Gleno Waterfall in May 2014

I’ve been traveling around Ireland and Northern Ireland for the past few days, and have been seeking out a number of waterfalls. The first waterfall I came upon was Gleno (or Glenoe) Falls. This was an easy-to-visit waterfall in an extremely beautiful setting.

I hadn’t realized that I was visiting the area on the same weekend as the Giro d’Italia race, and therefore roads were going to be closed off for periods of time. I set out early to avoid these road closures, and it worked pretty well. I was able to drive from the bed and breakfast and get to Gleno Falls relatively quickly. (It looked like a further distance on the map, but coming from the US, we tend to forget that things are shorter in Europe!)

The falls are maybe 50′ tall in two separate segments. It’s rather difficult to capture both drops separately. Instead, they merge into one still very beautiful view. When I visited, the sun was shining through the trees just right to make the setting almost ethereal. If you’re in the Belfast region, and you want to quickly visit a waterfall, this one is probably the best bet for you. It’s a wonderful waterfall!

Directions:

In this specific case, I would suggest setting your GPS to Gleno (or looking at a map for Gleno, which is also spelled Glenoe). There are multiple ways to get to the road you’re looking for, which is B-99, also called Waterfall Road in the vicinity. This can be accessed from A-2 south of Glynn. I came from the exact opposite direction, but don’t recall what the road names were

If you’re coming from Belfast, you can take a left onto B-149, which will also lead you to Gleno, but you will then have to get onto B-99. If you’re lost, just ask for directions, or look for road signs.  The brown road signs were pretty clear (they say “Waterfall”), and so I just followed those once I was in the vicinity!

Accessibility: 10/10 (very easy to get to)
Height: 50′
Length of Hike: negligible

Where in the World is Gleno Falls?