Last Days in County Down

On our penultimate day exploring County Down we opened the curtains first thing in the morning to find the landscape covered in thick mist. We could only see a field away - so it was tricky deciding where to go as the prospect of actually being able to see anything didn't seem to be high. After breakfast we decided to head for the coast and drive westwards, along the shore of Carlingford Lough. Visibility wasn't great and we bypassed the village of Rostrevor, before pulling into a lay-by just outside the village, as a striking tall monument had caught our eye. Crossing the road we discovered the Ross Monument, a tall obelisk that sits in ground above the lough as a memorial to General Robert Ross who was born in Rostrevor in 1776. I had never heard of General Ross but learnt that he was a distinguished British soldier who had fought in Europe and, briefly, in the American Civil War where he is credited with winning the Battle of Baldensburg in 1814, entering into Washington. Where, the story goes, he burnt down all the public buildings including the presidential mansion, (the forerunner of the White House) but not before eating the president's breakfast, the latter having left in a hurry. He was shot and died at Baltimore so never got to return to his home village. 

A misty Carlingford Lough

The Ross Monument

After walking up to and all around the monument and looking out across the lough at the misty views, we carried on our journey to the next town of Warrenpoint which lies at the head of Carlingford Lough. We parked right on the promenade and by the sea wall spotted little painted stones - a charming introduction to the town.

Walking along the promenade brought us to the harbour where information boards recounted a number of maritime tragedies on Carlingford Lough - a far from benign stretch of water. First impressions were of a tidy, moderately well to do town, with a small town square and a range of shops and cafes. It was quiet, with people going about normal day to day business, but with not a lot to detain the visitor for any length of time especially on a misty morning. 

We returned to have a look around the nearby village of Rostrevor. This was a charming lough side village with a small square surrounded by traditional pubs and a few shops. The houses were pretty whitewashed or stone rendered Victorian cottages, with the occasional larger house.

As well as being the birthplace of General Robert Ross the village has been home to a number of well known Irishmen and women, including Mary McAleese, former Irish President, Dana the singer and folk singer Tommy Sands.

A heritage trail led us to an attractive bridge over the Kilbroney river and the entrance to the Fairy Glen, so named because many fairies were or are suspected of living along the banks of the river and local folk would not walk alongside the river after dark for fear of being spirited away. 

Rostrevor and the Fairy Glen

As it was mid morning Mrs B and myself felt reasonably safe venturing along..and what we found was an enchanting river side walk with trees overgrowing a river that tumbled and cascaded downstream. We walked to the next village of Kilbroney before retracing our steps and returning over the bridge passing a pub that had lots of literary quotes on its whitewashed walls, as well as art including one of Mr Tumnus from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

By this time it was lunchtime and we decided to try a little cafe near our cottage just at the start of the Slieve Binnian hike. It was shrouded in mist, so views were non existent and it clearly targeted its food offerings at hikers - the fare was basic but the portions were very large and filling. 

Carrick Little Cafe....mission statement..nobody leaves hungry

During the afternoon I took myself for a short walk in the Annalong Forest, part of the land owned by the Northern Irish Water Company and as trees gave way to open moorland I came across some of the pools and sluices, presumably used to control water flow taken from the reservoirs. At least the mist had lifted a little as I gained a little height. 

Annalong Forest

Fortunately our last full day was much better. It was dry, a bit cloudy but warm and with good visibility. After breakfast we headed out in the car to the northern end of Murlough Beach to a nature reserve called Keel Point. We followed a trail that took us out through the dunes onto the beach and along until, disconcertingly, we came across warning signs that alerted us to our proximity to a MOD live firing range.

You have been warned...

Making sure were kept the right side of the warning signs we searched for a track without finding any sort of marker post, but were distracted by the sight and sound of two large colonies of seals across the mouth of the estuary and closer to us swimming in the open water. They seemed unperturbed by the red flags flying nearby indicating a live firing exercise was underway.

Look very closely and there are seals in the far distance

Eventually we scrambled up a gap in the dunes and followed a track to Murlough House, hidden in the trees. It used to be owned by the National Trust but was sold to a Christian evangelical group and is now a place for retreat and reflection. I presume guests find the proximity to a live firing range perfectly acceptable...or perhaps the National Trust didn't mention this in the sales particulars.

Murlough House

View of Dundrum across the inner bay

Now back on track we helped ourselves to juicy blackberries and followed a path that wove its way through woodland, heath, dunes, beach, estuary and more heath before returning to our car, having probably walked slightly longer than intended. I appeased Mrs B. by promising her lunch in nearby Newcastle and fortunately (for me) found a cafe just off the promenade that served some excellent food. 

Rejuvenated after lunch we made our way by car to Tollymore Forest Park, a couple of miles inland. This large forest has been state owned since 1955 but was once part of the estate of the Earls of Clanbrassil and was landscaped with bridges and follies during the late eighteenth century. Now there are a series of waymarked trails that allow you to explore the forest which is also a site of special scientific interest. We set off on a riverside trail passing under a gothic bridge called the Horn Bridge that was built around 1780.

The trail followed the banks of the Shimna River passing wooden bridges and cascades and stepping stones through avenues of trees and one of the follies overlooking a gorge and pool in which we could see fish swimming. The folly was called the Hermitage and built in the 1770's by James Hamilton the 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil, in memory of his friend the John Montagu, Marquess of Monthermer. 

The River Shimna 

The Hermitage, built into the side of the gorge

We crossed the river at Parnells Bridge (built 1824) and climbed up a track before descending again by the Spinkwee River returning back to the car park passing a small lake where the leaves on trees were starting to turn golden - a sign of autumn approaching.

Parnell's Bridge

Throughout the walk we'd spotted lots of fungi growing in the damp ground and for 10 minutes had had to put on waterproofs as a brief shower passed over. Northern Ireland can be very wet and we had expected quite a bit of rain but fortunately for us (so far) we 'd escaped any deluges and most of our time the weather had been dry and very mild although the occasional bit of sea mist, fog or light drizzle had reminded us we were not in the Mediterranean! Our final walk in County Down completed we headed back to the cottage to start repacking. Our journey wasn't over yet - for we had a drive of about 100 miles the next morning - as we moved north to the Antrim coast and the promise of more stunning scenery.