Murlough National Nature Reserve

After climbing Slieve Binnian yesterday, we planned for a rest day today, in hopes of squeezing in another big hike tomorrow before heading north.  While walking in Newcastle, we'd seen some impressive looking dunes along the coast north of town.  We found out that the Murlough National Nature Reserve is owned by the National Trust and was the first Nature Reserve protected in Ireland.  Located at the edge of Dundrum Bay, the 6,000 year old dunes are apparently one of the most extensive dune heath habitats in the United Kingdom.  We decided  to hike the South End Nature Trail, a 2.5-mile loop featuring boardwalks, beach walking, footpaths through the dunes, and a narrow track through a pasture. 

The trail starts by following the main boardwalk down to the beach.

It was incredibly hot in the dunes.  Once we got to the beach, and hiked north past the bulk of the sunbathing crowds, Erwin and Frankie bolted into the water.  I had to drag Frankie back out to shed his shirt and shorts so he'd have something dry to put back on afterwards.  I ended up stripping to my bra and panties and full on swimming, too.  We never expected to swim in the Irish Sea, but that's what happened.  There is a massive heat wave here, and Dundrum Bay is shallow and sheltered.  The swimming was amazing. 

photo by Erwin

photo by Erwin

We finally got dressed again and continued up the beach, feeling quite refreshed. 

The South End Nature Trail is marked by yellow-topped posts, so it was easy to tell where to turn into the dunes.

rose-of-Sharon (Hypericum calycinum)

There were a lot of wildflowers in the dune swale behind the gate, always a treat for me. 

wild pansy (Viola tricolor)

ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)

centaury (Centaurium erythyraea)

restharrow (Ononis repens)

Frankie loved the narrow sections where the path was eroded to sugar sand.  This kid adores sand. 

I read that residents of the nearby Dundrum Castle used the dunes as rabbit warrens during medieval times.  The rabbits were harvested for their meat and fur, and apparently their grazing had a major influence on the development of the heath grassland habitat in the dunes.  Unfortunately myxomatosis decimated the rabbit population here in the 1950s, resulting in invasion of the dunes by non-native woody species.  The National Trust currently manages these invasive species to protect the rare dune habitats, and is reportedly attempting to create more favorable conditions for rabbits, to encourage an increase in populations.  However, evidence suggests that the modern rabbits may still be contending with predators of some sort, even in the absences of medieval peasants.  What sort of predator leaves so much rabbit uneaten though? 

track through pasturelands

This was a great little hike: it was fun exploring the cool dune system, and swimming was a refreshing bonus.  It was a perfect outing for our rest day!  Maps for the South End Nature Trail are available from WalkNI.com and the National Trust.