Am I making this post out of some sort of sense of obligation? Maybe. I think the significance of this “event” in our vacation is such it does warrant special mention. So here it is. The blog post about Cave Hill.
One of the things Laura wanted to do in Ireland was visit Cave Hill and see the Belfast Castle. We knew it wasn’t a real castle, but instead an old building that was used initially as a residence. Turns out since it is rented out for weddings now, it isn’t really something one can go in and visit. That was disappointing.
The other thing was to go up Cave Hill. There’s a 4.5 mile loop that goes up to the top with an overlook of Belfast. At the top is McArt’s Fort, an old site that was used for something many centuries (if not a couple of centuries) ago, but nobody really knows.
So up we went.
From the “castle” we went in a counter-clockwise direction on the path. This was the shorter path to the top, and because of this was rather steep. It did afford some spectacular views, and from Belfast Castle to McArt’s Fort it is a little over a mile.
We made it to the top. It took a bit of doing, but we made it. Taking some breaks along the way.
Getting to the top was a challenge, but also rather rewarding. It’s a good hike and the kids, even Xavier, were up for it.
As you approach the top you can see McArt’s Fort and the vantage point you are provided at the high point. It’s not necessarily the absolute summit of the hill, but for the purposes of this circuit it is. And when visiting Belfast it is well worth checking out.
We had our picnic lunch at the top, then we assessed the situation. Do we continue going counter-clockwise and finish off the whole of the four and a half miles or go back down the way we came?
We went the long way back.
August started running. For most of the way down he was so far ahead we didn’t see him. He figured out if he ran ahead he could stop and rest for long periods of time. Xavier did well, and thankfully going down wasn’t as steep (and dangerous). It was, however, longer. For the last mile or so he complained. A lot.
But he made it.
Don’t think your kids can hike 4.5 miles? They can. You just need to present it properly, and you need to also do it yourself. Setting expectations and goals is a key to getting your kids to do these sorts of things, as well as living by example.