Climbing the Slumbering Giant

July 16, 2023

My alarm went off far too soon; 6:30 am to be exact.  I had slept like a baby, but it still wasn’t enough and getting our of bed was a mental high-jump.  We hadn’t spent enough time in our room to really unpack things, so the packing part was easy.  Despite the beauty of our Victorian room, the massive bathroom, and the stunningly massive porcelain bathtub, the shower was the most coffin-like enclosure I have ever stepped into.  It couldn’t have been more than two feet wide on each side and the rain shower head over top meant that I barely had enough room to get my hair out of the water to put shampoo in it!  We met the Justices downstairs in the dining room around 7:00 am for breakfast.  It was then that I learned Irish people actually eat real breakfast!  I had prepared for the standard European fare of small pastries, cheeses, meats, and fruit, but instead we got massive omelets, pancakes, bacon, and sausage.  It was quite the nice surprise.  I was a bit anxious at breakfast because it was our first travel day, there were a lot of logistics to keep in mind, and I wanted things to go well.  We had already had to make some last-minute adjustments to the day’s itinerary when the skipper who was going to take us around Rathlin Island to see puffins and seals called me and said he had to cancel our reservation because there was “some guy” that was going “to do crazy stuff in a canoe” and needed him to provide safety training and support.  Unfortunately, he was the only skipper in Ballycastle that ran that type of trip, so we were out of luck and needed to pivot.  I had planned to fill the void with more sightseeing along the Causeway Coast.

After breakfast, Tyler took the wheel so he could try his hand at driving on the wrong side of the road.  He had his moments at the beginning (as did I), but picked it up quickly.  We started our adventure at the impressive Belfast Castle.  It was built in 1870 for the third Marquess of Donegal in the Scottish Baronial style and commands the southern slopes of Cave Hill.  Legend has it that the castle’s residents will experience good fortune only as long as a white cate lives there.  This tale is built into the beautiful gardens surrounding the castle which depicts nine cats in mosaics, paintings, sculptures, and a topiary.  From there, we set off on our hike to the summit of Cave Hill (elev. 1,207 feet), which offers unobstructed views of the entire city, the docks, Belfast Lough, and the Mourne Mountains.  On a clear day, you can even see Scotland!  The hill was originally called Ben Madigan, after the 9th century Ulster king Matudhain.  Atop the summit sits McArt’s Fort, where members of the United Irishmen, including Wolfe Tone, looked down over the city in 1795 and took an oath to fight for Irish independence shortly before they launched the rebellion of 1798.  The hike - 3.6 miles by some estimates and 4.5 by others - was a beast going up, but well worth it.  It was pouring rain on our drive to the castle, but by the time we set off on our hike (10 minutes later) the rain was gone and the sun was burning the clouds away.  However, the sun didn’t do much about the wind which was out in force for the duration of our hike.  During our climb, we passed the five caves that give the hill its name.  The climb got steeper and steeper the closer we got to the top, but the views improved exponentially as well.  The panorama from McArt’s Fort was worth every step and shiver along the way.  It was also something to realize that we were standing on top of the mountain - shaped like a sleeping giant safeguarding the city - that is thought to be the inspiration for Johnathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

The hike back down Cave Hill was significantly easier and blew by.  After reaching the castle again, we strolled through the gardens for a few minutes before hopping in the car and heading north to County Antrim and the Causeway Coast.