Glenariff or Glenariffe ( or )
Placenames Database of Ireland
/ref> is a valley in County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. It is one of the Glens of Antrim
The Glens of Antrim ( Irish: ''Glinnte Aontroma''), known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens, that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstand ...
. Like other glens in that area, it was shaped during the Ice Age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
by giant glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s.
It is sometimes called the 'Queen of the Glens', and is the biggest of the Glens of Antrim and visited by most tourists. The village of Waterfoot lies on the coast at the foot of the glen.
A popular tourist destination is the Glenariff Forest Park
Glenariff Forest Park is an 1185 hectare (2928 acre) forest in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of Glenariff glen itself. The forest is managed by the Northern Ireland Forest Service. The park includes a National Nature Reserve, and a ...
with its trails through the trees and alongside waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
s.
References
Culture Northern Ireland
* "A Glimpse at Glenariffe" - Book (1997) by Robert Sharpe and Charles McAllister traces the history of the glen using maps, 17th century hearth rolls and school records.
Glens of County Antrim
Northern Ireland coast and countryside
{{Antrim-geo-stub