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Belfast Hills, Antrim

Badger Rating 3.5/5
Lots of options for a quick blast or a long epic with superb views overlooking Belfast City.

Getting There

Park at Wolfhill Quarry or at Colin Glen.

Trail Description

The whole Divis Mountain / Blacks Mountain area has loads of options.

Route Suggestion 1

From Colin Glen follow the old Ulster Way route North East to Cave Hill. The going may be difficult in places and, depending on exact route chosen, a number of fences may have to be crossed en route.  Some superb views of Belfast and beyond on the way.

Once you summit Cave Hill, you have options. Either:

Make your way to the North East end of the hill and swing round to take you down towards Belfast Castle. Superb single-track descent off the top and through the trees, but watch for walkers and families low down, round Belfast Castle.

OR

Take the Quarry Trail, which starts along the ridge to the right of the summit as you look over Belfast. See the Cave Hill page for more on this.

Return to start by road.

Route Suggestion 2

Start at Belfast Castle, go over Cave Hill and take the fireroad to the back car park of Cave Hill, cross the Upper Hightown Road, and take the farmers' lanes over Squires Hill to Flush Road.

Then hit the road over to WolfHill Quarry and over stiles, through fields and a bit of Boundary Road and Divis Mountain Road to the top of Divis Mountain.

From there, go down the mountain to Tipperary Road, follow the Tipperary Trail across the moorland to hook up again with Boundary Road to go back the way you came.

It takes about 2.5 hrs to do at a leisurely pace, and about 80% of the route is off road.

Location

trail head marker Trail Head

Your Photos

 

Movies of Belfast Hills, Antrim

 

Reviews for this trail

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3.5



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1= Rubbish      5= Badgertastic!
  • Hi I did this one on but got a bit lost after divis missing out wolfhill quarry but came out a bit below it. Had a really good time though and its definately do-able by the average rider as I'm new to cycling and managed it ok. Cheers Colin
    Colin Downey: about 16 years ago 
    Rating:4 badgers
  • If you fancy a longer spin but can't be bothered driving to Rostrevor or the Cooleys etc I'd highly recommend the Belfast Hills Epic.

    4 of us did a loop from Carryduff in July using the map provided by Trailbadger and were pleasantly surprised!

    The route across the hills does not take that long (1.5 hours from Divis to Cave Hill) and is mostly on fireroad. The majority of the time/miles are clocked up getting from start to finish!

    All in you're looking at around 35 miles, 3-4 hours and 3000ft of climbing (mostly on tar).

    3 Badgers for me and worth a go!
    PhilO: about 16 years ago 
    Rating:3 badgers
  • I really enjoyed this ride. I done a big loop from my house to cavehill and back again. The ride took 5hrs, was 35 miles long with about 40-50% being off-road.
    I picked the foggiest day ever to do it which meant zero views and tough navigation but it was a good ride nonetheless but be prepared for a bit of climbing!

    The route went like this:

    1. 8 miles of tarmac to Divis Mountain (good starting point for non-locals as there's a car park on Divis Road at the entrance to Divis mountain).
    2. Round the bottom of Divis (on a good day its worth going up to top of divis and black mountain for some photos, plus you can reach speeds of 50mph on the descent again! 48mph recorded by my bike computer!)
    3. Along the Tipperary trail (see national trust map - google Divis Mountain) to the corner where the fireroad turns down towards belfast.
    4. At this point you have to get off the fireroad, cross bog land, climb over a fence, cross a field consisting of 2 rivers and a few marshes, all to link up with the boundary of Wolfhill quarry. You can use the map contours and the little hut marked on the map to guide you. Checking out google earth also gives you a good idea. This 'hike-a-bike' part lasts about 400m.
    5. Climb over the fence onto the fireroad through Wolfhill quarry - lots of options for mucking about in here for a while.
    6. Exit quarry, turning right onto Ballyhill road. Turn left before sharp corner onto small link road. Turn left on ballyutoag road then right onto Flush road.
    7. Take concrete farmers lane (as ciaran mentioned) on right about 500m up flush road. This lane goes through two farms so I'm not sure how safe it is to tresspass - I didn't stop to find out! Again google earth will help show which turn offs to take in order to get you out onto the Upper Hightown Road. You can see the road once you get to the top of squires hill so it ain't too hard to find your way.
    8. Turn right onto Upper Hightown Road, then left into Cavehill Country Park car park.
    9. Follow McArts fort walker trail (start is signed). This is singletrack grass/mud the whole way up to top of cavehill and is mostly cyclable apart from the few fences that need crossed. (it would be much more fun in the opposite direction!)
    10. Summit cavehill, cycling over to behind napoleans nose where you will find the beginning of the infamous 'Quarry Trail'. This is one sweet (and muddy) trail which you can follow the whole way down to the entrance to belfast castle off the Antrim Road. Be courteous to walkers though - as it is used a lot by them too - most will get out of your way.
    11. Cycle down innisfayle Park onto Antrim road, turning right onto North Circular Road, cycling up through Ballysillan, turning right and heading up through Ligoniel onto Ballyhill road again (this bits probably the worst climb!)
    12. Follow Ballyhill road past Wolfhill Quarry (or go into the quarry and retrace your steps back to Divis if you don't fancy the road) and continue for about 4 miles till you reach Budore Road.
    13. Turn left into budore road, continue on this road till you reach divis road on the left. This will take u back up to the Divis Mountain car park. I continued straight one and cycled another 7 miles or so back to my house.

    In conclusion a great little ride with crackin views and plenty of doable climbs. You have the option to extend your playtime in Wolfhill quarry and the trails in Cavehill.
    I enjoy it because I get all the exercise from a standard long road ride plus all the thrills from the singletrack as well. Not to mention that I can cycle from my doorstep (outside Stoneyford).

    Big thanks to Trailbadger (and Ciaran) for the map and directions.

    Have a go people!
    Colin: about 17 years ago 
    Rating:3 badgers
  • Nice mini epic with a mix of road, lane, singletrack and open moorland. Fair bit of climbing involved but easily doable for the average rider.

    Don't do it if your expecting drops-off's & jumps, it is very much XC riding.

    Great views over Belfast from any of the hills.

    Ciaran: about 17 years ago 
    Rating:4 badgers

NOTE: The trails on this site have been ridden before, but you should not interpret their inclusion as an indication that mountain-biking is officially sanctioned on them. Seeking permission from landowners is your own responsibility, as is conducting yourself in a manner that is courteous, respectful to the environment, and conscious of the safety of others.