Croaghan Way

About

STARTING POINT

Located at the Altarichard car park/viewing area on the Orra Scenic Drive between Magherahoney and Cushendall/Cushendun.

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

The Croaghan Way incorporates two self-guided trails; the ‘Milibern Walk’ and the longer ‘Breen Forest Walk.’ The trail exists by way of an access agreement between Council and the landowners, Blakiston-Houston Estates, with the cooperation of the Forest Service. The Croaghan Way was established in the 1990s, before the Slieveanorra and Croaghan ASSI designations on 11th March 2009. This makes the area very special as one of only a few accessible designated upland blanket bogs in Northern Ireland.

To ensure the peatland remains largely undisturbed it is vital that walkers keep strictly to the waymarked routes.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The Croaghan Way takes you through some of the best blanket bog, which is recognised by its designations national, Slievanorra and Croaghan Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and at European level, Antrim Hills Special Protection Area (SPA). It is an area of largely intact blanket bog, which means the peat lies like a blanket over the hill. There are areas of bog pools where you will see plants like sphagnum, bog bean and aquatic bog mosses. Other plants you should see as you walk along are bog asphodel, and both round-level sundew and great sundew. Much of the bog is dominated by heather, cross-leaved heath, hare’s-tail cotton grass, crowberry and bilberry. This area of bog provides an important habitat for upland birds, especially merlin and hen harriers which breed near-by and use the area for feeding. Other birds you may see are snipe, red grouse and raven. Common lizards have also been seen here. Panoramic views of Rathlin Island can be experienced from Croaghan.