We’ve finished

Our final hotel was ok – looked a bit grand in reception with fancy chairs and sofas but the rest was either a bit tired or utilitarian – we remarked it looked a bit like a prison as we approached from the road!. Weather forecast was nice for the day, no rain, some sun and warming up as we headed to “stroke city” – as called by the locals due to always being referred to as Derry / Londonderry.

We had walked through Limavady yesterday on the way to our hotel in Ballykelly. The birthplace of New Zealand Prime Minister Rt. Hon Willian Massey is on Irish Green Street in Limavady and nearby Massey Avenue is named after him. Additionally, Limavady is most famous for the tune Londonderry Air collected by Jane Ross in the mid-19th century from a local fiddle player. The tune was later (ca. 1913) used for the song Danny Boy. As we walked from Ballykelly we passed a wealthy looking private hospital, crossed a small stream and got some tantalising glimpses of Lough Foyle with Binevenagh Mountain (c170m) behind us in the distance. The name is from the Irish Binn Fhoibhne, meaning ‘Foibhne’s peak’. We then walked on a path alongside the A2 through the Ballykelly Forest.

Although there was a footpath beside the A2, it was nice to turn onto a much quieter road at Greysteel – we were still getting nice views of the Lough and of Derry City Airport.

Ellington was next, a lovely town that could have been lifted straight from Surrey! We passed a massive presbyterian church and the Church of Ireland St Canice Parish Church – the remains of the 1622 original church can be seen in the graveyard with the current church being built in 1826. The gold postbox is in honour of Paralympian Jason Smyth’s gold medal in the 100m and 200m events for blind athletes in the London 2012 games. Finally we passed by a Spitfire shaped plant box to commemorate the vital part played by Ellington in WWII. Ellington airfield was initially built as a RAF Coastal Command base to protect Belfast City, especially the docks.

Up and down a few cheeky hills as we got ever closer to Derry, we walked alongside Faughan Golf Course which looked immaculately kept and crossed the River Faughan. Coming over the bridge were a number souped up cars (this seemed to be quite a ‘thing” in these parts) racing around and then we were back on the A2 into Derry itself. Leaving the A2 we walked the Waterside Greenway, with the railway between the path and the Lough and then decided to go in search of a coffee and scone. On the east side of Derry this proved an impossible challenge so we ventured onto the Derry Peace Bridge which was built to improve relations between the largely unionist Waterside on the east bank with the largely nationalist Cityside on the west bank, by improving access between these areas, as part of wider regeneration plans. Halfway across the bridge we called “complete” on our journey and continued into the city in search of sustenance.

It took google maps and several coffee shops before we found what we were looking for and were able to enjoy scones (with butter for Paul and Jam/Cream for me) sitting in the sunshine. We then went on a little wander around Derry, seeing the City Wall, The Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, the First Derry Presbyterian Church and, of course, the Derry Girls Mural. We then went down into the Bogside area to see the Free Derry Wall, The Bloody Sunday Memorial and a plethora of murals on the houses.

Finally we visited St Eugene’s Cathedral. It was not until the passage of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 that the possibility of building a Roman Catholic cathedral in Derry could be contemplated. Fundraising for the building of the cathedral took place from 1840 and work began on the construction in 1849 at a total cost of just over £40,000. The project to build the cathedral’s bell tower and spire was postponed, as no funds were available for the project. At first, the cathedral’s windows were made of plain glass due to lack of funds. It was not until the late 1890s when stained glass windows were installed. Work on the bell tower and spire began on 13 August 1900, with the building contract awarded to Courtney and Co from Belfast and work was completed on 19 June 1903.

At the end of the walk a celebratory ice cream was warranted, which we enjoyed whilst walking along the riverside.

A wonderful walk through some amazing scenery, in great company.