In the spring of 1994 I picked up a book in our local library that was to change my life completely. The book was called ‘Walking the Ulster Way’.
The author was a man called Alan Warner. It was the first definitive guide to the circuitous, as yet not fully waymarked, 500-mile footpath round Northern Ireland.
It was not only a guide, it was a journal of a very brave man who, in his late sixties decided to make the lone traverse of this long distance path.
In 1989,I had decided to improve my fitness. I tried jogging, but my knees decided they didn't like that too much so I walked.  Early morning ‘Power’ walks, Sunday morning walks on the quiet country roads surrounding Lisburn, and my all time favourite walk, the Lagan towpath.
It was around this time, I did my first sponsored walk for the N.I. Hospice on the towpath. After that I was hooked, at least one Sunday in every month I would walk from Lisburn to Stranmillis and back, a distance of 22 miles.
I continued what were to become known as my ‘Discovery’ walks, moving further and further from Lisburn to Crumlin, Glenavy, Ballinderry, Aghalee, Dromore, Dromara, Hillsborough. I walked to all these places returning to my wife Sandra, regaling her with tales of the sights I’d seen and the folk I’d spoken to. I’d describe the houses, old and new, the conversations I’d had along the way with people I’d met, mostly elderly, who were genuinely interested and I suppose, a little intrigued, as to why I was out walking the roads. Of course the ‘sensible’ people were driving by looking at me as if I was an alien, so strange is it today to actually see someone walking.
There were times Sandra would look at me as if I had lost it. When I told her about the one way conversations I had with a donkey in a field or with a horse at a gate, with whom I shared an apple, or the many dogs I met along the way. She would just shake her head and give me a sympathetic look. Or was it a pathetic look, I’m not sure.
As I stated earlier I discovered the Ulster Way through Alan Warners Journal in 1994. In that year I also embarked on my first hill walk.
The Belfast Hills walk was to become another annual event for me untill, in 1999, I became very ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and though at the time of writing I have improved considerably I'm afraid, for the time being, long distance walking is out of the question.
In the following pages I have listed the many official walking trails and festivals in Northern Ireland that I know of county by county.

                             Antrim -- Armagh -- Down -- Fermanagh -- Londonderry -- Tyrone



The Belfast Hills
The starting point for the Belfast Hills walk is now on the Flowbog road, just off the Andersonstown road, at the entrance to the White Mountain quarry.
In 1994, the first year I attempted the walk, the starting point was at the Belfast Zoo car park, with the finish at the Flowbog Road end. This apparently proved unpopular with the majority of the participants as, not only was there a lack of car parking facilities, the area became log jammed with cars picking up walkers at the end of the event.
Before the 1995 walk, a questionnaire was sent out to all those on the mailing list. The organisers wanted to know which was the most preferred start and finish points. The result was an overwhelming majority in favour of the Zoo. Not only is it more convenient for parking, it is also more pleasant at the end of the walk to see the panoramic views over Belfast and the Lough.
The walk is organised annually by Bryson House Charities and the original purpose of the walk was to draw attention to the need to conserve the Belfast Hills.
From the start point we ascend Colin Mountain. At 328m this gradual climb is enough to get the heart rate up and the muscles warmed. As we descend the route meets the first road crossing at Glenside. We pass the top of Colin Glen and through a disused quarry. This quarry has been helped to revert to nature and has been developed as a Community Woodland area.
The walk between Hannahstown and Ligoniel is the most exposed section and the largest wilderness area in the hills. The walk climbs past the UTV mast to Black Hill at 360m and along the skyline to Black Mountain at 390m before descending to the BBC transmitter mast, a familiar landmark, erected in 1955.
This section of the walk provides, weather permitting, the most spectacular views on the walk. To the north are Lough Neagh and the Sperrins, to the south the Mournes. South/East lies Strangford Lough and Scrabo Tower and to the North/East is Slemish. On a very clear day, the West Coast of Scotland can be seen.
The route then skirts the base of Divis. At 478m, Divis is the highest of the Belfast Hills but, because of the presence of the British Army post, the summit is out of bounds. As we descend from Divis the route passes the Gilbert Stone on the right, I’d love to tell you something about it but I’m afraid I don’t know anything. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. I’ll definitely look this year, weather permitting.


On the descent from Divis the route passes through the finest area of heather on the hills which, under adverse conditions can drag the legs right out of you. Past Wolf Hill the route follows a series of short road crossings before reaching Squires Hill, 374m. From here we cross the Hightown Road and enter the Cave Hill Country Park.
A short but quite steep climb takes us up to McArt’s Fort where, on a clear day, as I explained earlier there is a wonderful view over North Belfast and the Lough.
After following a series of winding paths down from Cave Hill, we pass the Zoo where you can here the noise of the animals. You can’t actually view the animals from here but I can assure you, at around two o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, feeding time, the noises are enough to put an extra few inches on to the stride no matter how tired your legs are.
The walk finishes at Bellevue where you collect your certificate and where you can also purchase a commemorative ‘T’ shirt. Which reminds me, I must get a new one this year. The one I bought at the end of my first walk is now being used as a window cloth.
In the last few years, a detour has been imposed to avoid the farmland over Squires Hill. The landowner was forced to withdraw his permission because of the recent outbreaks of brucelosis in cattle herds. He was quite rightly concerned that walkers could transmit the disease onto his land. The detour added about a mile of road walking onto the route.
The weather is the most important factor for any walk. On my first Belfast Hills walk in 1994 the weather was ideal. It made the wonderful views possible and the whole day more enjoyable. The ‘craic’ was great and for a few hours it was possible to talk to a complete stranger without wondering whether he or she was a catholic, protestant, English, Welsh, Scots or whatever. The troubles ceased to matter for that short time.
Unfortunately, since that first walk, I’ve only had one dry day but I must say the ‘craic’ has always been good.
The ‘Troubles’ are hopefully at an end and all the people of our small island can now move on together, God Willing.

           

My Ulster Way