General
Cavehill is a basaltic hill which overlooks the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It forms part of the south eastern border of the Antrim Plateau. It is distinguished by its famous "Napoleon's Nose", a basaltic outcrop which resembles the profile of the famous emperor and is said to have inspired the famous novel Gulliver's Travels.
Cavehill is also an electoral ward of North Belfast.It offers views across the city and on clear days the Isle of Man and occasionally Scotland. Like Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, it offers a strenuous climb, just a few miles from the centre of a major conurbation. The imposing cliffs can be dangerous, with many people requiring rescue after seeking a shortcut to the summit or the higher caves.
Cavehill rises to almost 370 metres (1,200 feet) above sea level. It stretches from Hazelwood in the north to Carr's Glen in the south (yet still in North Belfast). Most of its lower-east side lies on the Belfast Castle Estate, which has as its focal point the imposing 19th century Scottish baronial castle.
The castle was designed by Charles Lanyon and constructed by the Marquess of Donegall in 1872 in The Deer Park. The slopes of Cavehill were originally used as farmland but from the 1880s a major planting exercise was undertaken, producing the now familiar deciduous and coniferous woodland landscape. Belfast Castle Estate was given to Belfast City by the Earl of Shaftesbury in 1934.
The Caves
There are 3 large caves. The lowest is 21 feet long, 18 feet wide and varies from 7 to 10 feet in height. Above this is another cave; 10 feet long, 7 feet wide and 6 feet in height. Above this is the third major cave, said to be divided into 2 unequal parts, each of which is more extensive than the larger of the other caves, but the ascent is notoriously dangerous and thus few venture to it. The caves are man-made, and it is postulated that they were originally excavated for iron-mining.
Adjacent to the lowest cave is 'The Devil's Punchbowl', also sometimes called 'The Devil's Cauldron', a site where ancient celtic farmers corraled their cattle. This is mainly comprised of a steep hill, mainly of rocks and boulders, and is considered dangerous to amateurs.
McArt's Fort
This fort, on the summit of the hill, is an example of an old ráth or ring fort. It is protected on one side by a precipice and on the others by a single ditch, 10 feet in depth and 25 feet in width; a vallum of large dimensions. The enclosed area is nearly level. The flat top of the fort is 150 feet from north to south, and 180 feet from east to west.
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