Comber Greenway Community
Carnival
Sat 8th November
To celebrate the full opening
of the Comber Greenway all the way from Belfast
to Comber, a Community Carnival was organised by
Sustrans. NICI members were on hand to assist with
marshalling.
Fortunately the weather was
kind. At Comber, the Lord Mayor came out to greet
us.
Lifestyle Green Show
Sat 13th & Sun 14th
September
NICI members manned a stall
at the LifeStyle Green Show. As a result of this
effort a number of new members were recruited,
and some have joined the steering group.
Celebrate the Comber
Greenway Sun 22nd June 2:00pm
This ride was organised by Sustrans,
with some NICI members assisting as marshalls.
Although it was off road, there were busy roads
to cross.
A big crowd turned up despite
the rain, which unfortunately only got worse as
the day went on. Departing
from the Walkway Community Centre, we cycled
to the current end of the Greenway (Billy Neil
Football Pitches) and back
again. This was a round trip of about 10 miles.
The planned picnic stop at Billy Neil had to
be abandoned as it was too wet to hang around.
Pedalling Picnic
Sun 15th June 3:00pm
NICI and Dundrod Community Association held a
community Pedalling Picnic. Starting at Knockcairn
Lodge, going along the Knockcairn Road, Garlandston
Road, Tullyrusk Road to Knockcairn Bridge and a
tree lined picnic site. Children were to be accompanied
by a responsible adult.
There was an Entry Fee of £1.00 for Individuals
and £2.00 for families in aid of Sport Relief
Cycle
Ride to Belfast Castle Summer Garden Fete
Sun 15th June 11:00am
(10:15 Lockview / 12:00 Macedon Point)
This ride was aimed at both adults and families,
but involved cycling on the road, and some
ups as well as downs.
Departing from the "Big
Fish" at
Donegall Quay at 11:00am, we cycled on
the Lagan and Lough Cycle Path until Macedon
Point. This was off-road and flat. The Lord
Mayor, Tom Hartley, came along with us for
a few miles. At Macedon Point
we met up with some
other cyclists who had been waiting for us.
We then turned off the Cycle Path and went
up Glas-na-braden Glen and then into Valley
Park. This was again off-road, but entailed
crossing 2 busy roads, first to get into Glas-na-braden,
secondly to get into Valley Park. It was
also up-hill most of the way.
On leaving Valley Park, we turned onto O'Neill
Road and then onto Antrim Road cycling past
the entrance to the Zoo, and towards Belfast
Castle. This is a busy road, but the cycling
was easy as it was downhill most of the way.
We turned off the Antrim Road, to go up the
narrow road towards the Adventure Playground.
This was very steep, and required most of
us to dismount and push our bicycles. After
a couple of hours at BelfastCastle, we returned
by going south to the City Centre, using the
Belfast By Bike recommended
roads
for cycling
e.g. Somerton road, North Queen
Street.
Total distance was about 12 miles.
Sun 11th May - Bike
Ride on the Portadown Newry Canal
On a warm early summer day
several NICI members and friends met at Portadown
Train Station, to go for a ride on the Portadown
Newry Canal. Some went as far as Jerretspass
and back (30 miles), some just to Newry to
get the train back (20 miles), and some went
to Newry and back (40 miles).The path itself
was excellent, although some of the gates were
locked making
it difficult for tandems to get through.
Unfortunately, the link
from Portadown station to the path, though
short, was not particularly cycle friendly.
The link to Newry station was particularly
unfriendly. Lets hope this improves with the
new station being built. NICI will be keeping
an eye on this.
Sat 26th April -
CTC AGM
The CTC held its AGM in
Belfast for the very first time. NICI members
led a bike ride to the evening dinner at Stormont.
The bike ride to Stormont, in glorious weather,
included a stretch along the Comber Greenway.
The midnight bike ride back to various hotels
and hostels took a more direct route, and downhill
most of the way on mostly empty roads was also
very enjoyable.
Sat 12th April -
NICI AGM
The NICI AGM was held once
again at Place in Belfast.
The 3 NICI Office Bearers
were re-elected unapposed.
Left to Right: Niall Waterman
(Treasurer), Caroline McDowell (Secretary),
Roy White (Chair)
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