Picture from slemish : Looking north from Knocklayd summit towards Rathlin with Islay in the distance
Picture: Looking north from Knocklayd summit towards Rathlin with Islay in the distance
by slemish 27 Apr 2009
Knocklayd's huge dome dominates the landscape for miles around and is a little intimidating as you stand on its lower slopes, pondering a route up it. However it rewards the intrepid hiker with some of the best views in Antrim. I parked at the Ballycastle forest car park (131377 (Point A) ) and took the track furthest to the left which leads past an area which has recently been felled. The track ascends to a farm gate with the mountain itself towering ahead of you. Easy going at first but then very steep until about 450m - good solid ground however with short grass thanks to the resident sheep. It becomes somewhat boggier higher up but nothing as bad as Trostan for example. Eventually the summit cairn can be seen which is huge. A trig pillar in fairly good condition marks the summit at 514m. The views from Knocklayd can be poor in bad weather but today was fantastic. Excellent visibility in all directions - the view north towards Islay and Jura with the sunlight illuminating the distant slopes of Cnoc Mor on the Mull of Kintyre was splendid. Excellent views also to Ballycastle and Rathlin island, through Glenshesk then south to Slieveanorra and Trostan and west to the Sperrins and Donegal hills. I descended by the same route, much easier going down of course. A very peaceful walk on a fine spring day with breathtaking views - what could be better? Total trip about 1.5 hours.
(Comment Rating 4.25)
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Picture from gerrym : Knocklayd from Crockaneel
Picture: Knocklayd from Crockaneel
Knockout Views from our Layd
by gerrym 19 Jan 2012
Start in the seaside town of Ballycastle, following the sign for Ballycastle Forest where there is a large carpark (114405 (Point B) ). The waymarked Moyle Way is followed from here, travelling along a quiet track beside the Tow river before entering Ballycastle Forest. 123378 (Point C) ) which brings the forest edge and a steep climb ahead on the open slopes of Knocklayd. 122370 (Point D) , and return on pretty much the same way. Walk took 3.5 hours and was fairly quiet (apart from bikes!) only meeting a few others mainly through the forest. A post walk ice cream from Morellis on the seafront and a walk around the harbour or beach is a good way to finish off.
Point B: D114 405
Point C: D123 378
Point D: D122 370
(Comment Rating 4.00)
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Picture from volsung : Whin Bush
Picture: Whin Bush
Northern Whins
by volsung 2 May 2012
A pleasant Saturday afternoon in late April was spent exploring the environs of Knocklayd. We travelled into the centre of Ballycastle to the Diamond.Up Fairhill Street to the car park and then on foot further up Fairhill Street. We crossed a gate marked 'No Dogs' and the field led us to another track through Ballycastle Forest. There is a longer route if you follow the signs for Moyle Way from the car park. We saw some of the best gorse (locally known as 'whin') displays we've ever seen. Some of those bushes were 12 or 13 feet high. Seems the regular gorse arsonists have avoided this place for a while. There is a path to the left of the track crossing a gate which leads to the summit. A steep climb following the fence. About half way up the climb levels off. Ground is very uneven - good cover for grouse of which we caught a view. Next you come to a sheep fence which has a stile. The summit is a mound ( (Carn-na-Truagha or Heap of Sorrows) topped with a trig point. The views from the top are superb - Rathlin and Islay to the north, the Kintyre Hills to the east, Slieve Snagt on Inishowen to the west. On the way back we watched buzzards and ravens jockey for position in the skies.(Comment Rating 4.00)
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Picture from simon3
by simon3 14 Apr 2004
Knocklayd, like much of the Antrim Hills was originally of volcanic origins some 60 million years ago. Whether it was actually a volcano or simply an area that has been shaped by subsequent erosion to look like a volcano, I don’t know. Climbing up the side of it from the north east it certainly resembles a volcano, at least until around 450m. After that the land convexes out and you see, not a volcanic caldera, but a boggy top. It’s a broad hogs back some 400m long going NW to SE.(Comment Rating 3.90)
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Picture from jh : Rathlin & Ballycastle
Picture: Rathlin & Ballycastle
by jh 28 Apr 2007
Easiest route to top: drive up the Drumavoley road (follow signposts for Ballycastle forest off A2 out of Ballycastle towards Cushendun) and park at the Glenshesk entrance. Go through the gate and head uphill towards the left (ignore two paths off to the right). Follow this track right to the top where there is a gate, and follow the stone wall up as far as it goes- then just keep going! Takes around 45 minutes from the car park.(Comment Rating 3.88)
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Picture from eflanaga : Ballycastle viewed from Knocklayd with Rathlin barely visible in background
Picture: Ballycastle viewed from Knocklayd with Rathlin barely visible in background
by eflanaga 14 Dec 2005
Climbed this afternoon starting out at 12.00 noon. I followed the route outlined by gerrym from Ballycastle, passing under the disused bridge a few hundred metres above the carpark. I note that gerrym mentions that the route through the forest is well signed. However, it appears vandals have been at work since his report was submitted as the discs which were attached to the posts at various intervals along the route have been vandalised. The remains of one lay on the ground near one of the posts. Despite this the route is relatively straightforward. Follow the forest track under the bridge turning left over a metal barrier and then right a few metres on. The track starts to wends left and uphill about 250m further on. Follow the track until you reach a T-junction (roughly 2.3K from start of walk). Turn right. Keep on climbing steadily, passing a partially camouflaged TV Mast on the left, and ignoring any tracks leading off to the left. The track eventually turns into a lightly tarred road with a parking area as you approach the brow of the hill. Knocklayd is now clearly visible to the right because of tree-felling activity. Follow the road ignoring, as gerrym, suggests the first obvious track to the right through this felled-area of forestry. Continue on the road, again ignoring the road veering away to the left. Shortly after this(approximately 4.9K from start) you will see two large boulders which mark the end of the tarred road and this particular section of the forest. The road becomes track again at this point. To the right of the boulders a track leads off towards Knocklayd with a gate clearly in view about 400m away. Take this track crossing the gate and a second gate a little further on just as the climb becomes steeper. Simply follow the wall/fence (as seen in gerrym's picture) towards the summit ridge turning left when you reach the final fence and on to the 'Carn an Truagh' with its Trig point. I calculated the summit to be 7.3K from the starting point. Unfortunately, just as I was approaching the top the rain and mist descended, denying the obvious excellent views available from the summit. The picture was taken about 200m below the summit on my descent when I had cleared the mist. I returned the way I had ascended reaching the carpark at roughly 3 hours in total. The half hour shaved off gerrym's trip probably explained by the mere 3 minutes I spent on the summit because of the inclement conditions. A pleasant if unspectacular walk through the forest with a fairly dry climb which, on a better day, would be rewarded with some excellent views south towards Slieveanorra & north/north east towards Rathlin, Fair Head, and the Scottish coast.(Comment Rating 3.83)
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(End of comment section for Knocklayd.)
Trostan, 550m
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