Glens of Antrim and Glenariff

The forecast on Monday was for clear weather with some sunshine, one of the few days this month to be rain free! and since there had been so much rain the previous few days, I though it would be a good idea to go up to Glenariff forest to get some shots of the waterfalls in full flow.



The glens themselves sit in a massive valley carved out by a glacier some 10,000 years ago, providing s wonderfully dense and varied landscape containing forest, waterfalls and rivers. There were two waterfalls in particular that I wanted to photograph, Ess-na-Crub and Ess-na-Laragh.

The last time I was here it never crossed my mind to bring wellies so that I could get up close and personal with the waterfalls, so this time I cam prepared! However by the time I walked down into the valley towards Ess-na-Crub I soon realised that entering the river was completely out of the question. There had been so much rain the previous few days that the water volume coming over the falls had probably doubled in volume, raising the water level enormously and producing so much spray and mist that photography was out of the question.
It was quite a sight though and the heavy rain did have the advantage of making the many smaller and normally unnoticed waterfalls quite spectacular!



Ess-na-Laragh was also more spectacular than usual and again the water levels and spray were way higher than normal meaning that entering the river was again out of the question, although I did manage to get a few shots from the walkway.



If you have never been to the Glens of Antrim or Glenariff then I highly recommend that you do. It is one of the most outstanding areas of natural beauty in Northern Ireland and well worth a visit. you won't be disappointed!