THE DARK HEDGES, NORTHERN IRELAND

Over 200 years of Natural Magnificence.

This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. 

It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House. 

Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.

The Dark Hedges are located along Bregagh Road, near Gracehill Golf Club, off the A147, approximately 2.5 miles from the village of Stranocum heading north.

                                                       

 

The road where Northern Ireland's famous Dark Hedges grow is to close for 10 days so that a number of dead or diseased trees can be felled.

   

A tree surgeon has been appointed to carry out much needed work to preserve the archway of intertwining ancient beech trees and ensure the safety of the public, according to the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust.

Meanwhile, brown tourist signs are to be erected to direct people to the increasingly popular north Antrim attraction in Stranocum, which has been drawing the crowds ever since doubling as the King's Road in HBO's Game Of Thrones series.

Until now, the tens of thousands of visitors that come to the Dark Hedges each year have struggled to locate the road and local residents have been inundated with callers seeking directions.

Following two extensive tree surveys and a thorough procurement process, we have appointed a suitably qualified tree surgeon to carry out the recommended maintenance works on the trees to ensure the preservation of the ancient beech trees and the safety of the public. These works, which are part of a wider project to improve the visitor experience, have been funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Beech trees reach maturity at 150 to 200 years and those making up the Dark Hedges are past maturity at 200 to 250-years-old.

Under the Tree Preservation Order, the Trust must survey the trees regularly and carry out recommended works.

The only other works will be the removal of dead branches that overhang the public road. This will be to safeguard the public.

Now called The Dark Hedges by locals and tourists alike (Northern Ireland started using images from the road in their tourism campaigns in the late 1990s), the site has been used for scenes from "Game of Thrones".

The Legend of the Grey Lady

The road is reputedly haunted by a spectral ‘Grey Lady’ who appears at dusk among the trees. She silently glides along the roadside and disappears as she passes the last beech tree.

Rumor has it that "the Grey Lady" (no, not the New York Times) now haunts the road, especially the last beech tree at dusk.

                                              

A Photographer’s Favourite

The Dark Hedges is one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland and a popular attraction for tourists from across the world.  It has been painted by hundreds of visiting artists and is a favourite location for wedding photographs.

Of the Dark Hedges, world-renowned photographer Jim Zuckerman writes, 

"One of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever seen is this country lane in Northern Ireland.  It's called Dark Hedges, and I include it in my photo tour to Ireland. All of the people in my groups get amazing pictures here. The serpentine trees form a tunnel that is spectacular at any time of the day, but I find it particularly intriguing and mysterious just before dark".

 

In my opinion, it is the best place to visit for whom love to be in romantic, atmospheric, tunnel-like avenue of intertwined beech trees, planted in the 18th-century.

                                            - views of the Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland -

Written by:

Bibi Nur Adzlyn Adzam

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