Trail Running around Belfast

Having discovered the joys of trail running this winter, and recently investing in some new kicks here are some trails close to Belfast which are good for training on. No cars, no trouble.

Redburn Country Park - Steep paths take you right to the top of the Holywood Hills, behind the golf course and down again. It is a deceptively big park and rarely busy. Offers a short but challenging run with great views from the top. Car park on the Old Holywood Road, follow the trail which finishes at the old Redburn primary school. About 4km of trails

Stormont Estate - Starting from the statue of Carson facing the buildings, go right down towards the back gate. Turn left at the gatehouse and follow the trails through the forest, always turning right where possible until you come out at the front gate. Run up Prince of Wales avenue to Carson again. Heading towards the back gates again this time turn right at the security hut and follow the path to the white lady statue. Here follow the trail to the left up the hill, keeping left all the way to the top. This trail emerges beside the parliament building. Run down the Hill again to finish the figure of 8 lap at carson. Works out at about 3 miles loop with some tough hills.

Cave Hill - From Belfast Castle follow the signs up-hill. They all lead to the same place. Trail traverses the face of cave hill, behind the zoo and finishes on top of Napoleons nose. Also a good spot of mountain biking. Also worth checking out Black Mountain which has some new paths to explore.

Belvoir Forest Park - Access from the Lagan Towpath, this is a large parkland with good gravel trails. Both relatively flat and undulating routes available and there is also an opportunity to see some wildlife around the Lagan River which has in the last few decades enjoyed welcome conservation work to make it a desirable location. Often busy with dog walkers this is an easy place to get lost in, but you're never too far from Belfast.

Donnard Park and the Mourne Mountains - Not exactly close to Belfast but worth a day trip to Northern Ireland largest mountain range. Endless trails and good food and drink in Newcastle for afterwards.

Holywood - Bangor Coastal Path - The main benefit of living on an Island is being near the sea. The path from Holywood which follows the coast for about 15 miles to Bangor is as good as it gets so close to a city. Busy most of the time but has good paths and a few beaches to run on. It's also a nice place for a dip if you're into that sort of thing.

I'll add more runs and bike rides in the future and maybe some photos...