Holy ground

(Photos from our recent west coast trip are in posts beginning "Cliffs of Moher" and ending "Get the Frack out of Ireland.")

So we are staying in Holywood, home of Rory McIlroy. I've run past the Holywood Golf Course twice now. It's interesting that there are no banners at the entrance laying claim to its famous son. There is, however, a poster of Rory in the window of the wine store, encouraging everyone to raise a toast to himself.

For me, the holy ground is that above and surrounding the golf course. Redburn Country Park offers amazing views of Belfast Lough. Here's the official skinny:

"Redburn Country Park is set on an escarpment above Belfast Lough. There are 7km of pathways and energetic visitors climbing to the top of the escarpment will be rewarded with spectacular views of Belfast and the south Antrim hills.

Scrub and grassland cover the top of the hill. There are pleasant walks in all seasons but Spring is the best season to see the spectacular woodland carpet of bluebells, wood sorrel and anemones.

The woods are home to birds such as tits and finches and in the summertime, willow warbler and blackcaps can be found in the scrub and gorse at the top of the hill. In the open glades, rabbits are plentiful and, if lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the park’s shyest resident, the Red Squirrel."