April began with a football free Saturday, so I headed to Scrabo Country Park, got lucky with the weather and got lots of nice photos.
The rest of the month was all about football, the next two weekends saw me attend Linfield’s matches against Cliftonville and Glentoran.
With two Public Holidays for Easter, I decided to go for walks up Cregagh Glen and then up Cavehill.
That was then followed by Linfield’s matches against Crusaders, Larne and Coleraine.
Just hours after seeing Linfield winning the League against Coleraine, I headed to Custom House Square to see Echo and the Bunnymen, my first concert of 2022.
This was a proper lovely walk. So proper and lovely, I actually did it twice.
I’ve been a semi frequent visitor to Lisnabreeny Hill over the past two and a bit years, but I really wanted to go up at Sunrise.
I did have an attempt at Sunset in August. I got some nice shots but I messed up the timings so I was limited in what I could shoot.
In October, I tried again. The sky was bright, I was ready to go, then the sky changed to torrential rain. Think i’ll give it a miss.
So I had to wait until mid November for my next chance to get Sunrise photos.
The problem with getting Sunrise photos is, and it’s a big problem, that you have to get up early.
Even in Winter, when it is later.
There has actually been a decent run of Sunrises and Sunsets recently. No use for me though as I have been stuck in work.
This time, I made the effort and got up early. However, I would be held up getting there.
I got caught out by the weather, and my car was frozen so I had to Deice it, which wasted valuable Sunrise photo taking time.
Eventually I arrived at around 7.30am, bypassing Cregagh Glen to go straight to Lisnabreeny Hill, parking in Four Winds and walking along Manse Road to the starting point.
Unusually, I managed to get some photos on Manse Road as I was walking up, as I didn’t want to miss out the red sky.
By the time I got to the top, the sky was now golden. Perfect, just what I was looking for. Time to go snap snap snap.
There’s just something about that early morning Sunrise glow. It made for perfect shooting conditions. I had to make the most of it while I had it.
Eventually, I headed back down to the American War Cemetery to get some snaps of that. There was some frost on the ground as I was getting photos.
Between that and the deicing incident, a reminder that Winter is here.
And there was me thinking it was nice and mild.
Once that was done, I headed back up to the top of Lisnabreeny Hill just to have a second go of some Sunrise photos as it was still rising.
It was an enjoyable walk, although I did regret not getting up earlier. Just ten or fifteen minutes could have made such a difference.
As I said earlier, the problem with trying to photograph Sunrises are that they take place too early.
If I was being picky, I would have loved it if there was some cows or leaves that could have been used as props for my photos.
I definitely plan on being back up soon to try again, possibly at some point in December.
When I do, I might incorporate Cregagh Glen into it as I haven’t walked there for a while.
It was the start of a week off work for me. I had a lot of Annual Leave to use up, so the opening week of the World Cup sounded like a good week to use some of it up.
How coincidental you could say. The truth is, I would have had to take a week off in November. This wasn’t a bad week to be off.
I was intending to use the mornings to take in some hillwalks closer to home.
With no 10am match on the Monday, I decided to head to Blackmountain, where I had only been once this year.
As I left the house, it was dull and dark. I could live with that. The photos wouldn’t be good but at least i’d be getting up Blackmountain.
Driving there, a little bit of drizzle. I can live with that. I could change my plans and go up Divis Mountain instead.
Nope, as I parked my car, torrential rain started to fall.
I had some errands to do, so I turned around and did them instead.
There’ll be other opportunities to come in December so i’ll try again then, weather permitting.
On the Tuesday morning, I headed to Minnowburn.
My intention was to try and get some Sunrise photos.
I think my bed was too comfy as I missed the best part of it. There was a glorious red sky as I was getting in the car.
As with visits there, I covered Minnowburn, Terrace Hill Gardens and Giant’s Ring, but in a different order, starting at Minnowburn.
That was because the Car Park at Giant’s Ring doesn’t open until 10am, so I had no choice but to park at Minnowburn.
It was a nice walk. I got some ok photos but nothing spectacular. Not as successful as the walk up Lisnabreeny. I’ll try again at some point in December or January.
You can see my photos from Minnowburn here.
My plan for Wednesday was to cycle to Whiteabbey but seeing the weather forecast for heavy rain, I decided against it, especially as I could hear the rain when I was lying in bed.
Of course, it was actually ok when I headed out on my bike, the worst of the weather seemingly over.
I decided to stay local, deciding to go for a cycle along Bog Meadows.
This was somewhere I enjoy visiting but I hadn’t been for a while.
No particular reason. It was just that I was busy doing other walking and cycling routes.
I’d actually forgotten how much I enjoy visiting Bog Meadows.
By this point, the sun had come out, it was a lovely bright morning. I really could have done with that two days earlier when I was planning to walk up Blackmountain.
With it being a weekday morning, I had the place to myself.
While cycling about, I had an idea.
At some point over the Winter months, i’m going to attempt to get Sunrise or Sunset photos here.
It’s a walk I can actually walk to, which is handy.
There are a lot of places where you can get some nice photos, some good composition and framing, and you can make the most of a good sun.
Be warned, if it has rained recently, there will be puddles everywhere so bring your wellies.
Finding out where to take the best photos will be trial and error, probably more error.
Hopefully, it works out as well as this photo adventure.
Got a little treat for ya. A hillwalk, but at night.
I’d planned on making the most of the three day weekend by doing a hat-trick of Cavehill, Blackhead Path and Lisnabreeny Hill ,as I hadn’t been to either of them for a while.
It was dull on Monday morning, so I headed out for a cycle instead.
Naturally, as I was out, it started to brighten up.
I was thinking to myself that this is good weather for photography.
On a weekday, I wouldn’t usually go out for a hillwalk in the evening.
In the Summer, i’d be out on the bike after work and in the Winter, i’d just go for a local walk. I’m not walking up a hill in the dark.
However, it was a Bank Holiday Monday, so I decided to take advantage of not being in work.
I had a check beforehand and the Sunset was scheduled for 8.22pm.
So, I left the house after 7pm, arriving at the shops at Four Winds around 7.35pm to park my car.
It turned out I had underestimated the walk from Four Winds to the start of Lisnabreeny Hill, getting there around 7.50pm.
By then, the Sunset was already in full swing.
I managed to get some nice photos at ground level, but I did have a sense of frustration that I had missed the best of it.
My plan was to go the the halfway point where there is a bench.
I wasn’t planning to sit down there, but it is the point where the best views of Belfast are.
In the end, I had mixed results.
I’m not usually out to get Sunset photos, so it was all trial and error.
Unfortunately, it was more error.
A lesson learnt, the next time I head to Lisnabreeny Hill to get Sunset photos, i’ll pop out a bit earlier.
Elsewhere, i’ve been informed that the bridge in Cregagh Glen has been fixed.
That means when i’m doing non Sunset related adventures in this area, I can cover the whole trail.
This was a walk I hadn’t done for a while, not all of it my own fault.
I did neglect Cregagh Glen for a while, focusing on other walks.
However, a few weeks back, I did attempt it, only to be met with the most inconvenient of things, a blocked off bridge.
So, I just turned around, headed home and went out on my bike instead.
A few weeks down, I had assumed that it would have been fixed, but no, it’s still blocked off.
Never fear, there are ways around it.
There is a pathway where you can bypass the bridge. Be warned that it can be a bit slippy slidey and a bit perilous in parts, so be paying full attention to your surroundings when walking that way.
Or, you can stride along the river. The water is very shallow and there are stones that you can walk on.
Of course, it can be a bit slippy slidey so make sure to pay full attention and be careful when striding across.
The sooner it gets fixed, the better.
I wasn’t prepared for another visit where I have to turnaround again, even though I would have had the option of a short drive to Belvoir Park Forest or a long overdue return to Minnowburn.
With four days off work, I was planning to take in a few hillwalks so I was looking at what I should do.
Having not visited Cregagh Glen for a while, this was going to be on my list.
I wanted to go when the weather was nice, so dull weather on Saturday and Sunday of my four day weekend meant they were going to be set aside for cycling.
So come Monday, a nice bright morning, off to Cregagh Glen I go.
I did have a slight lie-in, but arrived there just before 9am, the aim of being there when it was quiet.
It was very quiet. I barely saw anybody on the way up. I did see a few people on the way down, but not a lot thankfully.
The lack of people definitely boosted the ambience as far as I was concerned.
It was perfect walking up Lisnabreeny Hill, via a detour through the American War Cemetery* (*Not an actual cemetery). Peaceful, lots of daylight for taking photos, and that daylight was bringing out the colour in the trees and hedges.
Having been up Lisnabreeny Hill a few times, I knew where is good fortaking photos and getting shots, so I got to work.
Due to the bridge being out of use, the next time I go to Cregagh Glen, I might actually start from the National Trust Car Park on Church Road and walk down instead of starting from the dual carriageway off the Cregagh Road and working up.
It was always something I was wanting to do, just to be different, the bridge being out of use might just prompt me.
Rather enjoyable day out and productive use of some time off.
Weather getting better and hitting Bank Holiday Season, there might be some more.
July’s first Photo Adventure began with a trip to Cavehill over the July Holidays. I should have been in London, but with it still being a free for all regarding Covid. I decided to put that back to later in the year, so I had to make do with exploring what Northern Ireland had to offer.
I then went to a football match. By this point, going to a football match was still a novelty. It was one of two matches I took in this month, Linfield’s European matches against Zalgiris Vilnius and Borac Banja Luka.
Sandwiched inbetween those two football matches was a walk up Cregagh Glen and Lisnabreeny Hill.
Still using up Annual Leave, I then headed back to Blackhead Path at the end of the month, having visited there in late June.
The month ended with a trip to Bangor to check out some newly painted Street Art in the town.
May took a while to get going. Three weeks it was until the first photo adventure.
That was three weeks into the month for a football match. An actual football match, my first of the year.
It wasn’t just any football match, it was the Irish Cup Final, where Linfield beat Larne 2-1.
The following day, I then headed to Cregagh Glen and Lisnabreeny Hill.
On the Bank Holiday Monday at the end of the month, I headed to Belvoir Park Forest that morning for a photo adventure, and to make the most of the sunshine.
April began with a four day weekend due to the Easter Holidays. Naturally, I was out with my camera.
On the Saturday, I headed to Belvoir Park Forest. Before Lockdown, I hadn’t been to Belvoir Park Forest in ages, so I rediscovered it, if you will.
I’d been a couple of times before, but the weather was usually too wet or too dull, so the photos weren’t great.
This time around, I had some early morning sunshine that I took advantage of.
I had planned to use my time off over Easter to do my monthly visit to Cavehill.
The plan was to go on Easter Tuesday as I assumed that Saturday, Sunday and Monday would be rammed, Tuesday would be a bit quieter. You know, the whole Trying Not To Get Covid Thing.
It turned out to be an inspired decision. Not only was there not a lot of people about, but it snowed. Yes, snow in April.
Cavehill in snow was photos I always wanted, and I was not disappointed by my trip to McArt’s Fort.
On my way up, I did ask myself what I was doing, but it was all worth it when I got to the top.
However, next time it snows like that, i’ll head to Lisnabreeny Hill, in the interest of balance.
Cregagh Glen and Lisnabreeny Hill was where I headed next the following weekend, not in snow but in sunshine.
April saw me get my first Street Art photos of the year, a trip up to Shankill Road to see some new pieces painted outside Spectrum Centre and a piece by Dan Kitchener at the top, near Woodvale Park.
Truth was, i’d set aside this particular Saturday morning to walk up Cregagh Glen and Lisnabreeny Hill, the weather was coincidental.
Having travelled up this route frequently over the past year, there’s nothing much else for me to explore.
I would say that this walk was uneventful, but it felt like I was getting attacked by bees every two minutes.
Up early, arriving around about 8.20am, there was barely anyone about, which was very convenient.
With the weather being nice, I knew I was going to get some decent shots, so I might as well go for it.
What struck me was how dark it felt it was in Cregagh Glen, the trees that hadn’t fallen (there were a lot that had that were lying about) blocking out the sunlight.
I also took a shortcut through the American War Cemetery on the way back.
There were cows on Lisnabreeny Hill as per usual, but they were too busy sunbathing to say hello to me.
So, that was my monthly trip to Cregagh Glen, hope you enjoy the photos.
This coming Friday, i’m off work (I habve to use up a certain amount of Annual Leave by the end of July) so i’ll be planning Colin Glen Forest Park (Hopefully, remembering my camera this time), North Down Coastal Path or Blackhead Path. We shall see.
I will be heading to North Down anyway in the next seven days, to go to a Vintage Market in Bangor and to get some Street Art photos of new murals that have appeared in the town.
It’s been a while since i’ve posted some Street Art photos, so i’ll just give you something to look forward to.
Analogue Boy In A Digital World 