Natural t
Discover giants and geology in an aspiring Unesco Global Geopark, says Cathy Toogood
ake a wee minute to look around. Listen to the water.” I do as I’m told and pause on the sun-dappled path I’m walking on.
There’s a stream next to me strewn with velvety moss-covered rocks, with ferns overhanging its edge and a mini waterfall. A tree trunk bridges the water, covered in a tangle of holly, with a new birch tree growing on top of it. “This is known as the Atlantic rainforest,” our Walk the Mournes guide Peter Rafferty says, explaining that this lush woodland next to Glen Stream has ideal temperate rainforest conditions because it’s close to both the coast and mountains. I’m on a hike to Cloughmore, known as ‘The Big
Stone’, in County Down, southeast Northern Ireland. According to folklore, this enormous boulder, which is said to weigh about 40 tons, was thrown here by the giant Finn McCool from the nearby Cooley Mountains during a battle with fellow giant Ruscaire. While we all admire the view from the stone, across pine forests to Carlingford Lough, Peter tells me that it’s also reputedly the spot that inspired the stone table on which Aslan was sacrificed in CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK HOPES The dramatic landscape of Newry, Mourne and Down, with its backdrop of the granite peaks of the Mourne Mountains, handsome coastal towns such as Newcastle, impressive natural features including Carlingford Lough – the UK’s largest sea loch – and rolling fields separated by bright yellow whin (gorse) hedges alongside drystone walls, has inspired many legends
and stories. But the area, which is about an hour from Belfast, is hoping for a different type of worldwide attention through a new accolade at the end of May. This is when the Mourne Gullion Strangford aspiring geopark is expected to receive full Unesco Global Geopark status following an executive board meeting. The Unesco Global Geoparks award is an international standard recognising outstanding geology and landscapes. A key focus of the title is on sustainable tourism and using heritage to support the area’s sustainable economic development. During my visit I meet many locals who, like Peter, are running tourism initiatives linked to this landscape. All are passionate about teaching visitors more about the area’s geology, history and what makes it special.
SUP AND SODA BREAD One excursion likely to be popular with clients who want to combine outdoor adventures with traditional crafts is a visit to Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen. Here, on the shores of Strangford Lough, I learn how to make Irish soda bread in a 17th-century thatched cottage. Friendly owner Tracey Jeffery gives a demonstration first, explaining that the ingredients she uses don’t need to be weighed or measured, rather the dough should be judged by “the look, the feel and the texture”. I’m let loose in the kitchen with soda bread flour, buttermilk and a griddle, and am surprised by how quick and easy the process is. The location of Tracey’s farmhouse allows me to combine this experience with a paddleboarding lesson on the lough with Tracey’s husband Joe. As a complete beginner, I’m encouraged to commit to standing up,
² 32 18 MAY 2023
travelweekly.co.uk
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