It wasn’t a classic visit to Cavehill, but it was great to be back up Cavehill after a three month absence.
Whenever the football season is on and i’m going to a match that afternoon, I don’t usually bother with a hillwalk or a cycle, as I usually relax and recover and get comfy in the house. It’s for my own good.
However, this wasn’t the first football free Saturday since July.
Well, the two football free Saturdays I had in August were both wet. Torrential wet. I’m not going walking in the rain.
Especially up Cavehill, i’ve done that before and it’s not nice.
Eventually, at the start of October, I had a free Saturday morning, so I headed over to Cavehill and got a bit of a shock when the Car Park at Innisfayle Park was bordered off for work to be done on it.
Even better, I had driven through the gates and got there, was surrounded by cars parked on double yellow lines, meaning I was having to do a Three Point Turn in the tightest of spots.
It was an utter farce, could they not have closed the gates at Innisfayle Park or put the blockade earlier to stop cars making that journey?
I wasn’t the only driver that morning a bit miffed about the situation.
It was even more farcical as I checked Belfast City Council’s social media feeds and there wasn’t a mention of any work taking place at Cavehill.
What made it even worse was that I checked the weather forecast and I knew it was going to rain in mid/late morning, so I got up early to try and get in and out before then.
Now, it was time for Plan B, Cregagh Glen.
If I had known the Car Park was out of use, I would have headed straight to Cregagh Glen, instead of wasting time travelling from South Belfast to North Belfast then to East Belfast when I could have just went from South to East.
Eventually, I walked through Cregagh Glen, and just as I approached Lisnabreeny Hill, it started to rain, so I turned around, thankful for the shelter provided by the outstretched tree branches.
It was an utterly deflating morning.
Fast forward three weeks, and with no Saturday football thanks to Sky, I plotted to head out again.
It was a spectacular sunrise. Unfortunately, I was observing it as I walked to my car rather than from Cavehill as my bed was too comfy.
On the plus side, the sunsets will be getting later over the next few months, so I might actually capture one.
I ended up getting some ok photos, it was a lot brighter on the way down than up.
Having not done this for a while, I was a bit “Out of practice” but that was resolved with a brief sit down at the halfway point.
Despite being dull, it was clear enough for me to observe Windsor Park and Solitude at the same time. It would have been rude not to.
During November, i’ve got a bit of Annual Leave to use up. I’ll be taking a week off in the middle of the month.
The first three days of that week will be a trip to Brighton which should have been a trip to London in July but I decided against it as London’s general Covid attitude is described as a bit “Don’t Give A Shit”.
My flights are to Gatwick, so I just changed the date to when things will be a bit quieter.
During my stay in Brighton, i’m hoping to visit South Downs National Park. Wish me luck with the weather.
The plan for the two remaining days is to go to Blackmountain (Haven’t been for a while) and Colin Glen Forest Park (Haven’t been for a while, especially with my camera)
I get the feeling i’ll be writing a lot more about hillwalks in the Winter of 2021/2022 with football matches being behind closed doors due to another lockdown.
Seriously folks, how hard is it not to be thick as shit?
“Oh but the Government advice is so confusing” – It really isn’t, and if it is, maybe stick to the side of caution.
Analogue Boy In A Digital World 
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