The scenic beauty and the variety of the landscape make Northern Ireland a great place to explore on foot. The wide scatter of villages and small towns across the country means that forest trails, clifftop paths, mountain hikes and pleasant strolls in country parks are literally on everybody's doorstep. The best known trail-certainly the longest at 560 miles! - is the Ulster Way. This famous circular path, now largely waymarked, runs all round Northern Ireland and has other trails coming in to join it, notably from Donegal and Cavan, as well as loops and extensions of its own. There are many other country waymarked walks, just as pleasant but more local and less strenuous, such as the North Down Coastal Path, and also numerous very popular self-guided town trails. Ask at tourist information centres for details of walks in the area. Be prepared for sudden changes in the weather. Carry spare clothing. Boots are best. If you walk alone leave word of your route and expected time of return. Few walkers can spare a month to walk the whole of the Ulster Way but there are many people who very much like the idea of walking sections of it. All the routes described here, long and short, include a specially attractive section of the Wayl Most are convenient 'circular' walks, though a few are liner sections chosen so that the start and finish can be linked by public transport or the cunning use of private transport.

Fourteen Great Walks On The Ulster Way

The map sketches provide only a general indication of the route. Outline descriptions are based on routes published in full in Ulster Rambles. With few exceptions you will need an Ordnance Survey (OSNI) map. The relevant sheet number in the OSNI Discoverer series, scale 1: 50 000 (2cm: 1 km) - about 1- l/4 inches to one mile - is indicated. Grid references are given for the start of each walk and a rough estimate of duration, excluding stops and side trips. As a general guide allow an hour for every 2-1/2 miles (4km) plus 30 minutes for 1,000 ft (300m) climbed.


1. CAVE HILL, BELFAST

Distance 2-1/2 miles (4km)
Minimum time 2 hours
OS ref 325811 sheet 15

Park at the zoo (see the animals afterwards).
Steps, leafy path, laurel, larch, hazels, blackberries.
Wood thins to grassland. Neolithic men lived in the caves. Panorama from McArt's Fort extends to Mournes and Slieve Gullion. Take care descending from summit.

2. LAGAN VALLEY TOWPATH

Belfast To Lisburn

Distance 9 miles (14km)
Minimum time 4 hours
OS ref 338716 sheets 15 & 20
Public transport: Lambeg, Lisburn

Route soon joins Ulster Way (UW) as it emerges from suburbs of south-east Belfast but deviates slightly from UW at the M I . The walk is nearly all on the towpath of the canal and canalized river which opened in 1763. Plants to note: Himalayan balsam, purple loosestrife, horsetails, comfrey and butterbur (like giant rhubarb). Late summer duckweed on the water surface looks like a bright green carpet. Waterside birds include moorhens, coots, dabchicks, mallards. Listen for the magpie's rattle and the occasional shrill pipe of kingfishers. Cross to the north bank at Shaw's Bridge. Look out for squirrels in the splendid trees opposite. Recommended side visits: Edenderry village (and up to the Giant's Ring through the field gate), Drumbeg church, Dixon Park.

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