The best cycling routes around Ballynease-Helton

As you cycle through the rolling landscape of County Tyrone, the Wellbrook Beetling Mill is an absolute must for a stopover. Situated in an idyllic, wooded stream valley along the Ballinderry River, this 19th-century water mill provides a stark contrast to the tranquility of its surroundings. This is the last working 'beetling mill' in the United Kingdom. "Beetling" was the final step in traditional Irish linen production: using enormous wooden hammers (beetles), powered by a water wheel nearly five metres high, the linen was processed for hours until it acquired its characteristic sheen. When the mill is running, you can hear the rhythmic thudding from afar – an impressive sound that takes you straight back to the industrial heyday of Northern Ireland.

High above Cookstown, at the foot of the impressive Sperrin Mountains, you will find the Beaghmore Stone Circles. This is one of Ireland's most fascinating archaeological sites. Only rediscovered in the 1940s during peat cutting, the bog revealed a complex of seven stone circles, ten stone rows, and numerous Bronze Age burial mounds. For a cyclist, the road to Beaghmore is an experience in itself. The route takes you away from the inhabited world into a vast, quiet landscape where the wind has free rein. The complex itself exudes an enormous sense of peace and is the perfect place to get off your bike and soak up the prehistoric atmosphere.

A row of terraced houses just outside the town of Randalstown. An important military location, these houses could've been used as barracks or staff housing. The symmetry of these houses is very pleasing as you ride past.

An old-fashioned marina in a fishing village. An idyllic place to stop during the long walk on this stretch of the CCR.

Beaghmore (Bheitheach Mhór), meaning ‘big place of birch trees’. The stones speak of ancient rituals and to a people who understood astronomy. When you visit this ancient site look up in wonder at the sky and reflect, that the people that built these monuments observed the same sky, sun, moon and stars.

Contained within the ruins is a sculpture of the crucifixion, which is thought to date from the 10th Century, making it one of the oldest in Ireland. St Lurach founded an important church here in the 6th century. It was plundered by Vikings in 832 and burned in 1135. Following the 12th-century ecclesiastical reforms this was the seat of a bishop from the mid 12th to the mid 13th century, then served as parish church until the new church across the road was built in the early 19th century. This long history is reflected in the much patched and altered fabric, and the big uneven graveyard.

Nice view of Randalstown

Nice small town to walk around and some great history of Randalstown