New book highlights great local walk on Slieve Donard

New book highlights great local walk on Slieve Donard

23 August 2017

A NEW book published by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) pays homage to the once thriving granite industry in the Mournes.

The new publication, Rambling on the Rocks: Walking Northern Ireland’s Natural Landscape, aims to take walkers on an epic geological journey across all of Northern Ireland’s well-known and a few less well-known natural landscapes.

One of the featured walks takes in Slieve Donard, formed from granite over 55 million years ago, and pays homage to its once thriving granite industry. The new book has been published as part of GSNI’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

The walking guide has been written for the general public and contains 20 walks in total, three in each of the six counties and two in Belfast, highlighting the very best of Northern Ireland’s natural landscapes.

All the walks have also been illustrated with exceptional photography from renowned local photographers Esler Crawford, Alistair Hamill and Chris Hill. The graded walks cater for all abilities, from the serious hill walker to families with young children and or dogs.

GSNI Director, Dr Marie Cowan, explained the new walking guide shares with the public some of the “wonderfully diverse natural landscapes of Northern Ireland.”

She continued: “We are very fortunate to have some of the most diverse geology in the world and the walks guide provides information on just how special these landscapes are by taking them on an exciting geological journey as they work their way through all of the walks in the book. 

“We have tried to make the book accessible for everyone so have included walks from all across Northern Ireland and for all abilities, as well as giving practical information such as where to park your car or get refreshments”.

The new publication, which contains walks that feature many famous natural landscapes of Northern Ireland including the Giant’s Causeway, takes readers on a geological-time journey that includes violent volcanoes, icy wastelands and searing hot deserts, sometimes all within the same walk. 

It also includes many lesser-known landscapes and will allow the reader to explore new locations for themselves with all of the information they need to enjoy a day of walking.

Each walk is packed full of other interesting material including history, archaeology, plants and wildlife, and folklore, all of which can be directly linked in to the ground beneath your feet. There are also some fascinating ‘did you knows?’ featuring everything from pirates and poets, to hermits and hawthorns.

The new book, priced £7.99, is available to purchase directly from GSNI, Tesco and Eason’s and other major book stores.