Cave Hill is a familiar outline visible from many parts of Belfast City and has become ingrained into the city’s social history and culture, making it one of the most celebrated landmarks of Belfast.
Cave Hill Country Park is managed by Belfast City Council to preserve the unique range of habitats which vary from parkland and broadleaved woodland, to meadows and moorland.
How to get there:
Main car parks at Belfast Castle and Zoo. From the Westlink take Clifton Street exit. At the top of slipway turn left, then at roundabout take the third exit onto the Antrim Road (Belfast Castle and Zoo are signposted).
Habitats and Wildlife
The habitats in Cave Hill Country Park range from woodland and parkland to meadows and moorland, and each area has particular species associated with it. In the mature woodland can be found many garden and woodland birds such as chaffinches, great tits and wrens, while growing underfoot are carpets of bluebells, wild garlic and wood anemone. Towards dusk you might glimpse a badger or a bat, emerging on their nightly hunt. On the heathland, where skylarks and meadow pipits can be heard and various birds of prey roam, the ground cover is a mix of species such as heather, bilberry, and the brightly coloured yellow gorse. In summer, many butterflies, including the meadow brown, ringlet and common blue, fly over the upland meadows.
History
The Cave Hill was initially referred to as Ben Madigan Hill after a local chieftain who died around 855 AD. McArts Fort on Cave Hill is considered to be an Iron Age stronghold dating back to the early centuries B.C. McArts Fort is named after Art O'Neill, a sixteenth century chieftain of the family who held the land around Cave Hill. There are five caves in the basalt the lowest of which is accessible from a worn path. It is thought that these caves have been used as temporary refuges over the centuries.
Belfast Hills Access Code
- Plan ahead - know where to walk, what to wear and how to minimise waste.
- Be safe - pay attention to signs, weather conditions traffic levels. Consider your personal safety, don’t walk alone, bring a mobile phone, let people know where you are.
- Understand Access - know where you are allowed to go and leave gates as you find them.
- Minimise impact - TAKE ALL LITTER HOME, extinguish matches cigarettes carefully, don't pollute water.
- Control dogs - Please keep dogs on a lead especially near farm animals.
- Respect the countryside - don't disturb or feed wildlife.
- Consider others - don't interfere with livestock, crops or machinery.
- Minimise noise.
The Belfast Hills the Partnership
The Belfast Hills stretch from Colin Mountain in the south to Carnmoney Hill in the north and are home to important wildlife and archaeological sites, stunning landscapes and scattered communities. The Belfast Hills Partnership Trust was established in 2004 as an independent company with charitable status with the following aims:
- To increase people's appreciation of the value of the Belfast Hills
- To plan and carry out work programmes to protect and enhance biodiversity on the hills
- To help people enjoy the hills through a range of well managed public sites
- To improve the quality of life for local people
The Belfast Hills Geocaching Series is supported by the Belfast Hills Partnership (BHP) – for more information about their activities and walks check out their website – www.belfasthills.org. If you would be interested to add to this Geocaching series please contact the BHP for up to date access information and landowners’ permission.
