Stage 13: Ballycastle to Portrush:
(41k or 26miles)
<Author - Gerry O'Boyle>
Saturday 10 Feb 2018
It might be spring according
to the Celtic Calendar but it still felt very cold this weekend. I must admit though
I was really looking forward to today’s (Saturday’s) stage especially as I knew
we are going to pass such famous and magical places along the Antrim coast.
We’re now at the top of
Ireland at Ballycastle (voted by Sunday Times readers as nicest place to live
in N.Ireland) and from now on we’ll be heading west with the vast Atlantic
Ocean on our north/right hand side. First we travel to Portrush (today’s finish
destination) and to add to our agony this weekend, we decide to first run the
Portrush parkrun (along a lovely stretch of sandy beach on the East Strand).
 |
Neill, Helen, Gerry & Sean - 4 Coastal runners starting the Portrush parkrun.
Neill joining us for parkrun before 'resting' his legs for Armagh 5k.
|
 |
| Auditions for Mr February commence... |
 |
Enjoying coffee (reusable cups at Portrush parkrun) and cake with Bob,
who volunteered to bring us to Ballycastle #loveparkrun
|
It’s just the three of
us today Helen, Sean and me. After we complete the parkrun we are grateful to
Bob and Judith McLaughlin who drive us from Portrush to Ballycastle to begin
Stage 13. Despite the forecast of showers (they’ll come later!) it’s quite a
nice morning and Rathlin Island is gleaming in the sunshine across the bay as
we leave Ballycastle at 11.05am.
 |
Back where we finished stage 12 for the start of stage 13
Sean and Gerry with Bob and Judith.
|
We don’t normally like
running on the road but we have no alternative for the first few miles (although
we do get a slight off-road loop through a narrow trail just after we leave
Ballycastle). Later we emerge from one of our long hill climbs to see Sheep
Island sitting majestically in the blue sea with the Rope Bridge clearly visible
below us. Two Californian visitors stop to ask us for directions to the ‘dark
hedges’, one of the many ‘Game of Thrones’ beauty spots in this area.
 |
| Stunning scenery running along Whitepark Road |
 |
| Looking towards Carrick-a-rede from viewpoint at Whitepark Road |
Carrick-a-rede Rope
Bridge
Even on cold February
day there are quite a few tourists here - some of them even cheer us on as we
run by! The Rope-Bridge crosses from high cliffs on the Antrim coast to a tiny
island. Salmon fishermen have been building bridges over to the island for over
350 years. The three of us pause in the middle of the rope bridge, trying not
to look down! Fortunately for us the shaky bridge has got safer over the years
(even in the 1970s it had only one handrail and large gaps between the slats.)
 |
| Sweaty palms crossing the bridge! |
We leave the Rope-bridge
and find a lovely grassy path from Carrick-a-rede to Ballintoy. Well it starts
off grassy but soon it turns into a muddy path! Shortly we arrive in Ballintoy
harbour. It’s over 20 years since I first came to magical Ballintoy (place of
the axe) - such a beautiful secluded little harbour. No surprise at all that it
was used for the fictional town of Lordsport in Game of Thrones.
 |
| Mr February auditions continue in Ballintoy Harbour |
We carry on along the
coastal path (still muddy!), clamber over a few rocks and eventually come to
the magnificent long sandy beach at White Park Bay. Then it’s over a few more rocks
until we join the coastal path at Portbradden (port of the salmon).
 |
| Gerry and Sean running along Whitepark Bay |
 |
| Gerry, Sean and Helen at Whitepark Bay |
My phone rings and its Fiona
Prue. Fiona and her husband Ivan are running east from the Giants Causeway towards
us and hoping to meet us along the way. We always welcome extra company on our
adventure.
We struggle on passing
Dunseverick harbour and Dunseverick Castle (not much of the castle left but the
location for the castle on the top of the cliff is spectacular!) We pass Port
Moon where fishermen have harvested kelp, crabs, lobsters and salmon for
centuries. Of course Sean knows this route very well having completed the
Causeway Coast marathon here. Helen and I struggle to keep up with him though and
have to tip-toe through the mud.
 |
| You can't beat the tide! We got wet feet scrambling over rocks! |
 |
| Sean and Gerry at Dunseverick Harbour |
 |
| Dunseverick Castle |
We reach Benbane Head – the
most northerly point in N.Ireland, although Malin Head in Donegal is actually
further north.
The sky is getting
darker and we carry along through the muddy (and hilly) coastal path. It’s
beginning to feel like a long day already. Fiona rings again and tells us that they
have decided to turn back as they’re also struggling through the mud. We can
understand.
 |
| Literally sliding at times despite trail shoes! |
We continue along
headland after headland and soon the rain comes down. Although its light rain, it’s
relentless and we’re beginning to feel a bit miserable by the time we arrive at
a busy Giants Causeway.
 |
| Gerry - miles ahead! |
 |
| The Organ Pipes at the Causeway |
 |
| Helen, Sean and Gerry at the Giant's Causeway |
We don’t delay too long
at the famous Causeway as the rain gets heavier. We stop briefly at the Causeway
hotel for a drink (only coke and water!). The TV is on and I notice Ireland are
beating Italy 42-0. Yes it would be nice to stop here in front of a warm fire
with a pint of Guinness and watch the rest of the match!
Outside the hotel we find another (muddy) coastal path which leads us alongside a narrow gauge railway. This line is for a steam train that runs from the Giants Causeway to nearby Bushmills. We continue along the coast to Port Ballintrae and stop for coffee which warms us a little (coffee would have even been nicer with a drop of Bushmills!) and then we carry on through the rain for the last few miles.
 |
| Never happier to see Dunluce Castle :) |
At Dunluce we also briefly meet Fiona and Ivan who encourage us along the way and inform us that Neill is running towards us to meet us for the final stretch. We can now easily see those big rocks known as the Skerries and it’s back down onto Portrush strand and the final 1.5k which was the second half of the parkrun earlier this morning. Seems like a long time ago! Its 5.00pm now; cold, wet and getting dark as we complete today’s stage. Later that night we enjoy a well-deserved meal in the famous Ramore Wine Bar. We’ve recovered well and I think we’re ready for tomorrow’s challenge!
 |
| Helen and Gerry at parkrun - start of stage 13 |
 |
| Helen and Gerry at the end of stage 13! |
Stage 14: Portrush to Benone: (42k or
25.7miles)
Sunday 11 Feb 2018
It’s exactly one year to
the day since we left Omeath in Co. Louth (Stage One) to start this whole
adventure. If we thought the weather was bad yesterday it was nothing compared
to today. The snow, sleet and wind were persistent from early morning.
The good news was that we
had three other brave runners joining us at 8.30am in Portrush, Neill Weir,
Laura Doherty and Jim Blee. Laura and Jim live in Portrush and are training for
the Manchester marathon and Neill is both an ultra runner and a 5k specialist (and everything in between! https://neillweir.wordpress.com/).
Neill also became our driver later on. We couldn’t have done it today without
his help.
 |
| Sean, Neill, Helen, Jim and Laura |
 |
| Running along Portrush West Strand in hail |
 |
No swimmers in the Herring Pond today - Jim is a keen sea swimmer and part of the Arcadia Bathing Club (ABC)
|
 |
| Braving the elements as hail comes from the North on Portstewart Strand |
 |
| So close we can touch it but it's another 18 miles before we actually get to Mussenden Temple! |
 |
| Jim, Laura, Gerry and Sean at the Barmouth - Gerry bravely reveals the Clifton top! |
River Bann
It was a tough two mile
run on the strand against the sleet and snow with very little protection from
the elements. At the end of the Portstewart beach we reach the River Bann and
what is known as the Barmouth. The Bann really divides N.Ireland in two and here
we are at the exact spot that the river flows into the sea. It seems like a
short hop across to the other side at Castlerock and it would be nice if there
was some kind of footbridge here to continue our adventure along the Co. Derry
coast. It turns out to be a 12 mile roundtrip to get to the other side at
Castlerock!
 |
| Well earned coffee at the 10mile mark |
So we head back along Portstewart
beach again. At least we have the wind and sleet behind us this time! We stop
briefly at Harry’s Shack, get some takeaway coffees and share one scone between
us! We continue along the road into Coleraine and cross the River Bann. At the
bridge we are very sad to say goodbye to Laura and Jim. They were brave to join us in such
miserable conditions.
 |
| Goodbye Jim and Laura - clearly the sun has come out as Helen is squinting! |
We take a right turn at
Coleraine Grammar, along Ballycairn Road and another right into Cranagh Road
which leads onto Ballywoollen Road. When St Patrick arrived in this
neighbourhood, he was received with great honour and hospitality by the local
chieftain, Nadslua. I don’t think many
of the locals even notice us as we soldier on through these quiet country
roads. It’s not as cold now and I can even feel my fingers for the first time
today!
 |
| Castlerock on the left, Portstewart Strand on right |
 |
| The birthplace of Helen's Grandad Conn |
Suddenly Helen gets all
excited as we pass Ardina Road. It turns out that her grandfather came from
this area and he never forgot his birthplace. When he moved to Groomsport he
even called his house Ardina ‘’I spent my first days in Ardina and I’ll spent
my last days in Ardina’’, he said.
We continue along
Ballywoolen road until we get to Springvale Lane. We take a right turn down
towards Castlerock Golf Course, crossing the railway line on our way. There are
no golfers on the course today – just as well maybe, as we trample through
greens and fairways. We can hear the ocean now. We cross the sand dunes onto
Castlerock Strand and we have finally arrived on the other side of the Barmouth
(just opposite Portstewart strand). We continue through Castlerock and as we
climb the hill in the village, the rain and sleet start to come down again!
 |
| Gerry on Castlerock Beach - Barmouth behind |
 |
| Mussenden Temple ahead of us, Castlerock Beach |
We shortly join a
coastal path along the cliff and are glad to see the iconic Mussenden Temple in
the distance. As we get closer to the Temple we notice that there’s a vast bay
of water in our way! It seems we have to walk down from the cliff, tackle
another muddy treacherous path, cross a bridge and climb up a steep hill on the
other side. We finally arrive tired, cold and miserable at Mussenden Temple.
 |
| Very quick picture before the fingers freeze! |
It’s at this point that
I suggest that we could finish earlier than originally planned. Helen and Sean
agree. Luckily Neill is already driving in this direction so we arrange to meet
him later in Benone, only 2 miles away. It’s a long two miles to our finish
line and we are so delighted to get there. It’s been a tough weekend. We’ve run
55 miles over the weekend (including parkrun) and now we’re only ONE stage away
from completing the whole N.Ireland coast.
 |
| Finish point for stage 14, starting point for stage 15 - Benone Tourist Centre |
Total distance to date: 563k or 352miles
Next (FINAL N.Ireland stage: Sat 10 March: Benone to
Muff, Co. Donegal)
If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School,
please see below.
