Sion Mills is a village located close to the banks of the Mourne River, in County Tyrone. It was created as a philanthropic, model village by the Herdman brothers, James, John and George in the 1830s to support the Linen Mill which they converted from a previous flour mill. Mills of various kinds had been located in the area since the Plantation due to the energy provided by the Mourne to turn the water wheels, which was equivalent to 1000 horsepower. The village now has over 40 listed buildings and recently the old Herdman's stable block from Sion House where the family all lived, has been restored and now forms a small museum and restaurant complex.
There is parking on either bank but to the East it is at the side of the Liskey Road which is both narrow and busy. For that reason I would suggest parking in the purpose built area on the West side at the start of the Mourne River Path. From there it is a short walk down part of the path and around the edge of the Herdman's site. Once a beautiful set of buildings it is now sadly derelict and heavily vandalised. However, its fading splendour only serves to underline the beauty of the river area once you reach its tree-lined banks.
The "Swinging Bridge" (as it is known locally) is a suspension footbridge which connects both sides of the River Mourne and was originally built to allow workers to access the Mill from the East side of the bank. A much earlier version of the bridge washed away in floods in 1987 and was replaced with the one you see today. It "bounces" slightly as you step across it which some enjoy and others don't(!) and from the centre you will be presented with spectacular views of the River Mourne in both directions and the surrounding countryside. On many occasions you will be able to see anglers standing out in waders trying to catch salmon in one of the best spots for their pastime in Northern Ireland.
The cache is a micro located at the bridge. As said above, take care as you go to remove it from its hiding place and keep a tight eye on junior geocachers. It is not suitable for unsupervised children. The log is in a small plastic test tube inside the main container to help keep it dry.
The Little Bridges series was started by Stanthews in 2009 to highlight small footbridges in remote parts of Wiltshire. Since then the series has been expanded by others all over the country and starting to spread fast, Damian from Winter Foxes has created and updates a list of cachers who has found 10 or more little bridges and can be found here, if you would like to add to the series, please contact Stan on stanthews@aol.com and he will give you a number for your bridge, to qualify, the bridge must be a foot bridge too small for vehicles, please make sure your title exactly matches “Little Bridges # xx then name” including spaces so it will get picked up and added to Damian’s list.