BOG MEADOWS AND FALLS PARK WALK

DATE: 17 November 2023.

SHORT WALK:  3 miles/1.5 hours.

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

                                                                                            07711 706022 (mobile)

MEETING POINT/TIME: Falls Park glider bus stop, Falls Road, just opposite the Falls Park main entrance at 10.50 am.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

Outward Journey:

Train – Dep Whitehead 9.45 am, dep C’fergus 9.54 am, dep J’town 10.06 am, arr Lanyon Place 10.20 am.

Bus – Glider Bus leaves outside Lanyon Place railway station at 10.26 am, arrives at Falls Park at 10.47 am.

Return Journey:

Bus: – Catch glider Bus at 12.25 pm outside Falls Park, arr Wellington Place 12.41 pm, arr Lanyon Place 12.50 pm. (Glider departs every 8 minutes from Falls Park).

Train: – Departs Great Victoria Street railway station at 12.45 pm, 1.15 pm, 1.45 pm and every 30 minutes thereafter.  Departs Lanyon Place 12.55 pm, 1.25 pm, 1.55 pm and every 30 minutes thereafter.  Note that trains to beyond Whitehead are every hour.

BY CAR:

Take the A2 Shore Road towards Belfast, the M5/M2/A12 (Westlink)/M1, leaving the motorway at the first exit onto the A55, marked ‘Belfast W & S’.  This is Kennedy Way which is three-quarters of the way round the roundabout at its third exit.  At the first roundabout on Kennedy Way, turn right onto the B102 which is the Andersonstown Road which becomes the Falls Road.   At the next roundabout, continue straight on to the Falls Road (A501).  The vehicle entrance into Falls Park is on the left hand side immediately past the roundabout and opposite Maguire’s Garage.  On entering the Park, immediately bear left which will take you to the free car park.  Walk across the Falls Road and meet at Falls Park glider bus stop.

THE WALK:

The first part of the walk will be in the Bog Meadows.  This is a circular walk which is flat and well surfaced around a pond and should take about half an hour.  A short stretch of the path may be slightly muddy.

The second part of the walk will be in Falls Park opposite the entrance lane into Bog Meadows.  This walk follows surfaced paths with some moderate inclines, providing views of Black Mountain and the Belfast Hills.  This should take about three-quarters of an hour.

LUNCH:

For those who wish to eat lunch in the area, there is a good restaurant on Andersonstown Road, about 4 glider bus stops away just across Kennedy Way – “The Temple Restaurant”.  For those who prefer to return to Belfast city centre, there is a Glider bus stop just outside the perimeter of Falls Park on Falls Road.

Note: There are no loos in Bog Meadows (no pun intended!) or at Falls Park.