Forestside - City Hall

Route 6

Forestside to City Hall

This is becoming a grand tour of Belfast’s graveyards.  With our pending demises in mind, Brian and I are looking for suitable resting places.  Anyway, there was still a flicker of life left in us as we slowly plodded around Newtownbreda Cemetery and then over to the old Belvoir Graveyard. 

Newtownbreda Cemetery

Belvoir Graveyard

Did you know that Belvoir Estate was the home of the Duke of Wellington’s mum?  I assume that he gave his name to Wellington Place, Wellington College and the Welly Park.  His mother Anne gave her name to Annadale Striders (a big local running club of about 30 years ago).  The Duke was born in Dublin and he famously said: “Not everybody born in a stable is a horse”.  

We pressed onwards seeking the way over the fields towards Annadale Embankment.  When I lived in Stranmillis, I used to run through this wilderness every night but the place has now got even worse. The going got a bit difficult at times, we were lucky to survive.  After this escapade, there'll be no more complaining from us about the Thomas Patton

parkrun course.

Brian and I eventually emerged and headed for Queens PE Centre for a well earned cup of tea. If you ever want to discover what it feels like to be old, mix with students. From our prospective, everybody else in the cafe looked about 12 years old.  There was snooker on TV but no sign of our hero Darren Moffet. 

I like it in here - dry, warm and plenty of headroom.

We quickly drank our tea and left to do a tour of Botanic Park and Queens University (a good place to run out of the rain) before finishing, as usual, at the City Hall.  

Brian and a banana tree.

Checking out ideas for Valentines Day 2015.

Running gets you into some odd places - this is a QUB art exhibit.