Island 298 - Carrick-a-Rede Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Carrick-a-Rede Island is most famous for the rope bridge, which allows easy access to this small rocky island off the north coast of County Antrim near the village of Ballintoy.  It is just over half a mile walk from the National Trust Car Park to the rope bridge. If you aren't a member of the National Trust the admission price in 2015 was £5.90 for adults.   I visited on a calm sunny afternoon in early September and had to share the island with dozens of other people, although I didn't have to queue to cross the rope bridge, which I understand happens in peak season. 

Carrick-a-Rede means "the rock in the road".  The name is thought to refer to the fact that the island is an obstacle for migrating salmon on their way to spawn in the Rivers Bann and Bush.  The rope bridge was first constructed by local salmon fishermen 350 years ago to enable them to get to the best fishing grounds.  It is no longer used by salmon fishermen, as salmon have become very scarce.

It was originally a much more flimsy bridge and even as late as the 1970s it only had one handrail and large gaps between the slats.  It does bounce a bit when you walk across and you feel like you are still bouncing for a minute or two after you have crossed but the current handrails and netting mean that it is perfectly safe.  The bridge is 30 metres above the chasm below and 20 metres long. The bridge used to be removed each winter and put back in the spring.  However it is now left in place all year round.  The current bridge, which is made of wire rope and Douglas fir was built in Belfast in 2008 at a cost of £16,000.

There are toilets, a gift shop and a tea room at the car park. 

 Looking east across Larry Bane Bay towards Carrick-a-Rede Island

 The Rope Bridge

 Only 8 people are allowed on the bridge at one time

Fishermen's Hut on the island

Sheep Island from Carrick-a-Rede Island

Carrick-a-Rede Island and the Rope Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Island and Rope Bridge

 Fishermen's hut on Carrick-a-Rede Island - looking east towards Kinbane/White Head

Island 297 - Dickson's Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Dickson's Island is no longer a true island.  As far as I can make out from geology maps of 1869 and 1901 it was still a tidal island at these dates but it is now linked to the mainland at Castle Ward by a causeway, which is accessible at all states of the tide.  The island is only 60 metres long by 30 metres wide and is covered in rough grass with a few gorse bushes and some sea mayweed scattered about.

Today it is a tranquil spot but in the mid 19th century there was a lead mine here. The mine opened in 1855 but closed 10 years later.  Apparently a 3 metre square outline of the infilled mine shaft can be found, under thick grass, some 12 metres south of the boathouse.

The late 19th century boathouse, which is the only building on the island, was probably built from the mine's engine house, which stood on the same site.

More information about the mine, including lots of incomprehensible geological detail can be found here http://www.habitas.org.uk/escr/site.asp?Item=530

 Dicksons Island at low tide

 Boathouse

 Boathouse

Castle Ward Estate from Dicksons Island

Island 296 - Gores Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Gores Island is a tidal island linked to Castle Island at the south east end of Strangford Lough by a gravel causeway, which is covered at high tide.  The owners seem to have forgotten to put up the Private signs or maybe they can't do this, as the track to it from the road at Castle Island is also covered at high tide.  I visited an hour or two before high tide and the causeway was still crossable.  I didn't stay long, as the tide was coming in and I was concerned I might be trespassing.  In the unlikely event that the owner of Gores Island ever reads this post, I only ventured a few metres from the island end of the causeway and didn't enter any fields.  

Gores Island is just over a kilometre from east to west and about 800 metres from north to south at its widest point.  It is used for grazing.  There were cows in the field nearest the causeway when I visited. I don't think the island is inhabited.

 Grazing fields on Gores Island

 Tidal track that runs along the south coast of Gores Island

 looking north up the west coast of Gores Island

 Castle Island from Gores Island

Gores Island from Castle Island

Island 295 - Castle Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

There are two Castle Islands in Strangford Lough.  The one to the north of Ringhaddy appears not to be accessible - more "private road" notices.  The one I visited is located a couple of miles north east of Downpatrick.  It is no longer a true island as where the water used to be on the south side of the island has largely silted up and turned into marshy land.  

You can drive along the road that runs along the south coast to a wildlife hide, as part of the island is a nature reserve. However there are notices along the road saying that you can't walk off the road and you can't see much from the car, due to the trees lining the road.  I followed the road right to the end to see if it was possible to access Hare Island but at the end of the beautifully surfaced road there is a roundabout and lots of "Private, Keep Out" notices at the entrance to the Quoile Yacht Club, which is protected by lots of barbed wire - not very welcoming!  From the hide you can apparently see waders, swans and ducks.  I didn't get out of the car - to be honest the island gave me the creeps.

 Entrance to Quoile Pondage Nature Reserve

North side of the causeway looking towards the mainland

Island 294 - Gibbs Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Gibbs Island is connected to the south west shore of Strangford Lough by a pedestrian causeway and is accessible at all states of the tide.  It is owned by the National Trust and there is public access to it.  There is a small car park at the end of Island Road, which comes off the A22 Killyleagh Road a couple of miles south of Killyleagh.  It is a popular place for local dog walkers and there were several other people out for a walk on it when I visited on a Sunday afternoon in September.  It is a lovely spot but I suspect that its popularity might also be due to the lack of public access to many other areas in the vicinity.

There is one house at the northern end of the island.  The centre of the island is covered in mature trees: e.g. pines, oak, sycamore, hawthorn, elder and ash.  There is a perimeter path and also one across the top of the island.  The island is roughly oval in shape and is about 500 metres from north to south and 200 metres from east to west.  When I visited in early September 2015 thistles, buttercups, dandelions, birds foot trefoil and meadowsweet were in flower.  There were also plenty of nettles and brambles.

Causeway leading to Gibbs Island

There is no doubt by whom Gibbs Island is owned!

Looking towards the top of the island

Looking north towards the island's only house

Campfire site at the centre of Gibbs Island

Lone Tree

A place to rest and think at the south end of the island

Island 293 - Braddock Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Braddock Island is a small tidal island with a house on it, located 200 metres to the east of Whiterock Village on the eastern side of Strangford Lough.  Unusually there were no Private signs, apart from one on the short track leading to the shore, which could be avoided by walking along the beach.  I ventured across the gravel causeway at low tide and walked part of the way round the north side of the island on the outside of the wall surrounding the garden of the house.  

In the unlikely event that the owner of Braddock Island reads this post, I did not go anywhere near the house or enter the garden at any point.  I sat on a rock above the high tide level for the required 10 minutes, took a few photos and then made my way back to Whiterock.   There didn't appear to be anyone at home in the house on the island when I made my brief visit.

 Braddock Island from Whiterock

 Looking north towards Sketrick Island

 House from the shore

The only house on Braddock Island

Island 292 - Sketrick Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Sketrick Island is linked to the western shore of Strangford Lough half a mile to the north of Whiterock by a causeway, which is accessible at all states of the tide.  The island is about 600 metres from east to west and 500 metres from north to south.  The public road ends at the island end of the causeway.  The island has a restaurant/bar called Daft Eddy's, which is adjacent to a coffee shop.  I only visited the coffee shop and their millionaire's shortbread was excellent.  I was there on a Sunday lunchtime and the car park was full, so Daft Eddy's is presumably very popular.

Sketrick Island also has a castle, which you can explore.  It is a tower house and was probably originally built in the mid 15th century, although the present building may date from the 16th century.  In the 16th century it was actively involved in warfare.  It was originally 4 stories high and it remained largely intact until half of it collapsed in a storm in 1896.

There is public access along a track round the northern shore of the island for a few hundred metres and then there is a permissive footpath up the hill.  I don't know if the footpath goes anywhere, as the field was full of cows, so I didn't venture across it.  I suspect you have to walk back the same way, as the track found the south side of the island is private.  There are quite a few houses marked on the map along it.

 Sketrick Castle 

 Causeway to the mainland from Sketrick Island

 Northern side of Sketrick Island

 Another private road

 Daft Eddy's Restaurant

 Island Coffee Shop

There is apparently an oyster farm on the island

Island 291 - Mahee Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Mahee Island can be accessed by car via the neighbouring Island Reagh.  However you can only access the western end of the island as far as the site of the Nendrum Monastic Site.  The rest of the island is private.  Northern Ireland appears to have very few public footpaths and lots and lots of private, keep out notices.  There is a 9 hole golf course on the island, which was founded in 1930.

The island takes its name from St Machaoi who set up a monastery on the island in the 5th century.  The monastery consists of 3 concentric round dry stone walled enclosures. The central enclosure contains a ruined church and a sundial, the remains of a round tower and a graveyard. The middle enclosure has the remains of huts and workshops. It is the best example of a pre-Norman monastic site in Northern Ireland.  There is a small car park and a visitor centre which has various displays, models, artefacts, videos and most importantly a toilet. The site is not suitable for disabled access, as it is up a steep slope.  The views down Strangford Lough from the monastic site are stunning.  When I visited in September 2015 there was no admission charge.

Round Tower

This was originally 27 metres tall and was probably built in the 10th century. Its main purpose was to call the monks to prayer at designated times of the day.  Time was measured using a sundial, like the one shown below (I don't know how they measured it when the sun wasn't shining or during the hours of darkness).  A monk would ring a hand bell from the top of the tower.  The tower was also used as a treasury to store valuables and as place of refuge when the monastery was attacked.  There were originally around 65 round towers on monastic sites in Ireland. They are known in Irish as cloigtheach, which means "bell house".  This style of round tower is almost unique to Ireland.  There are also 2 in Scotland (at Abernethy and Brechin) and one at Peel on the Isle of Man.

Reconstructed sundial 

The nave of the chapel was built in the 10th century around the same time as the round tower but it probably replaced an earlier wooden church.  In the 13th century long after the monastery had ceased to function it was converted into a parish church and a chancel was added.  In the later Middle Ages the local congregation moved to the church on the mainland at Tullynakill and the church on Mahee Island became a ruin.  The site was rediscovered in 1844 by William Reeves, who later became the Bishop of Down and Connor came in search of the sites mentioned in a papal taxation record of 1306.  He realised he had found the site of Nendrum when he was shown the ruin of the round tower.  However the site remained overgrown and neglected until it was excavated 1922-24 by the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society led by HC Lawlor.  It has been care for by the Department of the Environment since 1973.

Chapel ruins and sundial


Chapel and Round Tower

 

 An example of a Nendrum Cross in the Visitor Centre

This is a Latin Cross with hollows at the "armpits" where the arms meet the shaft.  This design is characteristic of Nendrum and a few other nearby sites in County Down.

 Nendrum Visitor Centre
 

Mahee Castle is located at the western end of the island facing Reagh Island and adjacent to the modern causeway.  There is public access to the ground floor.  There is no car park but it is only about 300 metres from the car park at Nendrum.  I found lots of lovely blackberries to eat along the way.  The tower house is thought to have been built in 1570 by an English soldier called Captain Browne.  There was a secure boat bay on the ground floor.

 Mahee Castle

Mahee Castle from the Reagh Island Causeway

 Memorial plaque commemorating the building of the walls at the sides of the causeway between Reagh and Mahee Island

The walls were built in memory of a local man called Robert Ardill, who died on 30th October 1921.  According to the Comber Historical Society website he was a local man who either drowned or was killed by the shock of the cold water off Mahee Island when he fell in while transferring from one boat to another.  There is another much larger conical stone memorial to him at the eastern end of the island.  The only way to access this is by boat, as the land adjacent is private with no public access.

The remains of two very old tide mills can be seen from the monastic ruins.  These were excavated 1999-2001.  It had previously been thought that the remains were of fish traps.  There wasn't any fresh water on the island to provide power for a conventional water mill, so the monks constructed the first tide mill across the small bay below the monastic site in 619 (I have no idea how it has been dated so precisely).  This tide mill is currently the earliest known example of a tide mill in the world. At high tide the water was trapped behind a dam and then the water was released at low tide as a high pressure stream of water, which powered a horizontal water mill.  The second smaller tidal mill was constructed within the earlier on in 789.  Both can clearly be seen at low tide - see photos below.

 The oldest tide mill

The second tide mill

Island 290 - Reagh Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Reagh Island is a long thin island located about 3 miles to the east of the village of Lisbane on the western side of Strangford Lough.  It can be accessed by car via a causeway at all states of the tide.  The only public access to the island, apart from the public road, is a thin strip of land on the south east side of the island, which belongs to the National Trust - there is a small car park and a footpath running down the eastern side of the island for about 400 metres through the trees, although the southern part was very overgrown when I visited in early September 2015 in search of a geocache. 

Reagh Island is about a mile and a half long but only 600 metres wide at its widest point.  There are a few well scattered houses on the island, which is farmed. There is a causeway off the north eastern side of the island leading to the smaller Cross Island but there is a large notice saying that this island is private.

Causeway to Reagh Island from Mahee Island

The other side of the causeway that links Reagh Island to Mahee Island

 Looking south east towards Mahee Island

 Thankfully the National Trust own some land on Reagh Island, which means there is somewhere other than the road where you can walk freely.

 Beach adjacent to the National Trust car park

Cross Island doesn't welcome visitors

 Causeway to the mainland from Reagh Island

Lovely house - the first house on Reagh Island after you have crossed the causeway.