The inspirational view where Irish radicals foresaw the birth of an Irish republic

It's a lovely two-hour hike from Belfast Castle to Cave Hill and McArt's Fort

Hikes & Trails with John G O'Dwyer: McArt's Fort above Belfast City

Viewed from Belfast, the elongated escarpment to the northwest of the city that forms Cave Hill resembles a sleeping giant. Its unusual shape, was the reputed inspiration for Jonathan Swift’s 18th-century fantasy, Gulliver’s Travels. Later, in the 19th century, when a small man with a big hat became an all-conquering general, it was known locally as Napoleon’s nose.

From Belfast Castle, the Cave Hill ramparts seem intimidating, but in reality, the climb isn’t all that challenging. Initially, a wooded path through a natural forest conveys you through an area that was once a deer park for the Marquis of Donegal. Emerging to the open mountainside, you will get a bird’s eye view over the elongated city below that seems so tightly compressed between hill and lough.