LIGONIEL DAMS – Short Walk

DATE – Friday 3rd September

SHORT WALK – c.3 miles/c.1.5 hours. DATE: 3.9.21.

LIGONIEL DAMS (c 4 miles north of Belfast City Centre)

LEADER: Robert McDowell, Telephone No 028 93373084 (land line)

07711 706022 (mobile)

MEETING POINT/TIME: EITHER at 10.00 am at Great Victoria Street railway station (for public transport users) OR at 10.40 am at Thornberry Mews just off Mill Avenue, which is off Ligoniel Road (for car drivers).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

Outward Journey:

Train – Dep Whitehead 9.15 am; Dep Carrickfergus 9.23 am; Arr Great Victoria Street 10.00 am. Ten minute walk to bus stop at Chichester Street (corner of Arthur Street, outside Malcolm’s Jewellers). Bus No 11E at 10.14 am to Ligoniel. Alight at Mill Avenue c10.38 am (last stop before Ligoniel terminus).

Return Journey:

Bus No 11B or 11C from Ballygomartin Road to Belfast city centre. Buses terminate at Marks & Spencer in Donegall Place.

Train – Dep Great Victoria Street 1.45 pm; Arr Carrickfergus 2.20 pm; Arr Whitehead 2.31; and every 30 minutes thereafter.

BY CAR:

Take the Shore Road towards Belfast, pass Fortwilliam Park, pass Skegoneill Avenue and, just after the Grove Leisure/Wellbeing Centre (on your right), turn right into North Queen Street. Proceed along North Queen Street until you reach the junction with Donegall Street. Turn right into Clifton Street and go straight on at Carlisle Circus onto the Crumlin Road. Stay on Crumlin Road (passing Mater Hospital) which becomes Upper Crumlin Road. Just after Ballysillan Road (RHS) Crumlin Road sweeps around a right hand bend. Just after this bend, turn left onto Ligoniel Road. Drive to Mill Avenue (left hand side of Ligoniel Road, last turn-off before bus terminus). Turn right into Thornberry Mews (3rd on the right off Mill Avenue) where you can park. Car drivers should note that our walk will not return to Mill Avenue.

THE WALK:

Flat and well surfaced around the two (former) mill dams, a lower and an upper dam. There are good views over Belfast from both dams. We will walk down Glencairn Road towards the Forth River where there is a ford, which is passable via stepping stones (the river is a very shallow stream). Note that the road between the dams and the ford is very uneven for c200 yards. We will continue down Glencairn Road to Ballygomartin Road; catch bus into town.

LUNCH:

There is nowhere in the immediate area of the dams for lunch, neither are there loos. Lunch/loos are available at the railway station or in Belfast centre.