J3178 : The Horseshoe Bend, Belfast - March 2014(3)
taken 10 years ago, 5 km NNW of Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
A sharp bend to the left, on a steep gradient, at a height of about 550ft, on the Crumlin Road, Belfast as it climbs towards Nutt’s Corner and Crumlin. The road was once the main road from Belfast to the International (Aldergrove) Airport until replaced by the present route via the M2 and Templepatrick. It’s now the limit of developed Belfast. The historic 6” map (date unknown but from the pre-railway era) available on the OSI website does not show anything even remotely resembling a hairpin bend but does confirm that Belfast was a long way from expanding up the hill on the Crumlin Road.
There is now an anti-skid road surface.