Beneath Slemish, Co. Antrim
Lying a few miles east of the town of Ballymena, this valley lies beneath Slemish Mountain in County Antrim. The mountain itself is said to be where St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, once tended sheep after being brought to the area by pirates who slaughtered his family. Slemish is the plug of an extinct volcano and lies within an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). It is an ideal location for bird watchers where large black ravens, buzzards, wheatears and meadow pipits can be seen regularly.