On Ploughman's Hill

I enjoyed an organized walk through the new Ploughman's Hill walk at Mount Stewart estate yesterday.

For the benefit of those readers who have not been following the narrative, Mount Stewart, on the Ards Peninsula, County Down, was the magnificent County Down seat of the Marquesses of Londonderry.

It is now a property of the National Trust.

Ranger Toby met about fifteen of us at the courtyard behind the mansion.

We all ambled past the lake, and just beyond it there is the beginning of the new trail.

Ploughman's Hill Walk has not officially opened yet, though it is expected to open imminently.

En route a new red squirrel hide is being erected in the midst of wonderful silvan scenery.

Toby estimates that we have about 35 to 40 red squirrels on the estate presently, and numbers are expected to grow significantly in the next few years.

The gravel path leads to open woodland, which swerves round towards the sea and close to the Twin Lodges on the Portaferry Road.

Toby really knows his stuff and provided us with abundant facts and figures relating to the estate.

When our walk finished I didn't linger because it was a bit chilly.

I'm very glad to see that a brand new shepherd's hut, the Mark Two, is in situ and is currently being fitted out.