{"id":24961,"date":"2023-04-06T12:58:44","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T10:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=24961"},"modified":"2023-04-06T12:58:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T10:58:44","slug":"county-down-crawfordsburn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2023\/04\/06\/county-down-crawfordsburn\/","title":{"rendered":"County Down Crawfordsburn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
NORTHERN IRELAND<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

10.<\/span> County Down Crawfordsburn<\/h2>\n\n

Distance: 3.9\/6.3km | Time: 2.5 hours | Grade: Easy | Total ascent: 115m<\/p>\n\n

Walked by Helen Fairbairn <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Crawford House stands guard over Crawfordsburn Beach <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Stretching from two beautiful beaches on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, Crawfordsburn Country Park encompasses an impressive mix of landscapes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

As well as the sandy beaches and rocky shoreline, there is mature woodland, a historic fort and several beautiful, flower-filled meadows that are simply radiant in early summer. <\/p>\n\n

The best way to explore the park is by following the circular Meadow Walk, the lengthiest signed trail at two miles long. This is the park\u2019s most varied route, visiting all its different habitats. There\u2019s also an optional coastal extension for anyone who prefers a longer outing. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
1. START <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Start at the park visitor centre, where you pick up signs indicating <\/span>the route of the Meadow Walk. Begin by heading south towards the area known as The Glen. This is an enclave of undulating woodland that spans either side of Lorne Burn. The mature beech trees and burbling stream provide a peaceful haven for all sorts of woodland wildlife including badgers, hedgehogs and jays.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

2. 1 MILE <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

You get a view of Lanyon\u2019s Viaduct \u2013 a multi- arched railway bridge that dates from the 19th-century \u2013 before veering east towards two swathes of open grassland known as 21 Acres and Wildflower Meadow. Early summer is peak time for flora here, when a kaleidoscope of flowers are in bloom, with orchids prime among them. Butterflies and other insects take full advantage of the natural abundance, and it\u2019s a pleasure to linger amid such a thriving and beautiful habitat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

3. 1.4 MILES<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The route brings you to the coast beside a rocky outcrop. Turn left and follow the shoreline west, past the golden sands of Crawfordsburn Beach. Stretching for 700m, this strand is popular with families during the summer.<\/p>\n\n

Half-way along the beach, the coastal path veers inland beside Lorne Burn. This is where the Meadow Walk leaves the coast and heads south, bringing you back to the visitor centre.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

4. 1.8 MILES<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

If you feel like extending your outing by a mile and a half, it\u2019s easy to continue ahead at Lorne Burn, following the park\u2019s paved Coastal Walk.<\/p>\n\n

This out-and-back excursion will bring you further west along the shore, past another sandy beach, to the headland of Grey Point. Here you will find Grey Point Fort.<\/p>\n\n

This coastal battery helped to protect Belfast Lough during the First and Second World Wars, and still has one of its massive guns in place.<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

USEFUL INFO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Starting Point <\/strong>
Crawfordsburn Country Park Visitor Centre, Bridge Road South Helen\u2019s Bay, BT19 1JT. Follow signs to the park from the A2 Belfast to Bangor road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrain <\/strong>
Mainly flat unsurfaced footpaths with steps and stiles in places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Map <\/strong>
OS Discoverer 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eat\/Drink <\/strong>
The park\u2019s excellent Woodland Caf\u00e9, open daily from 10am to 4pm, is a perfect spot for lunches, teas and cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay <\/strong>
The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn dates from 1614 and is very close. theoldinn.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

Photo: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NORTHERN IRELAND 10. County Down Crawfordsburn Distance: 3.9\/6.3km | Time: 2.5 hours | Grade: Easy | Total ascent: 115m Walked by Helen Fairbairn Stretching from two beautiful beaches on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, Crawfordsburn Country Park encompasses an impressive mix of landscapes. As well as the sandy beaches and rocky shoreline, there is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"91","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"91","purple_seq_number":"2","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"2","purple_source_article":"article_91-2.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_91-2.xml","purple_source_issue":"May-2023","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"May-2023","purple_external_id":"May-2023-91-2","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"May-2023-91-2","purple_issue_code":"|0000084068||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084068||","purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.202","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.202","purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.202","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.202","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"91da22fd-9e7f-40d1-a93f-fc46e9516d91","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-04-06T10:58:51Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"4920f23d-2de2-4526-b48c-30153603fc9a","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-04-06T10:58:52Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ASSDyPS3iRSa0jDAVNgP8mg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[135],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/04\/2H2EARB_preview-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"NORTHERN IRELAND 10. County Down Crawfordsburn Distance: 3.9\/6.3km | Time: 2.5 hours | Grade: Easy | Total ascent: 115m Walked by Helen Fairbairn Stretching from two beautiful beaches on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, Crawfordsburn Country Park encompasses an impressive mix of landscapes. As well as the sandy beaches and rocky shoreline, there is…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24961"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25499,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24961\/revisions\/25499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}