Hazelwood is a Local Nature Reserve on the steep slopes of Cave Hill above Belfast Zoo and the Antrim Road. It contains what is probably a remnant ancient hazel woodland and is therefore of great botanical interest. A system of stone paths was constructed in the early 1900s so that visitors to the nearby Bellevue Pleasure Gardens could stroll through the woodland. Hazelwood is managed as part of Cave Hill Country Park.
What is there to see?
Birds, including blue tit, great tit, chaffinch, wren and dunnock. Mammals, including hedgehog and fox. Trees, including hazel, ash and larch. Wildflowers, including bluebell, wood sorrel, primrose, wood vetch, wood-rush, goldilocks buttercup and a selection of mosses, liverworts and lichens.
When is the best time to visit?
Spring for woodland flowers; autumn for fruits and fungi.
Who looks after it?
Belfast City Council
Where can you get more information?
From Belfast City Council visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/parks
