22nd March – Crumlin Glen Walk
SHORT Walk – 1.5 miles; DATE: Friday 22nd March 2024.
LEADER: Robert McDowell, Telephone No 028 93373084 (land line)
07711 706022 (mobile)
MEETING POINT/TIME: Car park in Crumlin Glen at 11.15 am.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
Outward Journey:
Train – Dep Whitehead 9.15 am, dep Carrickfergus 9.24 , dep Greenisland 9.33 , arr Great Victoria Street 10.00 am.
Bus – Dep Queen Street 10.25am (Bus Number 106), arr Crumlin 11.08 am.
Directions from Great Victoria Street Station to Queen Street, Belfast:
This walk should take about 15 minutes. Emerge from Great Victoria Street Train Station, turning left onto Great Victoria Street. Cross Grosvenor Road and continue walking past RBAI (Inst), crossing College Square East (the continuation of Great Victoria Street) at the traffic lights in front of Inst to Wellington Place. Walk up Wellington Place and Queen Street is the first street on your left. Cross College Street, staying on the left hand side of Queen Street. The bus stop for Crumlin is the first stop/bus shelter past College Street.
Directions from Bus Stop in Main Street Crumlin, to Crumlin Glen (half a mile)
Disembark from the bus in Main Street, Crumlin and walk up this street, staying on the left hand side. Turn left into Mill Road and the entrance to Crumlin Glen car park is c200 yards on the left hand side immediately underneath the railway viaduct.
Return Journey
Bus – Dep Crumlin 1.31pm, arr Queen Street 2.20 pm.
The bus from Crumlin to Belfast leaves Main Street, Crumlin just up the street from “The Fiddlers’ Inn”.
Train – Dep Great Victoria Street 2.45pm, arr Greenisland 3.12, arr Carrickfergus 3.20, arr Whitehead 3.30pm.
BY CAR:
Directions from Carrickfergus Castle Roundabout to Crumlin (c20 miles):
There are various routes from Carrickfergus to Crumlin via Ballyclare/Templepatrick or via Belfast/Hannahstown, but the following is the shortest in distance:-
Take the exit from the roundabout signposted “North Road”. This takes you onto Albert Road which becomes North Road. After c 1.5 miles you will come to a T junction with the Marshallstown Road (known locally as “the top road”) – this is the B90. Turn left and follow that road for c5
miles to the turn-off at Doagh Road, having passed the traffic lights at Monkstown Road. At the next traffic lights at Doagh Road, turn left and within 200 yards turn right onto Manse Road (still the B90). Continue on this road turning left at the third roundabout onto the Ballyclare Road, signposted “Carnmoney/Glengormley”. At the junction with the Antrim Road, turn left onto the Antrim Road and immediately right onto the Hightown Road (B95). At the T junction turn left onto the Upper Hightown Road, which is still the B95. Follow this road to its junction with the Upper Crumlin Road (A52) and turn right (signposted “Crumlin/International Airport”). After about 7 miles, you will reach the roundabout at Nutts Corner where you continue on the A52 into Crumlin.
On entering Crumlin village, just past the 30 mph sign, you will see a white metal viaduct over the road (the old railway bridge). Pass under the viaduct and immediately turn right into the car park of Crumlin Glen, which has a brown signpost. Take care when turning as it is a very narrow entrance. The car park is free of charge.
Please note that I will be travelling by car and would be willing to give lifts to 2 people. Contact me by telephone (landline has an answering machine) to make arrangements.
THE WALK:
This is a circular walk of 1.5 miles, which can be muddy in places and has some slopes and short flights of steps with handrails. We will follow the path at the far end of the car park which takes us over a footbridge. The walk passes through woodland to the “Cockle House”, which is a small stone building built in Moorish style by a previous landowner for a Muslim servant. We will continue down to the bank of the Crumlin River, following the path along the river, which eventually takes us back to Crumlin’s Main Street. Note that there are no toilets in Crumlin Glen.
LUNCH:
Lunch may be taken in one of the following establishments in Main Street:
1. The Fiddlers’ Inn, 36 Main Street
2. Boyle’s Coach House, 47 Main Street
3. Eithne’s Café, 14 Main Street 4. Brewed Bistro, 38 Main Street