A 'fabulous' new Woodland Trust forest has opened access to the Belfast Hills for another community.
Belfast Live was invited along to Glas-Na-Bradán Wood to see how the thousands of trees planted by staff and volunteers have transformed the area.
Some of the Woodland Trust staff behind the project were met with applause from a local woman as we trekked the winding new path up Cavehill.
Read more: Walking buses at three Belfast schools 'a roaring success'
Margaret Mulholland, who was out with her dogs Nala and Sully, told us: “It’s absolutely fabulous and it gives us so much more access to Cavehill and the Belfast Hills. It’s really interesting exploring it and I really like it.
“I used to walk over here before they did this work and it was like a wee clay muddy path - really difficult to walk on and quite treacherous.
“I come twice a week to do a big hike round here with the dogs. It’s so easy to walk on I have to go off it for a bit of adventure.”
Glas-Na-Bradán, named for the river that runs through it, means The Salmon Stream and we were told has connections with famous Irish myth the Salmon of Knowledge.
Now open to the public, the new sapling wood will take around 10 years to bed in, but the views from one of the highest points in the Belfast Hills are already spectacular.
On a clear day you can see Scotland, Slemish to the north, Lough Neagh to the west and Strangford and the Mournes to the south.
Over 47,000 trees and 3.5km of hedging have been planted by 1,300 volunteers over almost 15 hectares in the first year of a five-year tree and hedge community planting scheme which will eventually cover 57 hectares.
Everything planted on the hill is a native species while kissing gates, resting spots and a volunteer hub have also been installed.
Gregor Fulton, Senior Outreach Manager for Woodland Trust Northern Ireland, told us: “The gates are open, signs are up. We’ve already met a few people today. Every tree you see planted here has been planted by the public, volunteers, sports groups, scouts and beavers.
“At points we thought ‘we have bitten off more than we can chew’ but the response was fantastic and we are just so grateful to everybody who stepped up to the challenge.”
Gregor said the new wood provides “another entrance to the Belfast Hills” to people from Newtownabbey and Mallusk who didn’t previously have local access.
“This is giving them the opportunity to leave their cars behind and walk from their own front door.”
Gregor said the project will benefit not only wildlife, but help alleviate flooding and capture carbon.
“In terms of the environment it’s brilliant, in terms of nature it’s absolutely fantastic and I think mental health, which has been flagged up so much recently, the opportunities for the site are just fantastic.”
The Forest Service supported the project with a £80,000 grant.
DAERA Minister Edwin Poots said: “The project represents a major environmental gain for Belfast and indeed all of Northern Ireland through significant native woodland planting, priority habitat restoration and management, general biodiversity conservation, carbon capture and landscape preservation, as well as creating appropriate countryside recreation opportunities.
"This is a great example of a project that will deliver beneficial outcomes and contribute to Green Growth and the Forests for our Future initiatives.”
You can access Glas-Na-Bradan Wood through the same entrance to St Enda’s on the Hightown Road, Newtownabbey.
Read more: New air pollution site reveals the toxins outside your front door
Read more: DAERA facing legal action over gas caverns near Game of Thrones site
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
