Overview
The Dungonnell Way follows a railway that no longer exists. For much of its 9.5 miles (15.4km) the loop traces the bed of the Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway, a narrow-gauge line that hauled iron ore out of the Antrim glens from the mid-1870s until the traffic ran out. Add the largest intact blanket bog in Northern Ireland and a quiet reservoir at the foot of the glen, and that is the walk.
It runs along the northern edge of Glenravel Glen in County Antrim, just south of Glenariff Forest Park, on a watershed: to the north the Glenariff River drops to the sea at Red Bay; to the south the Glenravel Water heads for the River Bann and Lough Neagh. It is fully way-marked, so you can start at any point and walk it in either direction, with free parking at Dungonnell Dam, in Cargan village and at Drum Wood. The route was put together with funding from the Environment and Heritage Service and the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust.
Route and terrain
This is graded a hard walk, with about 260m of ascent, the steepest of it on the pull up to the Garron Plateau. Be honest with yourself about the surface first, though: well over half the loop is on quiet paved lanes, and only the middle stretch – the forest track and open bog – feels like hill country. If you came for wilderness rather than a road walk, that middle third is the reason to be here. The route also skirts Crockahanan (339m) and passes through Glenariff Forest Park. Most people take around three and a half hours, more if they stop at the railway ruins.
The lost railway
The line opened in stages in the mid-1870s to carry iron ore from the Antrim mines to the coast, and was later fitted out for passengers. Public services ended in 1930 and the railway closed altogether by 1940. The sidings around Cargan were built to serve the mines in the first place – the village was once called Fisherstown, after the man who developed an iron-ore mine here in 1866 – and it was that ore traffic that brought the railway at all.
Several features survive along the way:
- Essathohan Bridges – a rail bridge and a road bridge set side by side, at the line’s high point around 319m, and a striking marker on the plateau.
- Parkmore Station – the building still stands near the junction of Ballyeamon Road and Glenariff Road.
- Evishacrow siding bridge – a crumbling mineral-siding bridge near the old mines; the concrete track supports are still there, though livestock use it now rather than freight.
- Abutments and cuttings – stone abutments and old bridges line the Glenravel stretch. Local groups have flagged the corridor as a possible walking and cycling greenway.
The Garron Plateau: bog and wildlife
The upper sections cross the Garron Plateau, an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, and the largest intact blanket bog in Northern Ireland: wet, spongy ground under carpets of Sphagnum moss, cotton grass and heather.
The peatland carries a fragile flora. In spring and early summer, look for narrow-leaved marsh-orchid, bog orchid and marsh saxifrage; bog asphodel and bog cotton stand above the moss, and insect-eating sundew clings to the wet soil. Red grouse breed in the heather, merlin, peregrine, buzzard and hen harrier hunt across the open ground, and snipe and curlew keep to the wetter hollows. Stay on the way-marked paths to protect the habitat.
Dungonnell Dam and reservoir
The dam, completed in 1971, supplies water to Waterfoot, Cushendall, Cushendun, Glenravel, Clough, Glarryford and part of Ballymena. The 30-hectare reservoir sits below the bog, a calm counterpoint to the plateau. It is stocked with brown trout, but fly fishing here needs a special permit, not just a standard rod licence, so sort that out before you cast. There is a picnic table and bench by the water for a rest before or after the loop.
Getting there and practical information
- By car: the main trailhead at Dungonnell Dam is off the A43 Ballymena–Waterfoot road; follow signs for Cargan. Parking is free but limited, so come early at weekends. Drum Wood is an alternative start.
- Public transport: Translink service 150 between Ballymena and Cushendun stops in Cargan, but runs infrequently – check the timetable before relying on it.
- Cycling: the paved sections suit a hybrid bike, but the boggy forest tracks do not. This is really a walkers’ route.
- Facilities: no toilets on the trail; the nearest are at the Dungonnell Dam picnic area. The Greenhills pub in Cargan does food and drink.
- Dogs: welcome, but keep them on a short lead through the bog, where there are ground-nesting birds and livestock.
What to pack
Weather on the Garron Plateau turns quickly and the bog stays damp all year, so waterproof boots with good grip are essential, and a waterproof jacket, hat and gloves are worth carrying even in summer. Save an offline map before you set out: the orange way-markers are clear, but a couple of junctions on the plateau are easy to miss in low cloud, and the mobile signal up there comes and goes. In winter, allow extra time for icy or snow-covered ground.
The Causeway Coast and Glens council publishes a free PDF guide with maps, and GPX tracks are available through the usual route-planning apps. If you still have legs at the end, the Dungonnell Way links straight into the way-marked trails of Glenariff Forest Park and its waterfall walks.