"Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think what it might be." - Joyce Oates

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle (photos by Helen Byers)>

Saturday 1 April 2017

Stage Three: Kilkeel to Dundrum (Approx 35k or 22 miles)  

It was just Helen, Sean and I today. We were back down again to the Mourne Mountains to the nice fishing harbour in Kilkeel to start stage three of our journey. I must admit that we were a little apprehensive about today’s stage of our journey. Those of you who know the Kilkeel-Newcastle road will notice that it’s a busy, windy road and doesn’t always have a footpath along side it. Also, there isn’t really a proper coastal path and it’s a rocky shoreline too. To make our task even more difficult today, the forecast was for some heavy showers. 



Mrs Graham who waved us off in Kilkeel

So, it was hard to know how we should tackle this stretch. We are indebted to our colleague Terry Eakin (aka Herbie Herb) who covered this whole coastal route in 2013 and we are continuing to refer to his blog to guide us along the way. We left Bangor at 6.45am, hoping that a low tide at 9.10 might help us. We parked again at the Leisure Centre, near Kilkeel harbour. As we are getting ready for today’s adventure, Mrs Graham’s (Helen’s friend’s Mum) kindly came to wish us luck, giving us a £10 donation towards Clifton School. Thank you Tracey’s Mum!

Kilkeel Harbour

We run towards Kilkeel town centre, continuing along the Newcastle road for about half a mile until we came to a crossroads at Moor road. We then take a Right turn, running down towards the coast again. For a while we have, either a nice grassy trail, or a flat enough pebbly beach to run on. There are spectacular views here on both sides, inland across the Mournes, with Slieve Binnian towering in the distance and then on our right hand side the calm Irish sea. The sun was shining too and no sign of any showers on the way!

However, as we get closer to Ballymartin the terrain is getting worst, more rocks than pebbles on the beach now and adding to that, we are confronted by swarms of flies. Sean said they were Mayflies – not sure about that and anyway it’s only April! I read that in Ballymartin in 1858 a Spanish boat sailing from Liverpool to Barcelona went off course (slightly!) and hit the rocks. The impact was so severe that it split a huge stone in two and since then the stone in Ballymartin has been called Barcelona rock. 

Gerry avoiding the stones

We keep running/walking along the rocky shore, although there is a nice small sandy beach near Ballymartin. We’re stepping over more rocks now but as we get closer to Annalong we notice a trail slightly inland. This is definitely easier on the feet. We stop briefly to talk to a lone female runner (training for her local Longstone Camogie club). We arrive in Annalong harbour and get talking to a lady called Maureen Scot who is out walking with her dog, Bell. When she hears our story, she generously gives a £20 donation towards Clifton School. Thank you Maureen!



Longstone to Annalong

We continue north towards Newcastle staying by the shoreline. For the first mile north of Annalong, there’s a nice rough trail but eventually the trail disappears and we’re running through stones and rocks again. At one stage we find it easier to climb into a farmer’s field and run on the long grass, but after a while even the green fields disappear and it’s just a rocky shore. The good news is the sun is still shining and no sign of any rain. We can just about make out the Isle of Man in the distance. 




The rocks on the shore are getting bigger now and we realise that we need to go inland. We spot a farmer’s gate/entrance near the beach, which leads to a narrow hilly lane inland and eventually we arrive back on the main Kilkeel-Newcastle road about 2 miles south of Bloody Bridge. As we run along the main road heading towards Newcastle, the Mournes are beginning to tower over us on the left hand side. Helen says she’s getting thirsty but we know we need to keep going until Bloody Bridge. 

Bloody Bridge
This is exactly where the Mountains of Mourne ‘sweep down to the sea’ (as the Percy French song goes). Although we are at sea level, we’re only 2 miles from the top of the famous Slieve Donard peak (higher than any other mountain in either Ulster or Connacht and standing at 852 metres or 2,795 feet).    



Bloody Bridge River

I did a little research on where the name Bloody Bridge came from and I think it’s safe to say that the name goes way back to 1641 when there was an Irish/Catholic uprising in Ulster against the recent protestant planters from Scotland/England. The story goes that there was a massacre here and bodies were thrown into the river and so tainting it with blood. There is a lot of truth in this and I discovered that there were 19,010 pages of recordings of testimonials taken in 1641(and, believe it or not, these testimonials are still held in Trinity College, Dublin). All testimonials have similar stories of horrific killings, barbaric massacres and lots of drowning. I spent some time looking through these reports, looking for some mention of the area around Bloody Bridge. It was hard enough to find anything specific to this exact area and also some of the language, written 376 years ago, was quite hard to understand. The best example I could find was a testimonial from Mrs. Crooker recorded in 1641 which is typical of these kinds of killings.  

Elizabeth Crooker late of the Newry in the County of Downe sworne & examined saith she was stripped & had taken from her in leather and other houshold goods & Clothes at the Newry to the value of Ten pounds & vpwards by the Rebells there & that she her selfe and her son were taken by the Rebells & carried out to the sea to be drowned, others were carried to Newcastle to be hanged. 

Image taken from James Cranford, Teares of Ireland (London, 1642). Image produced by the courtesy of the Board of Trinity College, Dublin.



Newcastle
According to our Ordnance Survey map there is coastal path from Bloody Bridge to Newcastle. However we realise this is not true, unless we want to follow the same fate as the fictitious character Maggie who fell into the sea near this spot (now called Maggie’s leap!). So we continue running along the busy main road again. However, after about a mile, as we get closer to Newcastle, there’s a footpath which leads us all the way to the main promenade.   

Approach to Newcastle on footpath

We were so glad to finally arrive in Newcastle. It’s been very hard work today and has taken us 3.5 hours to get from Kilkeel. We stop for takeaway coffees and stroll along the esplanade and eventually pass the magnificent Slieve Donard hotel which has the most beautiful setting by the sea with the Mournes facing it. 

Newcastle promenade

Dundrum
At this stage the tide is coming in, but not too far in to stop us running along the coast. We still have another 10k to run before we get to Dundrum. The Royal Co. Down golf course (and then the sand dunes) are on our left as we continue along the shore. We run along the sandy beach and follow the coast all the way to Dundrum bay as the sand gets softer and softer, a little too soft for the tired feet of the runner! At Dundrum Bay we circle around Murlough (Ireland’s first Nature Reserve) and we can now see Dundrum village across the bay. Eventually we cross Downshire Bridge which brings us right into our finish line in Dundrum.

Dundrum bay

Twenty minutes later we are driving back to Kilkeel, when the heavens open and the rain comes down. It’s the first shower of the day!

So Stage Three is done! It’s now 6 weeks to our next run on Saturday 13 May. 

Total distance to date: 88k or 55 miles

Next two legs: Sat. 13 May (Dundrum to Strangford) and Sat. 17 June (Strangford to Comber) 


If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School, please see below. https://mydonate.bt.com/events/cliftoncoastalrun/381290

“You can’t be miserable when you’re running. It’s such a simple and pure way to feel alive.”  ― Veronica Rossi, Brooke

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle (photos by Helen Byers)>

Saturday 11 March 2017

Stage Two: Co. Down: Rostrevor to Kilkeel (via Cranfield)
(Approx 26.5k or 16.5 miles)  

It was back down to La La Land (or Narnia Land as we call it!) in Rostrevor to complete the second stage of our coastal run. Now it’s definitely spring and a little warmer than last month. It was even an earlier start this time, leaving Bangor in two different cars at 6.45am and driving down through the (majestic, but hazy) Mourne Mountains.  

There were six of us today. Three new runners joined us, Colin Walker, Chris Stevenson and Michael Stevenson. Colin is such an inspirational character and he’s probably the main reason why you notice a lot more people running in the N.Down area, mainly through his ‘new beginnings’ group. Chris has been running a while, has done a few long runs in his time and is now training for the London marathon. Michael (no relation to Chris) is a relatively new member of NDAC but he’s learning fast and has already done a few marathons.    

We started, where we finished last month in the beautiful Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor. Colin travelled down directly to Rostrevor (got a lift down with Andrew and Philip–these two guys promise to join us later in the year). We got a nice a picture of all of us under the famous old oak tree at Kilbroney (N. Ireland’s nomination for European tree of the year). Everyone, except me (still recovering), decides to do the parkrun at Kilbroney – and really, you couldn’t get a nicer setting for a parkrun. 

The Holm oak tree - Northern Ireland's 'tree of the year'

.......And so we head for the coast. It was quiet enough on the main road towards Kilkeel, but in any case we were lucky enough to have a footpath to run on nearly all of the way. After about 6 miles, there’s a Right turn towards Greencastle and Cranfield, heading south on a quieter country road. After about half a mile we come across ‘Eileen’s Store’, our last chance for refreshments before we get to Kilkeel. Eileen and her husband John are so friendly, making me a cup of coffee but refusing to take any money for it.

Eileen and some of the Coastal Runners

We carry on, crossing the bridge over the White Water River and then take a Right turn towards Greencastle. There used to be a ferry here going over to Greenore in Co. Louth (just over a mile across the bay) but the ferry hasn’t gone since 1951. There’s talk recently about running it again but local opinion seems to be against it. ‘NO Ferry Here’, says a big sign nearby. I think the locals are worried about too much traffic in their area. 

We walk up the hill to the actual castle itself at Greencastle, one of the oldest castles in Ireland, built almost 800 years ago, in 1230 by Hugh de Lacy. It’s now mid-day, the sun is threatening to shine and we’re all warming up. The sheep in the fields nearby are bleating like crazy at the sight of these strange people. 

Greencastle castle

During World War 2, there was a special aerodrome built here in Greencastle, Co. Down which became home for soldiers of the US Army in preparation for the D-Day operation in Normandy. General Patton even came here to check his troops – he called his soldiers, the ‘fittest, readiest outfit that I’ve ever inspected’. I’m sure he would have said something similar if he had seen today’s six coastal runners!   

We now do a U turn, back the way we came, but after about ½ mile we take a RIGHT turn along Fair Road. Apparently this road is called Fair Road because in past times Greencastle was once the ‘Capital of the Mourne Kingdom’ and its fairs were the most famous in all of Ulster. Fair Road leads down towards the sea and gradually narrows into a gravelly path as we get down to the coast. Then it turns into a lovely narrow grassy path that goes along by the shore, perfect for us runners! And after running along the grassy path for a while we then find ourselves on the west side of Cranfield beach.  

I did realise a couple of weeks ago that it would be high tide when we got to Cranfield, but at that stage it was too late to change today’s date. Having said all that, we’ll be more careful with checking the tides in future. Low tides are much better and remember ’the sand is for the feet of the runner’!

We are reminded again in Cranfield beach too about a horrible disaster that took place on 3 November 1916 (we had seen another monument about this at the Quays in Newry last month). During a terrible storm two ships (SS Connemara and Retriever) collided into each other, killing 94 people. James Boyle, a non-swimmer, was the only survivor but refused to ever speak about this incident until he was an old man. Even the 34ft high Haulbowline lighthouse in the bay couldn’t stop a disaster like this happening. Strange that today the sea was so smooth and calm and it was hard to imagine this happening. 

It’s still quite a high tide when we get to the east side of Cranfield, and we’re wondering whether we should run around the corner on the shore or take the country road back towards Kilkeel. We send Sean on a mission to discover whether it’s feasible to run along the beach. We wait and wait and eventually positive news comes by text from Sean – ‘yes it’s safe to go along the beach’. We all run along the shore, struggling sometimes among the rocks and eventually we find a path that leads off the beach, onto a narrow lane and back onto the Kilkeel road to our finish line.      

So another great day of coastal running and stage two is done! It’s only three weeks to our next run on April Fool’s Day. 

Re-enacting the cartoon by Neal McCullough

“You can’t be miserable when you’re running. It’s such a simple and pure way to feel alive.”  ― Veronica Rossi, Brooke

Next two legs: Sat. 1 April (Kilkeel to Dundrum) and Sat. 13 May (Dundrum to Strangford) 


If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School, please see below. https://mydonate.bt.com/events/cliftoncoastalrun/381290

"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning."  Albert Camus 

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle (photos by Helen Byers)>

Date:11th February 2017

Stage One: Omeath (Co. Louth) to Rostrevor (Co. Down)
(Approx 26.5k or 16.5 miles)  

Helen, Sean and I started our grand adventure today in the village of Omeath. Looking across the river/sea from Omeath, we could already see today’s finish line on the other side at Rostrevor, Co. Down.

It was an early start and a nice spring morning (I’m going by the old Celtic calendar that says spring starts on 1st Feb) as we headed first for Rostrevor (our finish point today). Unbelievably, Helen and Sean decide to run the Rostrevor parkrun first! I declined, saving my energy and feigning my back injury as an excuse. Well after all, I am the elder on this adventure.  

After the parkrun with Helen and Sean barely out of breath, I drive the three of us the 16 miles to Omeath, leaving Sean’s car in Rostrevor. 

.........and so at last, our adventure began in Omeath, Co. Louth at exactly 11.05 on Sat 11 Feb 2017 ......and this mad idea isn’t just an idea anymore. It’s now really happening! 

The snow started to come down as we started our run but it soon faded away, although still very cold. As we run along the road from Omeath to Newry looking across at the beautiful Mournes (the area which inspired CS Lewis’s and the Chronicles of Narnia), I can’t help thinking about a horrific incident that took place in 1979. (The same day Lord Mountbatten was murdered by IRA) On that August day 18 soldiers were killed by the IRA at Warrenpoint, just across the narrow river from where our run started at Omeath. Another victim of that day was a curious English tourist (on the Omeath side of the river) who was shot dead by British soldiers in the mistaken belief he was one of the bombers who detonated the bomb. 

Back in a much more peaceful 2017, we continue running along towards Newry, and eventually cross over from Co. Louth to Co. Down. (the border). All the talk in the news recently after the Brexit vote is what kind of border we will have. Well, there’s definitely no sign of a hard border here! In fact there’s no real sign of any kind of a border as we cross over from the Republic into N.Ireland.

As we arrive at the quays in Newry, we decide to stop off for a takeaway coffee before heading towards Warrenpoint. Just outside Newry we find a nice grassy path overlooking the river and really enjoy running along this traffic-free ridge for a few miles. Eventually however the path comes to an end and we have to join the Newry-Warrenpoint dual carriageway. It’s a busy road here but quite safe on the footpath.

After a while, I suggest (bad idea in hindsight!) that there is another easier path closer to the river and it would be much nicer to run along this path. We jump over a fence and run along a muddy path by the shore of the river, but then the path disappears completely. Now we’re struggling through fields and find ourselves trapped between the river and a wee stream. We see a man, and we start to worry that it’s his field we’re trampling on. We ask him for directions. He suggests we carry on through the field (it wasn’t his land anyway). ‘’Keep going’’ he says, ‘’until you reach thon house’’ as he pointed in the distance. Eventually we somehow find our way back out onto the dual carriageway, at the aforementioned ‘thon house’ (I had to look the word ‘thon’ up in my Ulster-Scots dictionary when I got home)     

Narrow Water Castle, Warrenpoint

I was glad to see that Castle just outside Warrenpoint and anyway, reaching another town was a good excuse for us to stop. We strolled through Warrenpoint and we picked up speed again as we got on the Rostrevor road. This was a much nicer and quieter stretch with the river widening on our right hand side and a lovely feeling that we were now definitely in the Mournes. There was also a nice footpath all the way to Rostrevor.  

As we get closer to Rostrevor, Helen is pulling away leaving a wide gap between her and Sean and I. To slow her down we suggest we stop at the big monument erected in memory of General Robert Ross. We climb up the path and steep steps to the top of the monument (with lovely view across the bay) and read all about the famous General Ross. He will forever be remembered as the man who burned down the White House! The ‘Burning of Washington’ took place in 1814, during the War between British forces and the USA. One eyewitness testified that General Ross was personally involved in the piling up of furniture and kindling for the White House, preparing to destroy the landmark. It was the only time that a foreign power captured and occupied Washington. I’m not sure if President Trump will visit this famous landmark, if he ever visits Ireland!

Ross's Monument

View across the bay from Ross's Monument

The rain is coming down now but we don’t care! Now it’s just a short run to our finish point in Rostrevor. It’s such a great feeling, completing that first leg of our journey and we couldn’t really have picked a nicer place to end our first run than Rostrevor, nestling in the Mournes. CS Lewis wasn’t the only one who was impressed with this area. The famous English writer, Thackeray also wrote ’were such a bay lying upon an English shores, it would be a world’s wonder and travellers would flock to it’.

CS Lewis Narnia Trail at Kilbroney (part of the parkrun route)

We don’t delay too long in Rostrevor. Sean drives us back to Omeath to pick up my car, but on the way to Omeath we decide to stop in Warrenpoint for something to eat. In Warrenpoint, we were lucky to find a pub (The Lock and Quay) that had everything we needed. It was the cozy fire in the pub that attracted us first; they also had a TV showing Ireland v Italy rugby match (Ireland winning easily), good beer too (alcohol and no-alcoholic) good food (although we were so hungry, we would have eaten anything!) and best of all, the three of us seemed to have the pub to ourselves. Not a bad way to end the day in the best of company!  

Next leg: Saturday 11 March, Rostrevor to Kilkeel (via Cranfield) 

If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School, please see below. https://mydonate.bt.com/events/cliftoncoastalrun/381290

 ‘’The will to win means nothing if you haven’t the will to prepare’’ Juma Ikangaa

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle>

A new adventure: planning ahead

Our long coastal journey will start soon and we’re counting down the days to 11 February.  Helen and Sean are equally excited about our task ahead. The t-shirts with the Clifton School logo arrive just before Christmas. The three of us all do the parkrun on Christmas Eve in Bangor and afterwards we arrange to head down to nearby Ballyholme beach for a few pictures wearing our new bright green shirts. It’s a cold and windy day and the normal calm Ballyholme Bay, looks wild and rough as we pose for our photos. Now we can tell the rest of the world (or at least North Down) about our crazy idea! At my age, it’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to a proper adventure (I almost feel a little like Ernest Shackleton going on an arctic expedition – I suppose we all have an adventurous spirit hidden somewhere inside us!)


The Coastal Team

Just after Christmas we finally announce to the world (well, to our friends on Facebook) what we’re going to do. Our Facebook Post gets a lot of notice/likes and comments and we do expect others will join us along the way at some stage. Some people have even shown interest in doing the whole run but at the moment, all we can be sure of is, that our team of three ( Helen, Sean and I) will aim to complete the whole coast of County Down. 

Sean is raring to go! If the truth be told, Sean Nickell could probably do the whole 200 miles in one day or at least in a weekend. I first met Sean through the North Down Athletic Club (NDAC) Monday night running group and Sean also has a son in Clifton School. Sean has competed in lots of ultra marathons and in competitions called ‘last man standing’; he is often one of the last men standing! Twenty or thirty miles a day will not be a problem for our Sean.  

Helen Byers is equally passionate about the whole experience. She is an accountant by profession but we try not to hold that against her! I first met Helen through our accounting/teaching paths but I really got to know her through Bangor parkrun and also through the Monday night running group at NDAC. Helen was a recent winner of the coveted NDAC’s Grand Prix Prize for
2016.  This award is presented to the person who performed best over a variety of distances and terrain. Yes, nothing will fluster Helen and she is in danger of smiling her way around the whole 200 miles!    

I see the local newspaper (County Down Spectator) has done a small piece about our forthcoming run. There’s no going back now, as Sean says. Our picture looks good but the actual written piece itself is very short.  However, the paper’s artist (Neal McCullough from Hand Drawn Creative) does quite a funny sketch of the three of us, even if he calls us ‘Joggers’ in his cartoon!  

 

I’m struggling a little with lower back pain at the moment. I had hoped to do the famous Christmas cracker race in Castlewellan on 27 December but I thought it would be wise not to run in that one. (Apologies to my partner Catherine Roberts!)  I’ve been going for physio treatment over the last few weeks and it’s going well. 


Trial run/drive

 On Sunday 15 January, Maureen and I (and of course wee Brian) decide to head down to Omeath where our Coastal Run will start in a few weeks time. Where exactly is Omeath, you might ask? Omeath is a small village in County Louth, just south of the border – about half way between Carlingford and Newry. The actual Louth/Down/Irish border is about 2 miles north of Omeath but rather than start our run in the middle of nowhere, we’ve decided to start our expedition in the village of Omeath.  It’s a beautiful day when we arrive in the village and Omeath looks well along Carlingford Lough. Warrenpoint and Rostrevor can be clearly seen, nestling in the Mournes across the bay.

In Omeath we get talking to a couple of runners (not joggers!). They’re going for a run in the opposite direction, towards Carlingford. The old railway line from Omeath to Carlingford is now converted into a lovely coastal greenway, perfect for running, walking or cycling but the path seems to stop at Omeath.  I tell these runners about our coastal run idea and enquire about the best way to go from Omeath to Newry. I had already read that the old railway line went as far as Newry, but I wasn’t sure whether that section was suitable for running yet. One of the men said we should come back next year (2018) when the greenway from Omeath to Newry would be finished. (I’m not sure if Helen or Sean would want to wait another year!)  It would be nice to avoid running along the main Omeath-Newry road as it’s quite narrow and windy. Another option (which I discuss with Sean later) is to run about ¾ mile inland, parallel to the main road and along by quieter roads near the forest. 

Anyway, on this beautiful day in mid-January, we leave Omeath and drive across the border back in towards Newry and around the river/canal towards Warrenpoint. It’s even warming up now (12 degrees) and the sun is shining as we drive along the coastal road towards Rostrevor, with the sea and Cooley Mountains on one side and the Mournes on the other. Of course, this is the area that inspired CS Lewis when writing the Chronicles of Narnia.  In a letter to his
brother, he wrote ‘’that part of Rostrevor which overlooks Carlingford Lough is my idea of Narnia’’.   Yes, you can see why he was so impressed.  I’m hoping we get as nice a day for the start of our Coastal Run on 11 February.  

If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School, please see below. https://mydonate.bt.com/events/cliftoncoastalrun/381290

‘The Sand is for the feet of the runner’ 

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle>

Welcome to our blog. We hope you can join us, by reading this (or maybe even joining us at some stage) and following our progress along the way. Whether you’re a reader or a runner (or both) we will try to keep this fun and interesting. So, as you read this, please try to keep up with us. We promise not to go too fast!

Our adventure will start on Saturday 11 February 2017 in the village of Omeath, Co. Louth.

Our task sounds really simple - we are going to run along the coast of County Down in different stages during the calendar year of 2017. Maybe we’ll continue and do the whole coast of N. Ireland, but let’s see how we get on with County Down first! 

We hope to complete our task in stages (just one stage of approximately 20-30 miles one day every month) and we’re starting the first leg of our long journey in Omeath, Co. Louth (just south of Newry) on Saturday 11 February 2017. On this date, we will run along the coast from Omeath to Rostrevor. One month later, on Saturday 11 March, we’ll continue our run from Rostrevor to Kilkeel and on Saturday 1 April, we’ll run from Kilkeel to Dundrum. We will then continue this pattern for the rest of the year, dates and stages to be decided later. 

Remember, we are running south to north, keeping the sea on our right hand side and strictly following the coast at all times. Of course, a nice beach along the way (and there are many) will help us stick to our task, which reminds me of what Oscar Wilde said about the Greeks and their attitude to life.

 "They never chattered about sunsets, or discussed whether the shadows on the grass were really mauve or not, but they saw that the sea was for the swimmer, and the sand for the feet of the runner".  

So read on chapter by chapter and follow our journey ……………

So here we are ……….. our mission and intention is to run along the coast of county Down! And the next question you ask is; how LONG exactly is the coast of County Down? Well that depends – strictly speaking, it’s probably about 200 miles. That is, if you also go around the inner ‘coast’ of Strangford Lough. However, we could take a very convenient (and acceptable) shortcut, crossing on the ferry from Strangford to Portaferry and probably save ourselves a 50 mile round trip and so reduce our journey down to about 150 miles...... but no shortcuts for us ....we’ll take the long road and complete the whole coast, including the inner circular coast around Strangford Lough, so yes, 200 miles.


Whose idea was this anyway?
I must admit I’ve had this idea (in my head) for a long time. Then one of my colleagues at North Down Athletic Club actually stole this idea - my idea! Well, that’s not technically true. As I hadn’t actually told anyone about my plan, I can’t really accuse someone of stealing my idea. Terry Eakin decided himself in 2013 that he was going to run the whole coast of Northern Ireland (not just County Down!) – and he did complete it and ran all the way around the coast of N. Ireland in the calendar year of 2013. Terry told me that he enjoyed his coastal run much more than any race or event that he had ever completed in his life. I understood completely what he meant and this made me envy Terry’s adventure even more. I was also secretly determined to follow in his footsteps, but I still kept the idea to myself, until 8 October 2016. On one weekend on 8/9 October 2016,  I happened to mention the coastal run idea (in two separate conversations) to both Helen Byers and Sean Nickell and they were both very interested and even enthusiastic about a coastal run. I knew then I had found two similar mad accomplices and suddenly, Coastal Run 2017 was born!   

And WHY exactly are we doing this? 
There are lots of reasons really, but one very good reason is to help raise awareness (and maybe funds) for Clifton Special School in Bangor. There are quite a few of us taking part in the run who have children at Clifton School. Clifton School always needs IT equipment and other specialised tools for children with disabilities. I know that recently the PTA at Clifton School were able to build a special sensory room from funds raised from different events. The recent advances in technology allow special needs children to develop and enhance their skills.  More importantly, our run is a good way to highlight the whole area of learning disabilities.    

Having said all that, there are lots of other reasons to take on this challenge. Helen sums it up well too when she said. ‘’I'm doing it because I love running, I love scenery and I would love to combine the two! I like setting myself challenges. Terry Eakin mentioned his blog to me after I'd run along Benone beach and I thought it must be amazing to run the whole coast line! There's some spectacular scenery in N. Ireland and I'm keen to see it!’’ 


The County Down coast
This coastline is perfect for walking, cycling and especially running! It’s got beautiful scenery, long beaches (‘sand for the feet of the runner’), lots of coastal paths and plenty of quiet country roads. All in all, it will be mostly a traffic free run. There are such amazing contrasts too in County Down between the different areas, South Down, Strangford, the Ards Peninsula and North Down.  We can’t get lost because all we have to do to make sure the sea is always on our right hand side!

The southern part of county Down is dominated completely by the amazing and majestic Mountains of Mourne - made even more famous by the beautiful song, written by Percy French. By any standards these mountains are high and very quickly rise up from the sea. Even Slieve Donard at 850 metres high is only a couple of miles from the beach and as per the song; the mountains actually do ‘sweep down to the sea’! Also, even as we start our run on our first day on the other side of Carlingford Lough, the Mourne Mountains will already dominate the landscape. So for the first part of our journey we’ll have the sea on our right hand side and the mountains on our left. Strange to think that if someone took this journey a thousand years ago, they’d have the same two running companions as we’ll have. 

The middle part of our run has its own unique qualities too. There’s the ‘Van Morrison section’ around Ardglass, made famous in his song ‘Coney Island’. (Actually Van’s song isn’t really a song – more of a poem, really - and Coney Island isn’t really an island!).  When we reach Strangford we’ll take the much longer route (via Newtownards) to Portaferry. Then we continue along the east coast of the Ards Peninsula which is full of little drumlins and yet also has long stretches of sand, perfect for the feet of the runner. 

Finally, when we reach North Down, we will join a very long uninterrupted coastal path just north of Donaghadee which will take us all the way to Holywood , and finally on towards Belfast. This stretch, of course, will be very familiar to us, as most of us live in the Bangor area. We hope to complete our County Down coastal run and be greeted by Samson and Goliath (huge shipyard cranes) at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.    

For now, we will leave you with one last quote by the great running hero of us all. 

"I always loved running. It was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." (Jesse Owens)


To be continued   .......................................


If you’d like to Donate to Clifton Special School, please see below. https://mydonate.bt.com/events/cliftoncoastalrun/381290