I spent many many summers with the rest of Clan McDonagh and I have many many pleasant memories.

Ignore the turn and keeping the sea to your right keep on the road towards Fair Head
You will pass the entrance to the North Star Mine, a small tunnel on the right and to the left you will see a natural rock formation that points to the north star, called the north star Dyke. Ballycastle used to have coal mines and this is one of them. The coal was low quality shale coal and the mines closed when better coal was found in Northern England and Scotland.

The road ends at a small cottage now largely rebuilt as a private dwelling. This cottage is known locally as Marconi’s cottage for twas there than the gentleman of the same name is meant to have played around with the first Wireless transmissions over water. This may or may not be true, but the name has stuck and Marconi’s cottage it remains.

Take the path to the right of the drive to the cottage and start the path.

This path is NOT big, it is always wet and bits of it have some pretty vertical drops into the sea so BE CAREFUL and take your time! Pick your way through bracken, boulders and some of the most stunning scenery on the North Coast, with Rathlin to your left, the cliffs of Fair head to the right, the causeway coast behind you and Scotland only 14 miles away in front of you.

Keep following the path until you come to a waterfall, cross the stream below the style and head for a tractor path to your right. You can try going up a path beside the waterfall but this is VERY slippery so use caution.

Follow the path up, up up and up some more until you reach a 6 bar gate. You will notice a path leads on to the east. Beware this leads you into the Boulder Field at the base of the cliffs and this way maddness lies. It is possible to navigate the boulder field, but great care is needed

as it is slippery and there are some very deep cravasses. If you do attempt to cross it take a sharpknife and watch “127 hours” before you do. Also tell someone you are doing it and take some form of communication with you. Basically I would caution you not to bother as it takes HOURS to get any distance, is very tiring and very very very dangerous!

Climb over the gate and keep following the path until you get to the top of the cliffs. You will notice a wall running up to your left, leave the path and follow this wall keeping the cliffs to your left and you will soon find the cliff path. Remember you are on farmer’s land now.. Keep to the country code!!

Follow the path and you first come to Lough Dhu (Black lough) which has a run off over the cliff, follow the edge of the lough around (Quite boggy) and cross just at the edge of the cliff.

Keep on the path for another 1.5 km and you will come to the Gray Man’s Path, a Very steep crack in the cliff with a bridge made by a fallen slab. There is a path down thru the cleft but is it very slippery and takes you down into the hell that is the boulder field. But if it is dry and you are feeling energetic it clambering down does afford you some beautiful views. Today was way way to wet, so I admired the view down and had a cup of coffee and some Tayto Pickled Onion Crisps and a mars bar instead 😉

Keep following the path along the cliff edge all the while remembering that there is a 200m drop just to your left! To your right you will have lovely views of Lough Crannagh which has in the middle a Crannog.

 

This is a late bronze age man made island and was the precursor of the modern “Panic Room” if you were being attached you vamoosed over to the crannog with your family and prize possesions and waited till the danger passed.

 

 

Keep on going and you will eventually come to a view of Murlough Bay below you and a track that leads in land, so you have a choice .. you can

continue on the cliff path that will eventually lead you down to Murlough Bay Road or you can follow the track back along the shores of Lough Crannagh. Since it was Pishing down mightly I took the track back towards civilisation but did get as far as a decent view of Murlough Bay.

Follow the track back and you will come to a farm walk through the farm yard and you will pick up a metalled road which you just follow back to Ballycastle. There is a pub about 2 miles down the road which has a nice seat or two to sit at and watch the world go by as you sip a pint or in my case a cup of coffee and a mars bar.

Ballycastle is 2 miles down the road from Hunters Bar but before you rush in there is a little oddity on the left hand side of the road about half a mile from Ballycastle. There is a ruined Friary called Bonamargy which is well worth a 5 minute detour. In the grave yaard

there is a section for the bodies of sailors washed up on the shore (The north channel is one of the most difficult stretches of water in the UK and sadly there are a lot of wrecks) You will find grave stones for WW1 and WW2 and if you search hard enough there are some really old ones that date back to the Spanish Armada which ended up wrecked around the north coast of Ireland in a momentous storm.

In the main section of the friary you will come across a strange circular stone with a hole in it. This grave marks the final resting place of Julie McQuillan a 17th Century prophet and recluse. She as known as ‘The Black Nun’ and oddly she wished to be buried vertically (Standing rather than lying down) at the entrance of the chapel so that she might be trodden on by the the feet of the faithful … go figure. Her ghost it is said still walks the grounds and as some of my chums will testify I have actually been said ghost on many occasions, but that is a tale for another day. Unless John Oehrlein or John Donaldson want to contribute their memories on the comments thread. 😉

Another 5 minutes dandering and you are back in Ballycastle …. 13 miles later.

If anyone reading this fancies doing this or any other of the walks I blog about please drop me an email and I will arrange something for you and you can see all my pictures from today here on my Facebook Piccies page.