LISNABREENY HILL – MAY 2023

I’ve been trying to get a photoshoot like this for a long time.

Having really got into hiking and rambling during Lockdown, Lisnabreeny Hill has been one of my favourite places to visit.

The last time I was there, was in November 2022. I was very bleary eyed, but it was worth it, as I snapped the Sunrise.

I had such a great time, I vowed to return to get the Sunset.

The problem was, trying to get the opportunity to do so.

Any day when I was available to do so, the weather was crap. I’m not walking up a hill to get photos of grey skies or pissing rain.

Sat in the house on another grey Bank Holiday Monday, I was resigned to missing out again.

Then, suddenly, the sun came out. I monitored the situation. Well, I looked out the window occasionally.

Having decided to go for it, I went for it.

The previous time I attempted to get Sunset photos at Lisnabreeny Hill, I got the timings all wrong.

I arrived at the time the sun was scheduled to set. Amateur mistake.

As I arrived then, I got some nice photos but I didn’t get as far up as I hoped.

The plan, is to arrive an hour before the scheduled Sunset.

That was my plan. Unfortunately, my plan hit a snag in the form of roadworks and road closures in Stranmillis, forcing me to be rerouted in the opposite direction and add an extra twenty minutes to my journey, meaning that I lost twenty minutes of Sunset watching.

At that time of night, I thought I would be the only one there. It was actually quite busy.

I managed to get close to the end point of the walk, the National Trust Car Park.

As I was timebound, I decided to not go the full way and turn around, to try and get as many Sunset photos as possible.

The sunset made the greeness (is that even a word?) of the grass stand out in the photos, as well as the light reflecting onto the electricity pylons.

A productive visit, but it was frustrating after those lost twenty minutes.

I do intend on coming back at some point this year to get Sunset photos. However, the next time there is a decent Sunset, i’ll give Minnowburn a try.

Photo Album

Lisnabreeny Hill – November 2022

Lisnabreeny Hill – August 2022

Cregagh Glen/Lisnabreeny Hill – April 2022

Cregagh Glen/Lisnabreeny Hill – July 2021

Cregagh Glen/Lisnabreeny Hill – April 2021

Cregagh Glen/Lisnabreeny Hill – July 2020

CAVEHILL – APRIL 2023

Not the first trip to Cavehill of the year, but the first one blogged about.

I keep thinking this was my third visit this year but it is actually my second.

It was New Year’s Eve 2022 that I visited for what is now a traditional Christmas/New Year. Not quite 2023 yet.

I then made the most of a football free Saturday in early February by walking up.

On both occasions, the weather was dull. I didn’t even bother trying to get photos as they would have been crap.

So, with a four day weekend, I decided to try for third time lucky.

This is the third year in a row where I have visited Cavehill on Easter Tuesday. It wasn’t planned, it just worked out that way.

I do find that Easter Tuesday is really quiet, so it’s good if you have plans on going somewhere and want it to be quiet.

Although, I held off as my plan was to spend Easter Monday heading up Lisnabreeny Hill to get some Sunset photos.

That plan was thwarted by the weather and the non stop rain. I’ll try again some other time.

The walk up was rather uneventful. It wasn’t as muddy as feared which was nice. I had expected a mudbath in some places due to the volume of rain the night before.

Having reached McArt’s Fort, I decided to have a detour going down, deciding to head straight on instead of turning back, heading towards the caves.

That’s where the mud was. It was very slippy and slidy.

I even managed to get lost in the woods. I figured that if I kept heading downwards, I would be ok.

Eventually, I saw some Mountain Bikers, so I knew I was close to some form of civilisation.

Let that be a lesson learnt, stick to what I know.

I did end up making my way to an exit, not the one i’m used to, ending up further up the Antrim Road.

It was an access point I was familiar with, as it was the one I entered when I visited Cavehill in May 2020.

Back then, the entrance at Innisfayle Park was closed, so I had to go in that way.

From there, I had to walk along the Antrim Road, and then walk up Innisfayle Park to get to the Car Park to get my car.

A nice bonus walk.

On the topic of the Car Park at Cavehill, is it too much effort for Belfast City Council to buy some white paint to actually paint parking bays?

This is something i’ve been complaining about for a long time.

The important thing is, I managed to find it.

I think next time, i’ll just stick to my main route.

Photo Album

Cavehill – August 2022

Cavehill – April 2022

Cavehill – March 2022

Cavehill – January 2022

Cavehill – October 2021

Cavehill – July 2021

Cavehill – April 2021

Cavehill – March 2021

Cavehill – January 2021

Cavehill – November 2020

Cavehill – October 2020

Cavehill – August 2020

Cavehill – June 2020

Cavehill – February 2020

Cavehill – November 2019

SCRABO COUNTRY PARK – APRIL 2023

This was a trip that I had been frustrated in trying to do over the previous few weeks. With a lot of football free Saturdays coming up, it would have only been a matter of time before I got this one ticked off.

This was my first visit since April 2022. I was hoping to visit the previous weekend but the weather was dull so it wasn’t worth going if the photos were going to be crap.

A paramilitary feud wouldn’t put me off, but dull weather would.

Anyway, the Balaclava Demographic are usually still lying in bed at 8am.

I arrived just before 9am, and made my way up to Scrabo Tower to have a look and get some photos.

If that was that, it would have been a bit pointless. The travel would have been longer than the walk.

So, I went for a walk to explore the rest of the park, heading to the quarries instead of Killynether Wood.

When I went there before, Killynether Wood was nice but that was it. There was a better walk to be had heading towards the quarries.

I decided to wander about, get lost and see where it led me. It’s the best way to do things. Just have to remember to come back the way you came.

I was timebound. Starting at 9am so i’d see where I was at 10am and then turn around.

Then that got put back to 10.05am, and then 10.10am and kept getting put back.

My curiosity was getting the better of me. Everywhere I went, I kept thinking to myself “Ooh, I wonder what is over there”.

Eventually I covered that part of Scrabo Country Park and got some nice photos before getting to my car around 11am, so the one hour in, one hour out plan was adhered to.

That will probably be me for Scrabo Country Park for this year. It’s well worth a visit but it’s best to leave a bit of a gap between visits to avoid it being a bit samey.

Although, you could say that with anywhere.

As mentioned earlier, i’m going to have a lot of football free Saturdays over the next few months, so I might as well put them to good use.

I haven’t really been on many hikes or rambles yet in 2023, so that will have to be remedied.

What I have on my list of places to go to is Peatlands Park.

I always pass it on my way to Stangmore Park so I might go and see what it is like.

Always looking for new places to visit.

I was hoping that the Easter break would give me the opportunity to get some Sunset photos from Lisnabreeny Hill.

But no, stupid rain. Try again later.

Photo Album

Scrabo Country Park – April 2022

GIANT’S RING/TERRACE HILL GARDEN/MINNOWBURN – MARCH 2023

March is a month with a lot of free Saturdays, not all for good reasons.

This was for a good reason, with Linfield playing on the Sunday, against Coleraine in the League Cup Final.

So, with a free Saturday, where to go?

The previous Saturday morning, I was free and wanted to head to Scrabo Country Park. Unfortunately, my car was out of use as it was getting fixed up ahead of my MOT. If you care, it passed.

I feel my proposed trip to Scrabo County Park might be jinxed.

In truth, I could have went to Scrabo if I wanted, but I don’t know what the area is like in this sort of weather. I decided to play it safe.

Minnowburn is a straight run for me, and I knew that once I got to the area, it would be snowtastic. It did not disappoint. One of my previous visits was in the frost, so I knew what to expect.

Normally, my first choice would have been to go to Lisnabreeny Hill

The problem was, I was planning on going up there the following Friday when I was off, if there was a decent Sunset.

Bit of a gamble, but one worth taking.

The next time there is snow when I am in Belfast, I will definitely definitely definitely go up Lisnabreeny Hill. I’ll make it one of my ambitions.

One of my previous ambitions was to walk up Cavehill in the snow. I “achieved” that in April 2021. If you ever get the chance to walk up Cavehill in the snow, do it.

When I was making my way up, I did wonder what on earth I was doing, but it was worth it when I reached the top.

As a result, Cavehill was ruled out for this snowy Saturday.

For the reasons previously explained, I headed to Minnowburn. I also hadn’t been for a while. November 2022 when I was using up Annual Leave, sneaking out for an early morning ramble before getting home in time for Argentina v Saudi Arabia at 10am.

I’m not sure why, but I had totally forgotten about nearby Belvoir Park Forest. I’ll have to put that onto my Snow List, after Lisnabreeny Hill.

I arrived at Minnowburn Car Park around 8.20am, and set about rambling.

Usually, I start at Giant’s Ring, then work my way to Terrace Hill Garden then onto Minnowburn. This time, I decided to do the opposite way.

Pretty uneventful walk, getting as many snaps as I could.

That was, until I got to the pathway that led to Giant’s Ring, that was blocked by a fallen tree.

Determined to get a glimpse of Giant’s Ring, I turned around and took a scenic route through a residential street, which led me to Giant’s Ring Car Park, enabling me to enter Giant’s Ring and get snapping.

It was a rather enjoyable morning and great to get out for a proper walk in Belfast.

Sometimes if your first choice plan fails, your Plan B can make the most of the situation.

Plenty more football free Saturdays to head to Scrabo.

Hopefully some more snow days before the end of the year to get out and get snapping.

Photo Album

Giant’s Ring/Terrace Hill Garden/Minnowburn – September 2022

Giant’s Ring/Terrace Hill Garden/Minnowburn – March 2021

Giant’s Ring/Terrace Hill Garden/Minnowburn – January 2021

STANMER PARK

Ever since I really got into hiking and rambling during Lockdown I, i’ve always tried to incorporate this into any trip I go on.

The last time I went to Brighton, I took a trip to Eastbourne to do Beachy Head. This time, I wanted to go somewhere different.

I stumbled upon a leaflet for Stanmer Park. It was said it was walkable from Falmer Train Station, so that swung it for me.

Unfortunately, attractions such as Devil’s Dyke and Beachy Head only have direct Public Transport

So, I got the train to Falmer, signposted and easy to find, I reached the entrance and followed the sign leading to the Woodland Trail.

I got a bit bored so I walked up a mound to see where it led me.

As a result, I ended up in a woodland forest, funnily enough.

I couldn’t quite fully enjoy the serenity of nature, as I took a phone call about renewing my Home Insurance.

Having got a quite, it was back to exploring.

My visit was timebound, walk for an hour and see where it leads me.

To a Car Park. So I made an about turn, took a detour, met some dogs and ended up in a field.

It was a nice wee ramble, not to strenuous and easy to get to.

Now back to city life in Brighton.

Photo Album

2022 IN PICTURES – NOVEMBER

November began with a trip to Shamrock Park to see Linfield eventually beat Portadown by a score of 3-0.

By this point, I was using up Annual Leave, so I went on a day trip to Dublin and got some Street Art photos.

That was then followed by two trips to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on Cliftonville and Glenavon.

Another Linfield match, this time on the road, to Ballymena.

The next day, I made the most of a football free Saturday morning to head to Lisnabreeny Hill to get some Sunrise photos.

Then that night, I made my first visit to the newly rebuilt Mandela Hall to see John Power in concert.

November ended with two Linfield matches, both at home, against Larne and Crusaders.

Portadown v Linfield

Dublin Street Art

Dublin Street Art Photo Album

Linfield v Cliftonville

Linfield v Glenavon

Ballymena United v Linfield

Lisnabreeny Hill

Lisnabreeny Hill Photo Album

John Power live at Mandela Hall

John Power live at Mandela Hall Photo Album

Linfield v Larne

Linfield v Crusaders

2022 IN PICTURES – OCTOBER

October was a busy month, right from the very start, heading to Dungannon on the first day of the month to see Linfield get a win at Stangmore Park.

That was followed a few days later by another away day, to a very wet Wilgar Park to see Linfield grind out a 1-0 win over Dundela.

The following night, it was the Ulster Hall to see Beabadoobee in concert.

Back on the road the following Saturday to see Linfield draw with Coleraine.

Then it was back to Ulster Hall to see Paul Weller.

Two days after that, it was Linfield v Glentoran, the less said of that the better.

The following day was a lot more enjoyable, making the most of a football free Saturday to check out Murlough Bay.

Over the next seven days came two Linfield home matches, against Glenavon and Larne.

The following week, I was off to Manchester, my first visit to see Erik Ten Hag’s United in the flesh, against Sheriff Tiraspol.

While I was there, I got some photos from a stroll along a canal, some Street Art (of course) and a walk up Hartshead Pike.

The month ended with a trip to Newry to see Linfield get some much needed three points.

Dungannon Swifts v Linfield

Dundela v Linfield

Beabadoobee live at Ulster Hall

Beabadoobee live at Ulster Hall Photo Album

Coleraine v Linfield

Paul Weller live at Ulster Hall

Paul Weller live at Ulster Hall Photo Album

Linfield v Glentoran

Murlough Bay Nature Reserve

Murlough Bay Nature Reserve Photo Album

Linfield v Glenavon

Linfield v Larne

Manchester Street Art

Manchester Street Art Photo Album

Manchester Canal Walk

Manchester Canal Walk Photo Album

Manchester United v Sheriff Tiraspol

Manchester Untied v Sheriff Tiraspol Photo Album

Hartshead Pike

Hartshead Pike Photo Album

Newry City v Linfield

2022 IN PICTURES – SEPTEMBER

September began with a trip to Ballymena to see Linfield get their season back on track with a 4-0 win at Ballymena.

Football then took a break for a bit, but I was back on the road, and visiting a new ground as Linfield travelled to Moyola Park in the League Cup.

More travelling followed, not as far, three days later as Linfield faced Crusaders at Seaview.

Having a football free Saturday, I got up early for a long overdue trip to Giant’s Ring to get some photos as the sun was coming up.

Two days later, was an unexpected Public Holiday, so I headed on the North Down Coastal Path, starting at Helen’s Bay for a change, making my way to Bangor West. I think.

On the following Saturday morning, I made a long overdue return to Belvoir Park Forest before heading to Windsor Park at teatime to see Northern Ireland face Kosovo.

My final adventure of the month was a first concert since June, to The Odyssey to see George Ezra.

Ballymena United v Linfield

Moyola Park v Linfield

Crusaders v Linfield

Giant’s Ring/Terrace Hill Gardens/Minnowburn

Giant’s Ring/Terrace Hill Gardens/Minnowburn Photo Album

North Down Coastal Path

North Down Coastal Path Photo Album

Belvoir Park Forest

Belvoir Park Forest Photo Album

Northern Ireland v Kosovo

Northern Ireland v Kosovo Photo Album

George Ezra live at The Odyssey

George Ezra live at The Odyssey Photo Album

2022 IN PICTURES – AUGUST

August began with a trip to Windsor Park to see Linfield take on FC Zurich.

That was followed two days later by a trip to Spelga Dam for a stroll around Mourne Mountains.

Sunday was the new day for football, going to see Linfield take on Portadown and Newry City.

It was then back to Thursday nights for Linfield v RFS. The less said about that game, the better.

The end of August was a Bank Holiday Weekend, which I spent walking, with trips to Cavehill, Blackhead Path and Lisnabreeny Hill.

Sandwiched inbetween that was a trip to Taylor’s Avenue to see Linfield take on Carrick Rangers.

The less said about that, the better.

Linfield v FC Zurich

Mourne Rambling

Mourne Rambling Photo Album

Linfield v Portadown

Newry City v Linfield

Linfield v RFS

Cavehill

Cavehill Photo Album

Blackhead Path

Blackhead Path Photo Album

Carrick Rangers v Linfield

Lisnabreeny Hill

Lisnabreeny Hill Photo Album

2022 IN PICTURES – JULY

July 2022 was mostly about football, Pre-Season Friendlies and European action for Linfield, just a few weeks after the previous football season ended.

The Pre-Season Friendlies were against St Mirren, Knockbreda, and Harland and Wolff Welders, while the European games were against The New Saints and Bodo/Glimt.

It wasn’t all about football, as I managed to make the most of the nice weather over the July Bank Holiday by walking along the North Down Coastal Path from Cultra to Crawfordsburn.

Linfield v St Mirren

Knockbreda v Linfield

North Down Coastal Path

North Down Coastal Path Photo Album

Linfield v The New Saints

Harland and Wolff Welders v Linfield

Linfield v Bodo/Glimt