Ards and North Down

We thoroughly enjoyed our last day, packing in lots of walking. We left Glarryford before lunch and eventually found the walking trail that was completely mismarked on the map. We took a walk along the Maine River that flows through the wee village of Culleybacky. It has that same boggy brown color, flowing at a nice clip along gentle river banks. It sets a quiet tone for the wooded path, with an occasional babbling sound, as it meets a few rocks in its way. The air was cool, as the canopy held the sun’s warmth at bay. Every rock was enveloped in moss, and I’m sure that I didn’t have the names for all the tones of green that I saw. At the end of the path, we veered away front the river and onto the Galgrom Wood trail. We circumambulated a pond filled with ducks and coots, stopping frequently to watch them paddle across the water. The trail then ducked back into the woods, where we walked among alder, oak, and hazel trees. Eventually, the path led back to the Maine, and we returned to our car.

We drove a short distance into Ballymena for a coffee break. The coffee shop was so busy, we got our drinks to go and walked around the town center. We were tempted to pop into Poundland, which is similar to the Dollar Store, except the exchange rate makes it a little more expensive. Deciding to pass, we strolled the main street . Like so many European cities, the downtown is a mix of old (one building was built in 1648) and new (the shopping center with food court). We cut our walk short, as we wanted to spend some time in Belfast.

While I was researching our trip, I discovered that the Titanic was actually built in Belfast, though it departed from Southampton in England. Along the harbor sits the Titanic Quarter, an area of town filled with Titanic history. We pulled out the guidebook one last time and followed Rick Steve’s directions. We started across the Lagan Weir, a pedestrian bridge over the River Lagan that connects the Quarter with the downtown. Standing proudly up the street is the Albert Memorial Clock tower, built in the 1860’s to honor Prince Albert. Unfortunately, it was built on an old river bank and leans noticeably to the right. Hopefully it doesn’t meet the same fate as the Titanic any time soon.

Crossing back over the river, we walked along the harbor, past the event center (where hockey is featured) to the boat dock. Several slips were filled with beautiful boats. An older wooden sailboat caught my eye. It was well-kept and I imagined the journeys it must have taken in its lifetime. I mentioned that wouldn’t mind sailing for a few months on something like that, but Kim made it clear I would be alone. My dreams were dashed, so I settled for a cup of tea instead. We ducked into a place called The Dock. It is run by church volunteers from all religions, in an effort to promote unity, and patrons pay what they like. The artwork hanging on the walls from local artists was incredible. One of the sculptures was a 15 (?) foot metal Titanic, made with scrap tools, such as pliers, hammers, and wedges. It kept drawing my eyes back to it; there was so much to see in it. Outside the coffee shop, there was another Titanic piece of art, hanging vertically in the plaza. That, too, caught my attention and required me to stop and observe.

As we walked down the harbor, there were stops along the way commemorating the Game of Thrones. The Titanic Studios, located just off to the right, is where much of the show was filmed. It is just across the way from the Titanic Museum and the slip, where the ship was built. A large open space has short and long benches arranged in the same manner as the dots and dashes of Morse code, spelling out the final pleas for help that the radio operator dutifully tapped out on that fateful night. I don’t know Morse code, but I think it basically said “SOS.”

We wrapped up our time in the Titanic Quarter with a quick peak at the HMS Caroline. This Royal Navy ship fought in WWI and is only one of three still floating from that era. Additionally, it is the second oldest boat in the Royal Navy, though it was decommissioned in 2011. It’s docked in the harbor and can be toured, but we decided it was time to call it a day. We maneuvered the clown car up the hill to our apartment and flipped on the TV for another dose of the BBC’s coverage of the Queen.Read more