Hello again! I have once more commandeered the blog from my husband so I can write this entry.
After checking into our hotel room and grabbing some mediocre sandwiches from a nearby shop (it was midafternoon and we were desperately hungry) we went in search of the bus route that would take us to Cave Hill, the huge hill that overlooks the city from the northwest. There are a couple of bus info kiosks conveniently located at the central square, so we were able to find out the route, but unfortunately didn’t quite get the information on which stop it was exactly. Undeterred, we hopped on bus route 1 and headed onward and upward.
As it turned out, we actually went slightly past the street leading to the park entrance, but Greg spotted the sign as we drove past and the next stop wasn’t too far off. The driver may or may not have been annoyed at the tourists with spotty information. We then strolled through a neighborhood of nice houses that led right up to the entrance.
Even before climbing Cave Hill, we were already at a pretty good elevation, so we stopped to take a few pictures of the city. A local gentleman stopped to check and see how we were doing, and then strolled along with us to Belfast Castle, telling us about the castle’s history and about the city itself, pointing out the shipyards and their giant cranes, and showing us where (on a very clear day) you can see across to Scotland. We parted ways at the castle, which was hosting a wedding reception. I’d not actually seen men in formal dress kilts before, so that was pretty cool.
After doing a quick stroll around the visitors’ center (with a really cool spiral staircase to get up and back) we headed out to walk up Cave Hill. Greg wanted to see McArt’s Fort, a ruin of an old fort set on a natural rock outcropping. The map didn’t make it look too far, or so I thought.
The first part of the trip is uphill through woods that occasionally part to offer a lovely view of the city below. The next part is a narrow trail through an area of tall grass where you can’t quite see where the trail leads until you reach that part of it. With the wind blowing through the grasses and the sun shining down from above the cliffs, I swear it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s also at this point where you can see some of the actual caves of Cave Hill. There’s one in particular that you can almost climb right up to if you have a good sense of balance and decently sure footing (neither of which I have, but Greg does, so he climbed up and got some pictures).
After going around the hill a bit, the trail gets steeper and there are steps to navigate. There’s a very brief pass through some more trees, and then more uphill climbing. At this point I was starting to seriously get tired and wondered how much farther it was to the fort. I didn’t want to turn back, though, because we really were almost there. I was sure of it. It was just after the top of this hill… oh, wait, that’s another hill. Okay, this time, right? (I am a novice hiker, as is probably painfully obvious, although I’d like to think this one added a bit to my credibility.)
Finally, we really did reach the top. And it suddenly clicked that the huge hill we’d been looking up at all this time, the one towering over the city? We really were at the very top of it. And the view was amazing. We’d been admiring it all along, but now there was nothing behind us, just the shadows of the clouds darkening patches of the city below.
We crossed over to the outcropping of McArt’s Fort and took yet more pictures and ate some of the trail snacks we’d had the foresight to bring along. After resting up a bit, we headed back downhill. The trip down was naturally easier and faster. We wanted to find the Volunteers’ Well, but we took the wrong trail and missed it. We ended up at one of the park exits and figured that since we’d found what we really came to see, we might as well head off. The nearest bus stop wasn’t too far of a walk, and so we returned to the city.
Over the next couple of days, I’d look up at Cave Hill whenever I had the chance and remind myself that yes, we really did stand on the very top.
I'm absolutely adoring the travelogue and the photos/videos!
Will miss you both this coming weekend in Jersey!
Posted by: Laura | July 14, 2009 at 09:11 PM