5 National Trust Divis and the Black Mountain Traditional Cache
Cuilcagh: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this geocache, so I must regretfully archive it.
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Cuilcagh - Community Volunteer Reviewer for Geocaching HQ (Ireland)
5 National Trust Divis and the Black Mountain
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache is a traditional cache in an historical location a little off the beaten track at the National Trust Divis and the Black Mountain.
Divis and the Black Mountain rest in the heart of the Belfast Hills which provide the backdrop to the city’s skyline. They are rich in wildlife, archaeology and history, with spectacular views across Northern Ireland and beyond.
See rare species in their natural habitat
Our property is significant for biodiversity with red grouse, stonechats, skylark, snipe and other upland breeding birds, while kestrels, peregrine falcons and ravens feed in the area. There are several occupied badger setts and on a walk through this habitat you may encounter a hiding Irish Hare or see a Marsh Fritillary butterfly flitting about. The mountains comprise a mosaic of grassland heath and bog. The heath is made up mainly of heather species but a closer look reveals some interesting flora such as the heath spotted orchid. Along the short grasses on the river banks you may unearth the many colours of waxcaps during the autumn and winter months. Thirteen species of waxcap fungi have already been identified on the site; one of them is a new record for Northern Ireland. A number of species found here in the mountains are identified as Northern Ireland Priority Species.
Divis and the Black Mountain came into the care of the National Trust in November 2004 and opened to the public in June 2005. There are walking trails along a variety of terrain – through heath, on stone tracks, along boardwalk and road surface, including the start of the 10km Divis Mountain to Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park Trail.
The property is a working farm with free roaming cattle between April and November.
Please wear suitable footwear and clothing for walking in the area. The mountain environment can change rapidly. Please keep dogs under close control at all times.
Parking and entrance is free, but please note that the car park closes at 8pm - car park co-ordinates are N54' 35.950 W006' 02.530.
All of the caches can be done as part of the Divis and Black Mountain Series. The whole series will take approximately 7 hours to complete so ensure you have adequate snacks and water to sustain you.
This cache is also not far off the 10 mile Divis to Dixon Walk, so can be incorporated into that route.
Allow yourself approximately 1.5 hours to find this cache and return to car park.
The Cache
The route to this cache is relatively easy along a tarmac road for most of the way, but may be boggy in the vicinity of the cache. Head straight for the TV transmitters and then go off the beaten track to find this cache.
The cache is a medium sized camouflaged lockable lunchbox with geocache label on the lid. A small selection of usual swaps were available at the time of placing the cache as well as a National Trust Divis and the Black Mountain marker - if you're going to visit a geocache anywhere else in the world why not take it with you? There are also some information pamphlets included - feel free to take one with you.
This is a great place for a walk with the kids and goes off the beaten track towards the end without being too strenuous. The scenery here is beautiful and on the journey to the cache look out for some of our spectacular wildlife, from insects to plants and from Irish Hare to Kestrels. Look around water pools and puddles for newts and keep an eye out for lizards basking in the sunshine. You will also pass some of our unique archaeology on your way out to this cache.
Life on the hills dates back to around 9,000 years ago, when people lived in groups, moving around in search of food that they could hunt or gather. Gradually, around 4,500 – 2,100 BC, there was a change away from this lifestyle to the beginnings of farming. This meant people living in one place and keeping domesticated animals such as cattle and sheep and growing crops. As well as farming, these early people used flint from the mountains to make tools and weapons.
Just like today, the mountains have been used for cattle grazing for hundreds of years. There is an interesting site, visible to your left when heading out the tarmac road, of the remains of a fortified farm or ring fort, dating to the Early Christian period in Ireland of 1000 AD. This is the only one of its’ kind found on the entire island of Ireland.
The cache is in the remains of an old gamekeeper’s house which was used by a Mr Millekin in 1901 and later by a shepherd named Robert Moorhouse. This cottage is now little more than heaps of stones, but it’s possible to see outlines of a cottage garden. The dwelling is also said to have connections with both Mary Ann and Henry Joy McCracken. It is said that Mary Ann and another female companion stayed at the cottage in late June 1798 after bringing news to Henry Joy from Belfast following the Battle of Antrim.
The cottage also sits close to the headwaters of the Ballygomartin River, the same river that famously flooded the Westlink at Broadway.
For more information on this cottage do an internet search for the Ulster Archaeological Society Field Survey Report.
Please be careful when uncovering the cache, muggles are frequent near this cache site so please be discreet when taking out the cache and hiding it again. If you see anything you like in the cache box, please trade up or even so everyone can enjoy the contents.
At the Long Barn there are toilet facilities, hot drinks and a picnic area for you to stop at as you head out on your journey. You can also borrow one of our GPS navigators from the Long Barn with all of our geocaches pre-loaded for your convenience.
Good Luck and enjoy your trip to this historic location!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx haqre n arneol Unjgubea Ohfu.
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