27 May ’05, Friday. Glenarm Castle and it’s Walled Garden
When we got back to the garage were “Bumble Bee” was supposed to be, we found that she had already been taken back to the campground. Seeing as how she was all ready parked, we just decided to wait until this morning to try out this new clutch. Well, it all seems to be working fine, with a couple of little glitches, so we checked out and started back on the “journey”. We headed back up north to see a couple of villages that we had passed through on our way to Larne. Not only would this give us a chance to see these villages, it also would give me a feel of the new clutch before we start heading to far off.
About 30 miles back up the coastline, we came to the village of Cushendall . We had noticed the first time we passed, that they had a very unusual harbour and breakwater, that date back to the 15th century. It didn’t disappoint us, even though it is small. Then, turn around again, and head back a couple of miles to Glenarm. The village of Glenarm is really quaint… as usual, very narrow streets with 2 storied multi-colored buildings on both sides. But this one has something a little different. A small river runs along one side and on the opposite bank is a tall rock wall that encloses a beautiful castle…The Glenarm Castle. As you pass by on the coast road, you see some of the wall as you cross over the river, and then as you make your way through the village, you come to a corner that takes you across a bridge to the gate-house of the castle. Try as much as we could, we never could get a good look at the castle. Getting back in the van, we went around a different approach and came across a sign that said “The Walled Garden of Glenarm Castle and Tea House”. A cup of tea was just what we were looking for… (anything to get a look over that wall…). After pulling up to wall of the “Walled Garden”, we knew we had done the right thing. The doorway entering into the “Teahouse” was so low, Louise and I both had to duck. Once in, it was like stepping back over 150 years. From the 18th century, the grounds of Glenarm Castle, the ancestral home of the McDonnells, Earls of Antrim, have been reserved for the family and guests only, but the 1st of April this year, they opened them to the general public. Our tea (my really good coffee), was taken in one of the converted “Mushroom Houses”. Nigel Marshall, formerly head gardener at the world renowned Mount Stewart, stepped forward and was the overseer of this restoration. It was a little disappointing that we couldn’t see much more of the castle from the “Walled Gardens”, but after finding out that the owners were about to arrive, we didn’t want to be caught jumping the fence…next time when no one is home… It was kind of cool sitting there in the Tea House, looking out through the multi-paned windows into the gardens. Tall perfectly trimmed hedges, plants and trees of all descriptions, fountains, large flat stones for walking certain routes, a long line of old mushroom building, and the tall rock inner-walls of the castle. I hope you feel the “tale” of the Glenarm Castle, Walled Garden and Tea House as we enjoyed it…
When we got back to the garage were “Bumble Bee” was supposed to be, we found that she had already been taken back to the campground. Seeing as how she was all ready parked, we just decided to wait until this morning to try out this new clutch. Well, it all seems to be working fine, with a couple of little glitches, so we checked out and started back on the “journey”. We headed back up north to see a couple of villages that we had passed through on our way to Larne. Not only would this give us a chance to see these villages, it also would give me a feel of the new clutch before we start heading to far off.
About 30 miles back up the coastline, we came to the village of Cushendall . We had noticed the first time we passed, that they had a very unusual harbour and breakwater, that date back to the 15th century. It didn’t disappoint us, even though it is small. Then, turn around again, and head back a couple of miles to Glenarm. The village of Glenarm is really quaint… as usual, very narrow streets with 2 storied multi-colored buildings on both sides. But this one has something a little different. A small river runs along one side and on the opposite bank is a tall rock wall that encloses a beautiful castle…The Glenarm Castle. As you pass by on the coast road, you see some of the wall as you cross over the river, and then as you make your way through the village, you come to a corner that takes you across a bridge to the gate-house of the castle. Try as much as we could, we never could get a good look at the castle. Getting back in the van, we went around a different approach and came across a sign that said “The Walled Garden of Glenarm Castle and Tea House”. A cup of tea was just what we were looking for… (anything to get a look over that wall…). After pulling up to wall of the “Walled Garden”, we knew we had done the right thing. The doorway entering into the “Teahouse” was so low, Louise and I both had to duck. Once in, it was like stepping back over 150 years. From the 18th century, the grounds of Glenarm Castle, the ancestral home of the McDonnells, Earls of Antrim, have been reserved for the family and guests only, but the 1st of April this year, they opened them to the general public. Our tea (my really good coffee), was taken in one of the converted “Mushroom Houses”. Nigel Marshall, formerly head gardener at the world renowned Mount Stewart, stepped forward and was the overseer of this restoration. It was a little disappointing that we couldn’t see much more of the castle from the “Walled Gardens”, but after finding out that the owners were about to arrive, we didn’t want to be caught jumping the fence…next time when no one is home… It was kind of cool sitting there in the Tea House, looking out through the multi-paned windows into the gardens. Tall perfectly trimmed hedges, plants and trees of all descriptions, fountains, large flat stones for walking certain routes, a long line of old mushroom building, and the tall rock inner-walls of the castle. I hope you feel the “tale” of the Glenarm Castle, Walled Garden and Tea House as we enjoyed it…