The Cave Hill Conservation Campaign is a voluntary group of approximately 100 people based in Belfast. It was founded in 1989 to counter the threat of a prospecting licence for the mineral zeolite being issued for the Cave Hill. The Campaign organised a petition which attracted over 11,000 signatures and helped to see off the threat of mining in the area. Today, the Campaign operates through an active committee which meets monthly.

 

Most of the area of the Cave Hill is within the boundaries of the Cave Hill Country Park which, together with Belfast Castle, is owned by Belfast City Council. The Park comprises 750 acres of land. This public ownership protects the area from development and guarantees public right of access. It also gives Belfast City Council the main management responsibility for the Cave Hill.

 

The Cave Hill dominates the skyline on the northern edge of Belfast. It stretches from Hazelwood in the north to Carr's Glen in the south. Most of its lower east side is comprised of the Belfast Castle Estate. The Cave Hill rises to almost 370 metres (1,200 feet) above sea level and offers superb panoramic views over Belfast and the surrounding areas. (For comparison, Slieve Donard is about 2,800 feet, Mount Snowdon is 3,560, Ben Nevis is about 4,400, Mont Blanc is 15,800 and Mount Everest about 29,000.) To the east is Belfast Lough and the North Down peninsula. To the south lie the Mourne Mountains. To the north and west lie the Antrim hills and the Sperrins. Roughly 25 miles to the north-east lies the Mull of Galloway on the south-west tip of Scotland.  Beyond Scrabo Tower on a clear day, you can see the hills of the Lake District.