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| Altagore Cashel | View to Loughan | Cushendun Bay |
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The small roads around Torr and along the Scenic Road are lined in places with Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) which was planted intentionally as a hedgerow species. In summer, this native North American plant gives a wonderful display of colour enhancing the already stunning natural landscape. The road from here climbs up to Green Hill and then descends steeply into Loughan which overlooks Loughan Bay, scattered in the landscape you will see the remains of small cottages, their occupants left and emigrated over a century ago yet it never ceases to leave me in wonderment as to how they managed to scratch an existence and raise a family in such a wild, exposed landscape that up until the late 1800's was difficult to access. From Loughan and Coolranny the road ascends and takes you round Carnaneigh Mountain and where it descends into Tornamoney Valley - as you descend, on the far side of the valley you will see Altagore Cashel. The walls of this stone fort are still three metres high and show evidence of internal stairs which accessed the terrace - cashel's like these were built in Ireland between 500BC and 1000AD - this one is believed to date to the early Christian period. From here the route finally descends into Cushendun past a cairn erected in 1908 to Shane O'Neill and the ruins of Carra Castle which he owned. |
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