Summary of improvements - Cave Hill Country Park

Cave Hill Country Park – Summary of Improvements

The doors of Belfast Castle are set to open again following a period of closure during the pandemic.

Over the past number of months, we’ve been busy working with our partners on a range of improvements to enhance Cave Hill Country Park, making it safer, more accessible and creating more ecologically diverse parkland. Here’s a summary on what’s new:

Mountain biking

We’re working with Cavehill Mountainbikers Club (CMC) to test a new approach for ‘The Middle’ trail within the County Park with the support of Outdoor Recreation NI.

Following some works to the trail, including the erection of new safety signage, ‘The Middle’ will open for public use early spring. The pilot will help us try out new arrangements for maintenance, management, inspection of the mountain bike trail over the next two years and benefit both riders and other park users.

Outdoor Classroom

With support from DfI Rivers through their Living With Water Programme and as part of recent flood alleviation improvement works, an outdoor classroom has been constructed in the forested area by the main park entrance.

This outdoor learning area, accessible by a new path and bridge, is now available for local schools and groups to use. To find out more or to book the classroom, email outdoorleisure@belfastcity.gov.uk

Tours

Cave Hill Conservation Campaign is a voluntary group that works to protect and enhance the natural environment and public amenity of Cave Hill. The group also offer guided walks on Cave Hill throughout the year. Themed around the natural environment and the archaeological significance of Cave Hill, the walks give a real insight into the history beneath our feet.

For more information visit www.cavehillconservation.org

Walking

Work is underway to upgrade all signage throughout Cave Hill Country Park to improve accessibility and overall user experience. Look out for new entrance signs to the park and way markers along our walking trails – many of which contain QR codes to access additional site information.

We are also working to update our interpretative heritage information signs so watch this space!

Children and Young People

We are refurbishing Cave Hill Adventurous Playground to cater for children of all ages as part of our Playground Improvement Programme. The upgraded facility is due to reopen to the public in May. During construction, Craft Catering’s mobile refreshments kiosk will be relocated within the Country Park.

Biodiversity

The park forms a mosaic of natural habitats ranging from parkland and broad-leaved woodland to species-rich grassland and heathland. It is often ablaze with seasonal colour, carpets of spring flowers, purple heather in late summer and dramatic autumn foliage. It’s a great site to see and hear

upland birds from skylarks and meadow pipits to ravens, peregrines and kestrels. You may even be lucky to catch a glimpse of a bat, badger or hedgehog.

Two areas of high nature conservation importance are designated local nature reserves - Ballyaghagan (which hosts upland species rich grassland) and Hazelwood (known for its ancient woodland). The site is sensitively managed by grazing so please watch out for cattle.

Tree planting

We have committed to planting 1,000,000 new trees over the next 15 years in collaboration with a number of environmental organisations and service providers such as the Woodland Trust and Belfast Hills Partnership.

One of our key partners, the Woodland Trust Northern Ireland, is in the process of transforming 98 hectares of recently purchased land in the Belfast Hills (adjacent to the Country Park) into a native woodland - Glas-na-Bradan Wood. They will be reaching out to local schools and youth groups, as well as the public to help plant 150,000 trees over the next five years, all of which aligns with our Climate Plan for Belfast which actively promotes the participation of children, young people and local communities, supporting tree planting and climate adaption across the city