A good run is like a cup of coffee - I'm much nicer after I've had one.

Saturday 17th June

<Author: Gerry O'Boyle (photos by Helen Byers, Gerry O'Boyle and Gavin McDonnell)>

Stage Five: Strangford to Comber (approx 57.5k or 36.4miles)   

We started our adventure today in beautiful morning sunshine in the village of Strangford. We could of course have crossed over on the ferry to Portaferry (about a mile or 8 minutes across) and continued our run along the east side of the Ards Peninsula. However, we decided not to take the easy option as we are trying to strictly stick to the coast.

In fact Strangford Lough isn’t really a lake – it’s actually a salty sea inlet - the largest sea inlet in the British Isles and we’re going to run all the way around it (anyway, it only adds an extra 60 miles to our journey!)  The name Strangford comes from the Old Norse word – ‘strong fjord’ and it’s also the original home of King Magnus (bare legs). Magnus would have been very proud this morning to see all the barelegged coastal runners. 

Our core team of three (Helen, Sean and me) were delighted to be joined by a few more runners today. Simon and Keith joined us later in the day but Jill and Sarah – the first runners to come back again for more – started together with us in Strangford. So, it’s ‘Five go for a wee run’ as we set off on a beautiful midsummer’s morning. Yes, the weather is perfect and even at 8.00am the sun is high in the sky and already it feels nice and pleasant at 16 degrees.


The Squeeze Gut in Strangford

The Squeeze Gut

We’re really enjoying learning about new places as we make our way around the Co.Down coast. Today is no exception and straight away we discover a narrow pathway at the very top of Strangford at the end of Castle Street. There is a small gap between the Old Court Office and the last house on the hill and this gap on the left leads to a narrow walled pathway with low flat grassy steps. It’s known as the Squeeze Gut. It was built during the Irish Famine in 1847 to provide


Gerry and Sean
attempt to squeeze through

employment relief. It was said that the Squeeze Gut was named because farmers used to drive their cattle to the ferry this way and larger beasts had to squeeze through.  However, our slim running team had no difficulties squeezing through these narrow walls, although we decided to go single file just in case!

Catapult time!

Jill runs through
the seaweed

We exit from the Squeeze Gut on the other side of Strangford. We’re still in a wooded area and after a while we see a sign for the ‘Ulster Way’ which brings us down to a rocky, seaweed shore. Sarah made a point about this coastal adventure that ‘you never know what’s around the corner, but that’s all part of the whole enjoyment’. We stick to the coast and struggle along the muddy shore (there’s no proper coastal path here) and eventually we come out onto the main road. So after about 20 minutes we’re still hardly a mile outside Strangford. At least we’re going in the right direction! We’re lucky now to have a footpath to run on and very soon we reach the caravan-park entrance at Castle Ward.



Castle Ward

Castle Ward is one of my favourite places in N.Ireland and I have great memories of being here with my children – we even took my parents and mother-in-law here when they came to visit us in the late 1990’s. The house and gardens covers a massive 822 acres and was originally owned for centuries by the Ward family but on the death of the 6th Viscount in 1950’s the house was presented to the government (in lieu of death duties and taxes) . It’s now a National Trust property and was location of Winterfell and the Whispering Wood in ‘Game of Thrones’. You can even dress up in ‘Thrones’ character costumes from the show – that might have made a nice photo for our blog but we didn’t really have time today! 

Of course our own Sean Nickell is very familiar with Castle Ward. It was here he did his ‘Last One Standing’ running event. Sean completed an amazing 25 laps over a 25 hour period recently. I was going to say Sean could do this stretch in his sleep – well, running for 25 hours he probably did actually do it in his sleep!

Running through the Co Down
version of "The Dark Hedges"

Eventually we have to leave the beautiful Castle Ward Estate at Audleys Castle and we head along Audleystown Road for about a mile until we come back on the main (Strangford-Downpatrick) road. Luckily we don’t have to stay on the main road for very long. We take a right turn down the narrow Myra road. The only vehicles on this country road are tractors – all the farmers are saving hay today! Myra road loops around (we’re following the Ulster way and avoiding the main road) and then we cross over the main road again towards Raholp and Saul. After about a quarter of a mile we take a right turn at Raholp and we soon find ourselves in the historic area of Saul. On such a marvellous day like today, Co. Down is in full bloom. Who needs to travel to the Camino de Santiago when we’ve got this on our doorstep! And we even have the religious experience and tradition here in Saul (Saint Patrick’s country).  

The church in Saul

Saint Patrick/Saul
Allegedly, St Patrick died in Saul on 17 March 461 and is buried in nearby Downpatrick. Tradition holds that St Patrick and his companions landed at the mouth of the Slaney River, a few miles from here, in 432AD. Patrick encountered Dichu, the local chieftain, who gave him a barn for shelter. (The word for barn in Irish was Sabhall, from which we get the anglicised word Saul).

After passing through Saul we continue straight (along Mearne Road) until we come back to the main Strangford-Downpatrick road (we don’t actually go into the town of Downpatrick, even though its only a mile way) We cross over the main road onto Quoile Road and welcome the cool breeze from the River Quoile on our right hand side. We run along a lovely coastal/river path and then we make a very sharp turn to the right at the bridge (Bridge over the river Quoile!) - signposted Killyleagh/Comber.

Helen, Jill, Gerry and Sarah at the river Quoile

Bridge over the Quoile

All 5 at the Delamont
millennium Megalith

 Although we’re now on the main road towards Killyleagh it’s quite safe as we have a footpath to run on for a mile or two. When we run out of footpath, we continue along the main road (running on righthand side of course!). We are glad to reach Delamont Country Park. It’s getting warmer, we’re all very thirsty and it’s nice to get off the busy main road. We stop for a quick drink at the new cafe in Delamont and then head down towards the shore. There are spectacular views here in all directions – views of the small islands in Strangford Lough, across to the Ards Peninsula and the Mourne mountains to the south look stunning. We pause at the tall Strangford Stone erected only recently in 1999 to mark the millennium. To give it a proper name this monument is called a Megalith – it stands 10 metres high and was quarried from a single granite slab in the Mournes.



View of Mournes skyline from Delamont Megalith
 

View of Strangford Lough from Delamont Megalith

It's a long way up!



Sean explaining how
the granite is mined



 

We continue our run, following the narrow paths towards the shore and trying to find the coastal path to Killyleagh. I’m not sure where we went wrong (and I hold my hand up here–it looked easier on Google maps!) but after running for about 20-30 minutes we somehow end up back at the entrance to Delamont. So, we’re back on the main road again heading for Killyleagh. After about half a mile we take a right turn down Shore Road (which does what it says and eventually brings us to the shore!). We follow the road around until we reach Killyleagh harbour. We then spot a church steeple and the castle in the distance and run up Irish street to beautiful Killyleagh castle /archway where Simon Robinson is waiting patiently in the warm sunshine to join us. It’s now 11.45 and we’ve already covered 20 miles today. Simon has kindly bought bottles of lemonade for us all and we can’t thank him enough for his generosity. In this weather, it’s just what the doctor ordered!   

I know Simon as part of a ‘Sunday morning Coffee/Running group’. Simon usually takes his lively and friendly dog Otto on our Sunday morning run and now I’m beginning to wish I had four legs to get me through today. It’s warming up now (23degrees) and we welcome our short break in Killyleagh.

Jill and Sarah leave us at Killyleagh

After a 15 minute rest we sadly (for us!) say goodbye to Jill and Sarah and leave Killyleagh Castle heading NW along Shrigley Road. We were reading Terry’s 2013 blog and decided to follow in his (wise) footsteps, stay inland and head towards Shrigley (avoiding the main road) . Conveniently Shrigley road is just alongside the castle.

Shrigley
Shrigley is just about a mile outside Killyleagh but once was a small industrial village which grew up around the large six-storey cotton mill. In 1836, Shrigley mill had more power looms than any other factory in Ireland. However, I read that ‘’between 1968 and 1972 a very extensive redevelopment project was completed involving the replacement of the early industrial village, the construction of 154 houses and two shops. In short, the village as a village was entirely swept away; not one of the original workers' houses remains’’.  

Just outside Killyleagh at Shrigley (after NI Plastics) we take a right turn down Clay Road and continue straight along here. We cross over Tullymacnous road, staying on Clay Road and eventually we come back onto the main Comber road again. We take a left turn on the main road and although there’s no footpath we only have to run for about half a mile when we are able to take a right turn towards the Lough - down Ringdufferin road. We stay on this nice quiet road for a mile or two and then we come to a junction which looks as if it could lead down to the coast. This road is called Ringhaddy Road and this is where it all went wrong! 

Yes, Ringhaddy Road did lead down to the coast but when we went to take a left turn at the shore there was no coastal path and just a house with a big gate, saying Private Property! (we noticed in this area a lot of private/no entry signs). We decided to climb down onto the rocky/muddy shore anyway, take a left and make our way along the rough shore, hoping we would somehow get back onto a trail or country road. We struggled along the muddy/seaweed shore for about half a mile and then abruptly came to a fence that said ‘private property, trespassers will be prosecuted’.

So we now had a dilemma – would we turn back on the shore and run all the way back up Ringhaddy Road or would we chance climbing over the fence and risk being prosecuted (someone mentioned risk of being shot!). We had a third option which we also tried (well Simon did!) -this was crossing the muddy bay! Although it was low tide, there was still a narrow stretch of water to cross and lots of mud/quicksand. Simon volunteered to cross but soon was deep knee in mud before he’d even got half way!

We didn’t take this option and decided to reluctantly head back along the shore. However half way back we discovered a small entrance off the shore onto a lane. At this stage we didn’t realise we were on a private lane. Soon the owners of the property confronted us but Sean quickly defused the situation, explaining what we were doing and the landowners let us continue running on their lane. We quickly joined up with Quarterland road and then Ballymorran road (this was the road we should have taken in the first place!!)                

We followed Ballymorran Road all the way for a mile or two until we came to a T junction and then took a right turn towards Whiterock. After about a mile we arrived down on the coast at Whiterock harbour. At this stage something seemed to urge Helen on – she perked up and starting talking about beer! I wondered why at first and then realised she could see the ‘promised land’ across the bay! And yes, there it was indeed; less than a half a mile away, Sketrick island and the pub ‘Daft Eddies’. 

After just 28.4miles, we arrive at Daft Eddies!

Welcome to Keith "Cheers"!

We were now totally exhausted but were delighted to meet two fellow runners (Gavin McDonnell and Keith Gilmore) here to complete the last 7 miles into Comber with us. Not only did they welcome us but they provided us with well-needed fuel (orange juice and snacks) to revive us. After our earlier exploits we arrived an hour or two later than expected at Sketrick island and apologies, especially to Gavin who had another commitment in Belfast and wasn’t able to run the last part with us. Thanks so much for coming to Daft Eddies (and for the refuelling snacks!) Gavin and we know you’ll join us at one of our next stages.   

Helen and I had a pint of shandy each and were feeling so tired that we discussed finishing this stage at Daft Eddies. (28 miles seemed enough for one day!)  Simon and Sean though were very keen to complete the stage into Comber and Keith Gilmore was rarin’ to go too (although Keith just celebrated his 40th birthday last week, he’s running remarkably well for a man of his age!) Anyway, Helen and I lost the vote 3-2 and so five of us continued into Comber.

Getting closer...

Closer still...

We've arrived!

We seemed to be running for a quite a while when we came across a signpost that said – Comber 6 miles and then after another half a mile another sign said the same, Comber 6 miles. I think I must have hit the wall at this stage – and I don’t think that pint of shandy in Daft Eddies did me any good either – although Helen’s pint seemed to give her a second wind! For the last few miles my legs were so heavy, so it was walking, running, walking ....with Sean urging me on and eventually we arrived in Comber. And so, Stage Five is completed – the adventure continues!  









"This is the best sandwich I've ever tasted!"

Watch it here
Total distance to date: 189k or 118 miles Next leg: Sunday 23 July (Comber to Portaferry)    

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



"Life (and running) is not all about time but about our experiences along the way."  - Jen Rhines

Saturday 13 May 2017

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

Stage Four: Dundrum to Strangford (approx 43k or 27miles)



Dundrum Bay at low tide

Our core team of three (Helen, Sean and myself) organised today’s Co. Down run from Dundrum (Stage 4) to match the low tide which we knew was at 7.45am. We had even considered running across the causeway at Dundrum Bay, which looks passable when the tide is out, but in the end, decided it would be much wiser and safer to go around Dundrum Bay via the old railway line which is now part of the ‘Ulster Way’. PS the causeway is a potential death trap!

The weather had been so dry and sunny over the last two weeks but unfortunately we weren’t so lucky today. From early morning it was very dull with a light mist falling and staying with us for most of the morning. Even the Mourne Mountains seemed to have disappeared behind the mist and fog.


There were seven of us running today. We were delighted to be joined at the start in Dundrum by four friends – they are running with us for part of today’s journey. My good friend and fellow Galwegian/Bangorian, Gerry Coy (nicknamed Gerry the Duke!) has joined us.  Gerry’s wife, Shona (the Duchess!) has also volunteered to meet us in Strangford at our finish point and drive us to Dundrum. This means we don’t have to drive back to Dundrum when we finish today’s leg. Thanks Shona!


 Also we’re so happy to have Jill Dowie-Aicken and Sarah Benton running with us today. I have known Jill and Sarah since I’ve been involved with NDAC (North Down Athletic club) about 7 or 8 years. They both are dedicated runners but share the same easy-going attitude which you really need for this adventure... and they even share the same birthday too! Lastly, I’m so delighted that Louise Watson is joining us. Louise also has a child, Bethany in Clifton Special School. I know it can be a challenge to be a parent of a special needs child but Louise, as a mother, has faced even more tough times than any of us could ever imagine. As regards Louise’s running ability, I don’t think this coastal run will be a problem at all for her. Louise is a hardened triathlon athlete and could probably swim around the whole Co. Down coast! Helen is delighted too that her good friend Louise is joining us and so she has three female running mates today.

Gerry describes the route and almost everyone listens...



As I said we decided it was not a good idea (and not safe) to cross the ‘causeway’ at Dundrum Bay even if the tide was out. It’s very muddy sand in the bay and there doesn’t seem to be a proper causeway to follow. In any case the old grassy railway line around the bay is perfect for us runners. We were easily able to access the old railway line by staying by the shore and passing the old Widow Cottages (Widow’s Row) on our way. This grassy path was a lovely pleasant start to today’s run.  

Widows Row
We learned that these cottages were built for wives and children of the 73 fishermen who lost their lives in a great fishing disaster of 1843. A commemoration plaque quotes a poem ‘The sky was dark, the wind was high and bitter looked that day. When ten stout boats with gallant crews set sail from Dundrum Bay’

We seem to be reporting on a lot of fishing and sea disasters in this coastal adventure of ours, but I suppose, it goes with the territory. We continue running on the old railway line. We can easily imagine the old steam engine and carriages trundling along here with the beautiful bay and Mourne Mountains in sight. The line itself was closed in the early 1950’s but at least the grassy surface is maintained today as a beautiful peaceful walk or run. I must admit, I’m really enjoying the extra company today with Jill, Sarah, Louise and Gerry -not that I was ever getting bored listening to Helen and Sean!   It’s a wee bit sad leaving the beautiful Mournes behind us and we’ll miss those tall hills as we head north. Those mountains have been our constant companions in our early stages in Feb, March and April. I can remember the first time I came here, about 20 years with Maureen and just two children, Conor and Daniel. Arriving in Newcastle on a July afternoon, it was misty and foggy (just like the weather today!) and so we felt slightly cheated at not being able to see those famous Mountains. The following morning there was still mist and rain, but then, very slowly the clouds faded away, the mist disappeared and suddenly the towering Mournes were there right in front of us. It was well worth the wait! It was way back in 1896 that Percy French wrote the famous ‘Mountains of Mourne’. The song is written in the form of a letter from a recent emigrant to his girlfriend back home. The writer is not impressed with London at all and is feeling very homesick.

For all that I’ve found there I might as well be 
Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea 

Electric fence manoeuvres!

Anyway, we say goodbye to the Mournes behind us (we can’t see them through the mist but we know they’re there!) and continue running along the grassy old railway line. After a few miles and without warning the old railway line comes to an abrupt end and we struggle through fields and farms until we eventually see a bridge (Blackstaff Bridge) and find the road. We take a right turn towards the village of Ballykinler. We avoid the nearby British Army base (there since 1901) on the coast – we can even hear the practice gunfire, so best not take any risks on this part of our journey! 

Shortly we arrive on Tyrella Beach, which is definitely a much safer place for us. Tyrella has even been awarded the prestigious Seaside Award annually since 1997 and has also maintained the Blue Flag award due to the cleanliness of the beach. Having said all that, none of our party is that keen to test the water and anyway, to be honest, Tyrella beach is a pretty desolate place today – it’s cold too and the rain is coming down. However, with the low tide we can make the most of the expansive beach by running on the sand without getting our feet wet.  



The Duke waving farewell!

Sadly, Gerry Coy (the Duke) leaves us at Tyrella and his chauffeur, the Duchess is there to meet him! Shona kindly takes some more pictures of the magnificent seven runners! We’ve now completed 7 miles of our run and so, six of us, continue our journey north along the coast. We can just about make out St. John’s Lighthouse in the distance and that’s where we’re heading. After a while we debate whether we can stay on the beach – its getting rough and gravely. We decide we need to go inland a little and find the country road. The weather is improving now, the rain has stopped and behind us the Mourne Mountains are reappearing and we can see clearly Slieve Donard and Commedagh in the distance. The country road narrows to a nice quiet lane and we finally arrive at St. John’s Point Lighthouse.
  

Mournes backdrop on Tyrella beach

St John's Lighthouse

St John’s Lighthouse 
Apparently you can stay overnight at this lighthouse now. Not a bad place to wake up and watch the sun rising over the Irish Sea!  Back in 1846 Brunel’s famous SS Great Britain made a navigational error and mistook this lighthouse for the Calf lighthouse on the Isle of Man. (yet another nautical disaster!) More recently in 1950, the writer, Brendan Behan also caused havoc when he was employed to maintain and paint St. John’s Point lighthouse (this was his day job). Behan’s boss wasn’t impressed with his attitude at all and wrote.....  “Mr. Behan’s language is filthy and he is not amenable to any law or order. Empty stinking milk bottles, articles of food, coal, ashes and other debris litter the floor of the place which is now in a scandalous condition of dirt.”
Brendan Behan described himself as a ‘drinker with a writing problem’ and if I’m not mistaken, he got similar negative reviews from his employer in Donaghadee when he painted the famous lighthouse there! Coincidentally, I met a man last month (called Neville) in Galway who also painted/maintained the lighthouses at St. John’s Point and Donaghadee and he told me he had a copy of that letter sent to Brendan Behan.  

We were a wee bit concerned about the route from St John’s Point to Killough especially after reading Terry Eakin’s 2013 blog describing his coastal run. Terry called this section ‘‘a couple of miles of mudmadness, cows everywhere, wet fields and masses of litter along the shoreline’’ Well in May 2017 things haven’t really improved, although I don’t remember the cows! It was sometimes hard to find the Coastal path along here even though it’s part of the ‘Ulster Way’. It was as if this coastal path was designed about 30 years ago and nobody has really updated the Signage, Stiles or Path. A lot of rubbish that Terry refers to might have been blown in from the sea. We were glad to eventually reach the lovely village of Killough.


Killough
The harbour was developed in the 18th century by Michael Ward of Castle Ward (which is just outside Strangford). At that time Mr. Ward also organised the building of an amazing straight road that still runs all the way from Killough right up to the front entrance of Castle Ward. Although we were tempted by this straight road, we diligently stuck to the winding coast to complete our journey
properly! Killough village was originally known as St Anne's Port and it was the afore mentioned Michael Ward who renamed it Port St. Anne, in honour of his wife. Not a bad birthday or anniversary present to give your other half!  If Brendan Behan had the lighthouse painting contract for Ireland, then Alexander Nimmo seemed to have the Irish contract for building piers. It was Mr. Nimmo who build the new quays and a pier here in Killough. In Galway city, the pier is still called Nimmo’s Pier. (Helen also made the nautical connection to that search for that famous fish!)

We follow the coast in Killough. It is indeed a nice harbour village and we can see why Michael and Anne Ward were attracted to it. We can now see Ardglass on the other side of the bay.   

Percy French might have written about the Mournes but Belfast’s Van Morrison wrote and recited his famous ‘Coney Island’ about this part of the world. We’re thinking of Van Morrison’s words as we get nearer Ardglass and Coney Island.   
 
Stop off at Ardglass for a couple of jars of Mussels 
On and on, over the hill and the craic is good

Yes the craic is definitely good for us runners too but not sure if we’re going to have those mussels when we get to Ardglass! Just before Ardglass we take a right turn onto Green road (remember, we’re trying to strictly follow the coast). The literal translation of the name Ardglass is ‘Green hill/height’ and indeed it is quite a climb up Green road. Apparently Ardglass contains more medieval towerhouses than any other town in Ireland, a total of four, reflecting its importance as Ulster’s busiest port in the 15th century. At Ardglass, Jill, Sarah and Louise complete their part of the journey. Jill had arranged to leave her car there so we say goodbye to the three girls. We’ve now done 17 miles (or 27k) .Thanks girls for your support. ......and now there are three of us left, Helen, Sean and me! We have a wee coffee and scone break in Ardglass but don’t sit down – we might not get up again! We walk through Ardglass drinking our coffee at the same time.

Louise, Sarah and Jill at Ardglass

  
Leaving Ardglass we take the main Strangford road but after about 1 kilometre we take a right turn at Sheepland Road towards Ardtole (Sean says we’re really in the Ardtole of nowhere now!) We continue to follow Sheepland Road veering left until we eventually spot the ‘Ulster Way’ coastal path sign towards a very narrow path leading towards the coast. 



Yellow stiles guiding our route

Terry Eakin (2013) was right ‘this section of the run was really great - about 6 miles all off-road’. We cover a lot of ground very quickly here on this lovely elevated coastal path. Sean leads the way and Helen describes him as ‘a mountain goat that is unleashed, racing around the hilly seaside over many yellow stiles.  





Gerry and Sean consulting the map at Ballyhornan

We pass Guns Island on our right hand side. I think you might be able to cross over to the island at low tide but it’s now 1.00 pm and almost high tide. Eventually at the village of Ballyhornan we have to leave the coastal path but we’re still on a very quiet country road, the rain has stopped and the sun is threatening to come out. I’m struggling now and after about 22 miles my legs are suffering. However, Helen and Sean are going well and trying to ‘carry’ me through the rest of the way. We pass by Killard Nature Reserve and our quiet country road meets up with the main Ardglass-Strangford junction at Kilclief Castle. At the castle, a welcome sign (to me anyway!) says ‘Strangford 3 miles’. Three miles or 5k - I tell myself it’s just like running a parkrun now!  

So after 27 miles, we finally arrive in the port of Strangford. It was really such a beautiful stretch of the Co. Down coast today (even if the weather was disappointing) and Strangford is a lovely place to finish Stage 4 of our coastal adventure. 


Arrival in Strangford

So we’ve now reached Strangford and for our next leg (Stage Five on 17 June) we could just simply hop on a ferry to Portaferry and continue our run along the east side of the Ards Peninsula. But NO, we’re not going to do that! We’re going to run all the way around Strangford Lough (via Killyleagh, Comber, Newtownards and Kircubbin) and add about an extra 60 miles to our journey. As usual, we’ll keep the sea, or in this case, Strangford Lough on our right hand side as we run along. Our next outing is on Saturday 17 June from Strangford to Comber. 


Strangford Ferry

Total distance to date: 131k or 82miles Next leg: Saturday 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

"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