8 June 2012 COOKSTOWN Friday

Today's countryside ramble took us through the glacier-forged Glenealy Valley with spectacular sweeping views across the Sperrin Mountains.

Little villages dotted the countryside every 5 miles or so and eventually we found one with a petrol station, if it could be called that.  The village was Gortin and the pumps were just next to the local corner shop with hardly anywhere to stop the car, let alone put petrol in.

On our way to Cookstown, we found a 9000 year old Megalithic stone used for a burial site of the first record of the Mac name - Ogham Stone still with inscriptions visible on it from the Bronze Age.

We also found the Beaghmore Stone Circles from a similar era and felt quite eerie walking amongst sanctimonious formations laid down by humans of another lifetime entirely.

 Each circle has a line attached as can be seen by the circles either side, way in the distance where the two Mary Poppins' are standing.

Cookstown for lunch at the White Pheasant and home to Magherafelt.