Cloughey Warren
The original village of Cloughey (or Cloghy as it is shown on old
maps) was at the South end of the beach. Here there was a row of
Coastguard cottages, and a lifeboat station. A mile to the North
was Kirkistown Castle, one of the stone castles along the County
Down coast built by the Normans in the 12th century. In the 1920s
& 30s Cloughey became a popular holiday location and many of
the houses along Main Road and Quarter Road (close to the golf
course and the beach) were built as holiday homes in this
period. The golf course was a draw for weekend and
holiday visitors.
Cloughey Bay has a sandy beach over a mile long curving from
Ringbuoy Point at its Northern extremity to Slanes Point in the
South. At high tide most of the sand is covered but at low
tide an extensive area of foreshore is exposed especially at the
southern end. The south end of the beach has a good variety of
wading and sea-birds. The bay faces South East and a long spit of
stones running from Ringbuoy Point to North Rock provides
protection from the normal swell of the Irish Sea. The bay
enjoys relatively flat water suitable for a range of water sports
and is popular with wind and kite surfers, water skiers and
Jet-skiers.
Between the marshes and the sea lay the sand-dunes of a raised
beach which was formed as the sea-level rose, fell and rose again
after the last Ice Age. When the sea first rose it formed cliffs in
the drumlin hills which typify the Ards and which are also a
product of the Ice Age. These cliffs can now be seen as the steep
banks which follow the coast-line behind the houses in Cloughey. It
would have been on this raised beach that the first settlers in the
area would have made their camps, living off the Bay’s
abundant shellfish. The Warren is part of this
area.
The Warren has been used as common area from as long as anyone can
remember, and is especially popular with dog-walkers. The
Warren includes the flat grass area beside the car park
and the sand hills between Main Road and the beach. It is
a beautiful and unspoiled area with a great variety of wildflowers
in spring and summer. It has been part of an ASSI (Area
of Special Scientific Interest) for about 10 years. This
designation is supposed to prevent activities
that damage the natural environment. Unfortunately there
are still some that will.
The large granite and glass sculpture is a memorial to the Cloughey
Lifeboat. It was placed here in 2001. It was produced by Artistic
duo Gary Drostle and Rob Turner, known as ‘Wallscapes’,
working together to create community artwork. Using Mourne Granite
this piece represents the history of the lifeboat and through its
carved images you can follow the bravery of the souls who rescued
people who were perishing at sea.
The Cache
This
cache is a micro as to not have an impact on the area it is hidden
in. The cache is a magnetic micro slightly larger than a 35mm film
canister containing only a log. So bring a pencil with you. Please
take care in crossing the roads to the site as the roads around it
can be quite busy at times, keep a close eye on children too.
Parking is available in the main car park very close by.
As this
is an extremely public area ensure that you are very discrete in
retrieving and replacing the cache. Also please put
it back exactly where you got it from but be careful you
don’t drop it when replacing it.