So to kick off my pledge to microadventure I set out with a simple goal of having lunch somewhere a bit different. I decided on the local Randalstown forest and there was a simple menu that included chocolate bars and sweets lined up. The thing that made this a microadventure was the fact that work started at 4, so four hours to have a day's worth of fun was the challenge. I felt great getting outdoors despite the fact that the weather wasnt the nicest.
I packed my day bag, consisting of:
2x folding seats
1x Tarp (3x3m)
6x Steel Pegs
Camera
Food
1L Water
I got the dogs on the leashes and we were ready to go.
Of we set at around 12 noon, the temperature was hovering around 0
o and there was plenty of ice to marvel at. The smell of the fresh air felt even better because of the cold, it has a certain bite when it hits your lungs, something I love about the outdoors.
I live just over a mile from the forest entrance (according to google maps) so the walk down was relaxed and fresh.
On arrival to the entrance I noticed there was only a few cars, oh the joys or walking during working hours on a weekday. There was a big frozen puddle which amused Grace to slide about on aswell as the dog. ( Not sure which enjoyed it more )
We passed only a few walkers some with and without dogs so it was a relatively straight forward walk, as in not too much of letting the dogs off the leash just to have to put them back on a few seconds later.
As we were walking I noticed a few frozen, what I'd call shughs, a more accurate and possibly less country description would have been stagnant water that has collected in a ditch and is frozen. There were some plants frozen in the ice and throughout the day had been giving off air bubbles.
A short science talk to Grace about 'photosynthesis and why there were bubbles', later, and we were off again. The next stop would be the lough shore.
A couple of hundred odd meters down the trail and I spotted a few frozen plants I thought looked nice, so of course I took a picture while Grace tried to stop the excited Labrador from taking her for a walk.
Then we came to the entrance of the lough shore ( a door with a sign ) and the sound of the already cold wind sounded colder.
All three of those hazards were pretty relevant because of the cold, even if it was only a 5-6 meter decline.
The path to the lough shore is a one man track with large stones/rocks/boulders on each side, so I let the dogs run on ahead knowing there was nobody in the Bird Hide at the end or the track.
A view from the track. Doesn't it look like a bog that Bear Grylls might pull a deer carcass out of and use its fur for a coat.
There is an inlet of sheltered water along the path which drew my attention, I explored off track closer to the water to find that the water itself was frozen. A sight I had not seen before, it was pretty cool **excuse the pun** if I do say so myself. The ice was nothing substantial just a think layer, so no you couldn't have walked on it. My Labrador soon found this out with a cold lesson learnt.
Arriving at the lough shore the wind was a bit colder than I expected, but none the less a great spot and lovely views.
From here (on a day with good visibility) you can see across the lough to Antrim and as far away as the Mourne Mountains themselves.
This is why there is a newly built bird hide here (Old one wasn't safe anymore)
This sign tells us that the height of Lough Neagh 80 years was up to where I was standing, which I would guess is about 4-5 meters above the shore level now. Isn't that crazy?
So with time pressing on and lunch yet to be had we turned and headed back into the forest. Staying near the shore line we came across an opening that I have always thought would be great for a camp. Hint hint.
So we walked through the opening, it was good ground with some marsh but only in a selected area. We continued on through the treeline to find a nice spot to set up camp. There is some lovely sights when you stray from the track only a few meters.
Finding a nice spot to set up the tarp was the next objective and that wasnt hard at all. Just finding a clearing, anything looks nice in warm winter evening light. So I set up the tarp and we had our lunch, what a lovely view to be looking at whilst enjoying a nice chocolate bar.
I have now realised that this post has gotten longer than I first intended, so I won't bore anyone anymore. We had a great few hours out, we seen Deer, Dogs, Swans and Pheasants, and heard countless more animals. The weather was great and the quietness and calm even better. And I still made it back in time for work. I enjoyed this microadventure and hope for many more.
Oisin
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Topic: Microadventure - Lunch, only somewhere different (Read 8832 times)