Antrim to Portglenone
You can often judge an area by the number of walkers who respond to your greetings. On this leg, everybody that I yelled at when running past, said "hello" back; so South Antrim seems like a friendly place to live.
I started at Castle Park, in Antrim. An excellent park to visit in the summer, don't miss the outdoor cafe down by the Lough.
Football fans in England don't know what to make of this name. Not many teams are named after a book.
On to Randalstown and over the old railway viaduct. One of our highest and most scenic paths but it's not very long.
On to Toome and the start of the Lower Bann at the top of Lough Neagh.
Toome canal - a rarely visited but interesting short walk. Sand from the lough was apparently used to build Stormont and Crooke Park ... you learn something new every day.
The fishery at Toomebridge. Do they still export thousands of eels to Europe every week? I've only ever eaten one and that was enough for one lifetime.
Another unusual industry. This is large scale peat extraction
- not popular with some environmentalists but there's nothing to beat the smell of burning turf.
Newferry at the top of Lough Beg. No sign of a ferry today and I'm not going to try swimming across.
A perfect end to the day - meeting a wiry woman in Portglenone.
I started at Castle Park, in Antrim. An excellent park to visit in the summer, don't miss the outdoor cafe down by the Lough.
