Belfast Hills Operational Area
The operational area of the Belfast Hills takes in Carnmoney Hill and Cave Hill to the north and Colin Glen, Divis and Black Mountain and Slievenacloy to the west.
The operational boundary encompasses approximately 4,400 hectares (11,000 acres).
From these hills, users can see a huge area that not only includes a number of key landmarks within the greater Belfast area, but also most of the counties in the north of Ireland and beyond to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Together the hills provide Belfast with a unique, stunning backdrop that dominates most of the city and offer a chance to take in magnificent views.
The famous Samson and Goliath shipyard cranes, City Hospital tower block, the King’s Hall and Parliament Buildings at Stormont are all easily visible as well as the art installation Rise on the M1 motorway, coming into Belfast at Bog Meadows.
It is thought that the Belfast Hills were the inspiration for Jonathan Swift’s classic novel Gulliver’s Travels, as the hills are the embodiment of a sleeping giant safeguarding the city.
Travelling across the Belfast Hills, visitors are rewarded with spectacular views of Belfast Lough, Castlereagh Hills and Ards Peninsula. Slieve Gullion and the Mourne and Carlingford Mountains stand majestically on the one side, with the Sperrin Mountains, the Antrim Plateau and Lough Neagh mapping out the rest of Northern Ireland.
Divis (from the Irish “Dubhais” meaning “black ridge” is 478m (1,568 ft) tall, making it the highest of the Belfast Hills.
Find out more about the publicly accessible sites in the Belfast Hills here.