Loughbrickland and Scarva
I am a cryptographer by profession, and one of the leaders in the field is William Whyte, who worked on the NTRU cryptosystem. Although I knew he was from the island of Ireland, I recently discovered he is from the Whyte family of Loughbrickland House in County Down. Coincidentally, I discovered this from fellow horsewoman Eleanor of Elfire Ceramics, whilst chatting at a horse camp last week! A family friend of the Whytes, she has recently been commissioned to design a sculpture for the garden. As I had planned to have a dog-friendly day out in the area with my friend Jemma who lives closeby, it was a no-brainer as to where we would have our walk: The Whyte Estate.
At the beginning of the trail
We followed the longer 3.5km Boundary Trail. To begin, we took the avenue down beside the gate lodge, which soon turned into the forest trail. There are signs requiring dogs to be kept on the lead and multiple poo-bins along the way. The path was a non-paved surface but not too mucky. There are some gates in order to allow farmers access to the fields in the estate. At these parts, the path is exposed to the road so watch out for this. You can catch a glimpse of the house towards the end.
Checking out Loughbrickland House
Less than 10 minutes away is Hollie Berrie at the Tea Rooms. Dogs are welcome both inside and out, and humans can grab breakfast, lunch, or coffee and cake. I wish I had been hungrier as there was lots on offer. The pancake stacks seemed particularly popular. Rita and I enjoyed the pastel aesthetic, and it sits on the Newry Greenway for an alternative, longer walk.
Rita’s feeling the cutesy vibe
For a spot of shopping at the end of the day, we headed to The Boulevard. Dogs are allowed in the mall, but we didn’t attempt to take Rita into any shops. I was able to buy her gifts in both Joules and Trespass though!
What dog doesn’t like shopping malls? (ok, this photo may have been an afterthought…!)
