Belfast Castle is set on the slopes of Cavehill Country
Park, Belfast, in a prominent position 400 feet above sea level. It
provides good views of the city of Belfast and Belfast Lough and is
one of Belfast's most historic buildings.
A castle has existed on the site since the late 12th Century
built by the Normans. On the same site a wooden castle was built in
1611. This was the home of Sir Arthur Chichester, baron of Belfast
but was burned down in 1708, leaving only street names to mark the
site. The castle that stands today was completed in 1870 by the 2nd
Marquess of Donegall, and was designed by Charles Lanyon and his
son in the Scottish baronial style. After Donegall's death and the
family's financial demise, the 8th Earl of Shaftesbury completed
the house. It was his son, the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, who
presented the castle to the City of Belfast in 1934.
In 1978 Belfast City Council began a major refurbishment over a
period of ten years at a cost of over two million pounds. The
architect was the Hewitt and Haslam Partnership. The building
officially re-opened to the public on 11 November 1988.
The castle hosts an antiques shop, a restaurant and visitors
centre and it is a popular venue for conferences, private dining
and wedding receptions.
There is an adventure playground, way marked walking trails and
information boards available.
Entrance is free and the grounds are open from dawn to dusk.
THE CACHE is placed in the grounds of Belfast Castle,
just off one of the waymarked trails. The paths are steep so
walking boots are recommended. The cache is a medium sized tab-lock
container and when placed contained a log book, pencil, sharpener,
stash note, FTF badge and some swap items. From the cache location
there are good views over Belfast Lough and the Castle.
The cache is some distance from the path and the trail to the
cache can become overgrown with nettles and brambles at certain
times of the year. Suitable attire should therefore be worn when
attempting to find this cache - shorts for instance might not
considered suitable attire.