Ram's Island

It has been a dream of mine to visit Ram's Island, a small island in the middle of Lough Neagh. For years it was almost impossible to reach, unless one had a boat, and even then the island had become overgrown and neglected. In recent times, Michael Savage has been at the helm of a conservation project and along with a band of volunteers and charity funding he has lovingly restored the island to its former glory.

We set sail on Saturday 9 September on Island Warrior, the ferryboat used to take visitors and volunteers to the island. The weather was dreadful, but it was a smooth crossing. When we arrived Michael invited the group into a renovated barge, which now serves as a clubhouse, for tea and coffee. The island is around one mile long and one mile wide, and so it is very walkable. It belonged to the O'Neill family, and in the 19th century it served as their summer retreat. As I said before, it is a woodland, and as such it is well sheltered from the elements. A lot of the ancient trees were vandalised by American soldiers during WW2, and you can still see their carvings in the bark (they were stationed at Langford Lodge in Crumlin). Although I was attracted by the wildlife and nature aspect, I was excited to visit the ruins of the O'Neill summer house and the remains of a round tower, dating back to an ancient monastery settlement.

We'll definitely be back!

A Day Away

As of lately things have been a bit haywire, so it was nice to get away for a few hours to a secluded spot with little Lola and Mark, who tagged along for the trip, and surprisingly he was happy enough to run around the ruins and climb along the banks of the lough. The sun was out, I sense I might have to dig out the SPF50 any day now, and we spent a few hours at Cranfield. One canoeist was paddling far off into the distance, and he was the only human presence.

A mysterious cat lurked at the foot of the old graveyard and wouldn't come over to greet us, it wasn't even fazed by Lola's growling. Some birds hopped around and we let Lola off her leash to run across the fields, until one minor mishap happened and she became stuck in some brambles. I sat on the rock of St. Olcan's tomb watching Mark and Lola explore the marshlands.

And then we decided to go home, stopping off at the Lough Shore park on our way through. It was quite busy with children and animals, and Lola, as per usual, went nuts, so we brought her home.

But I haven't been able to settle all day. I can't stand being indoors and I'm feeling restless. Hopefully tomorrow is another nice day and we can head off somewhere, or maybe just spend the day in the back garden.

Regulation 18B

The weather is making a prisoner of all of us! So, rather than rush out and snap lots of photographs, I've had some quiet time to process and play around with some photographs from past excursions. I am also working on a flickr account to accompany this blog.

I hope you enjoy these...

Lola at Holestone, Parkgate

My brother approaching Holestone

St. John's Parish, Donegore

Clotworthy House, Antrim

Mussenden Temple, Co. Londonderry

Downhill House, Co. Londonderry

Portglenone Forest

The Causeway School, Bushmills

Templeton Mausoleum, Templepatrick

The old graveyard, Castle Upton, Templepatrick

Randalstown Forest

Lough Neagh, Antrim

Rae's Woods

Rae's Wood is a nature reserve/woodland which spans about 2.5 miles along the shores of Lough Neagh in Antrim. The walk itself is very interesting indeed. There is a narrow, winding path which leads one along the woodland walkway, all the while the shores of the lough stretch right up, often covering the grass when the tide is in. The woodland is a great place to do some nature spotting, and on a clear day you can see right across the Lough to Co. Londonderry. Sadly, not everyone is a fan of nature, and the place is reknown for its litter, which is sad because we all know how detrimental that can be to the animals. The swans from the Lough nest in the shallow sections of Rae's Wood, and debris of small boats and other interesting artifacts have washed ashore. The walkway eventually leads up to the Dublin Road, stopping right across the road from the lane that leads to Greenmount. It is a lovely walk, especially in the nicer weather because this time of year it is quite muddy and the breeze off the Lough is very chilly!

We took those photographs back in December, and we can't wait to explore Rae's Woods when the sunnier climate is upon us! Lola loved it, too.