This is a circular, moderate 10 kilometres walk which starts at, what is reputed to be, the smallest, oldest and most haunted pub in Ireland, James King’s Bar, established 1830,  and rises to the ‘Twelve Cairns’ on Slieve Croob, thought to be a Bronze Age burial site.  For a map and statistics go to https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=18725608

Park in the village of Finnis, locally known as Massford, which lies on the southern slopes of  Slieve Croob (from Irish Sliabh Crúibe, meaning ‘mountain of the hoof’).  There is usually a space near James King’s Bar if you dare!  In the early years of the 20th century, a malevolent spirit is said to have haunted the bar and the area around the Dree Hill Road bridge just opposite, in the centre of Finnis, which spans the upper reaches of the River Lagan. By this bridge stood a large and beautiful sycamore tree. Knowing the terror the bridge set in the hearts of his parishioners, the village priest set out to exorcise the spirit and managed to capture it in a bottle. He then placed the bottle containing the spirits inside the sycamore tree.

There it remained and the bridge became free of the hauntings. From that day on and, with knowledge of the tree’s part in the exorcism, nobody in Finnis would touch the tree nor would they allow anyone else to touch it either.

Subsequently, the tree died and looked as though it has been killed by a lightning strike. Some years back, when either power lines or telephone lines were being run through the village, the tree stood in the way of progress and the priest had to be called to stop the workers from cutting it down. As a result, they had to run the cables through the tree’s upper branches.  The tree was finally felled, only recently, by the hand of mother nature in a violent winter storm but the bottle has never been discovered.

Cross the previously haunted bridge, avoiding contact with any unattended bottles and follow the Dree Hill Road for a short way before turning left at Drin Road.  After approximately 2 kilometres watch out for a sign on the right for Passing Loaning.  Follow this lane to reach a gate and a stile.  Cross the stile and ascend the grassy slope following a rough track and a series of white posts.  This part of the mountain is known as Monahoora, not only are the views stunning but also this is a great place to listen out for the song of the Skylark or spot a buzzard.

The waymarkers will take you to a tarmac road, turn left and follow it to the top of Slieve Croob.  There is an array of unsightly communication masts but there are the remains of a massive summit cairn. On this platform, several smaller cairns were raised, of various heights and dimensions, hence the name the Twelve Cairns.  Knowledge of this strange ancient structure has been lost in the mists of the past but the views remain magnificent.

Return to the tarmac road and follow it downhill.  This will bring you to a gate and a car park on the Dree Hill Road from where you can view the source of the river Lagan.  Turn right on leaving the car park and the road will bring you back to Finnis.

This is a great Sunday afternoon’s, Belfast walk.  You will enjoy the sporting activities on the river, the buzz of tourist life in the Titanic Quarter and finally, the lovely chaos that is St. George’s market.  It is just over 12 kilometres in length but easy.  For a map and more statistics go to https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=20149819

Start at the car park at Cutter’s Wharf, walk along Lockview Road to the roundabout at Stranmillis College and then follow the Stranmillis Embankment to where it intersects with the Ormeau Road.  Crossover and follow the Ormeau Embankment as far as East Bridge Street.  Cross again and follow Laganbank Road passing the Waterfront Hall to reach the “Big Fish” or “The Salmon of Knowledge”.

Go right and cross the river here on the footbridge and this will take you into the Titanic Quarter.  Continue along the water’s edge passing the Odessey Pavillion and the SS Nomadic to reach the Titanic Building and the Drawing Offices nearby.

The Titanic Quarter is tourist central however, there is an interesting amalgamation of the story of the industrial development of the city of Belfast (a well-sanitized version) and the Titanic of  Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.  Having soaked it as much of this rich history as you dare, retrace your steps across the footbridge, turn left at the “Salmon of Knowledge” and continue along Victoria Street to St. Georges Market.

St George’s Market on a Sunday afternoon is a treasure trove of experiences, so dive in, the water is lovely. Re-emerge at the Cromac Street end, thoroughly drenched in  Belfast razzmatazz and walk along Cromac Street to the Gas Works Business Park. Follow the walkway past the wonderful Radisson Hotel where you will find an underpass which will take you back to the Ormeau Embankment and, hence, back to Cutter’s Wharf.

Video of St. George’s