GREAT IRISH DRIVES:BETWEEN Ballymena and Larne lies a vast area of attractive uplands criss-crossed by interesting roads which wind their way between numerous low hills. It's an area that is new to me but which I expect to return to again and again to explore thoroughly, writes BOB MONTGOMERY
For today’s exploration, we approached along the A36 from Ballymena to Larne. As the road climbs slowly out of Ballymena, the landscape becomes more barren. The road reveals an attractive mountainscape as it runs towards Ballyboley Wood. My map showed a road through Ballyboley Wood winding around a lookout point at Carninard (366m), but the gate into the forest was locked and the road had a derelict appearance. Perhaps it’s open in summer?
Just past Ballyboley Wood the road starts to descend, offering views over the fertile valley through which the Six Mile Water River flows. The A36 runs northeast having rounded Shane’s Hill (276m), with the higher Agnew’s Hill behind it. At Rory’s Glen take the road left off the A36 which runs as far as Glenarm on the coast. This has a fine surface – like so many of Northern Ireland’s minor roads, and passes many small houses with manicured hedges. To the east rise cliffs that form the eastern face of Agnew’s Hill looking towards Larne and the sea.
However, as Agnew’s Hill passes to the south of the road the landscape begins to reveal its true character. It’s an unexpectedly wild place, notable for its almost complete absence of houses. There’s a poetry to the place names on my maps as I drive through this landscape: Star Bog, Wolf Water, Creeve and Capanagh are so different to the names I would expect to encounter in any of the other provinces. They’re names with their own particular history, of which I shall enquire.
The road winds on across this mountain landscape occupied only by vast numbers of sheep, for whom it’s clearly the lambing season. Eventually, we arrive at a crossroads and take the right-hand turn, back in the general direction of Larne. Once again we begin to climb, along the northern edge of Skeagh (344m). I’ve a particular love of landscapes where I can see the road going up and over the hills into the distance, and here on the edge of Skeagh is just such a memorable view, stretching away towards the southeast.
Once again the names along our route leap off the map: Mullaghsandall Burn, Ligg, Killyglen Burn and Robin Young’s Hill (384m), off to the north. There are a lot of ancient monuments throughout the landscape, and a prominent standing stone close to the road on its southern side.
The road descends quickly to join the B148 and run south to the roundabout at Drumnahoe, on the A8 into Larne. There are lots of diversions if one so desires on this route, and many more roads on our map that we hope to return to for further exploration.
For now, suffice it to say, this has been a day of discovery, in an area rich in surprises.