Reaction among Portadown loyalists to the Parades Commission's decision to uphold its ban on tomorrow's Orange march at Drumcree has been one of outrage and disgust.
"It's a disgrace. It's only right that the Orangemen should get down the [Garvaghy] road, before they have to talk to anybody," said one of only around two dozen protesters who gathered on a rather chilly Drumcree hill last night.
"Orange rights are continuously eroded. All we do is give and all the nationalists do is take. Now we can't even walk down the queen's highway in our own town anymore," a woman in the town centre complained.
A DUP MLA, Mr Paul Berry, who had attempted to calm rioting protesters in recent nights, condemned the decision, saying it was a clear indication the commission did not listen to the Orange institution and called on "people power" to secure a march down the Garvaghy Road.
Drumcree hill lay quiet last night, with loyalists largely observing the suspension called for by Orange leaders out of respect for Joey Dunlop, whose funeral took place yesterday.
The leading Belfast loyalist Johnny Adair paid the protesters another visit last night, although there was no sign of his German shepherd dog, Rebel. The former UDA prisoner would not speak to the media other than to say he was only in Drumcree "as a private individual showing my support to the Orangemen". As he made the comment, a woman in her 70s took a picture of Adair, calling him her "hero".
A small memorial service for the North's motorcycle legend, Joey Dunlop, who died in a race in Estonia last weekend, took place on the hill yesterday afternoon and a loyalist band parade planned for Portadown last night was cancelled. Earlier, the Orange grand master, Mr Robert Saulters, paid tribute to the five-times Formula One champion, whom he described as a "tremendous ambassador for Northern Ireland".
There was an inauspicious start to the day when, in the early hours, British soldiers erected a number of new defensive structures on Drumcree hill to back up the already existing 20-ft high and 30-ft wide steel barrier.
The soldiers inserted stout wire defences across a number of fields around Drumcree church. Wire barricades were also put in place along the parade route where marchers are due to pass nationalist houses tomorrow.
"If these obstacles successfully deter further outbreaks of violence the security forces will be more than satisfied. We are not creating a Drumcree situation, we are responding responsibly to the difficulties others have created," an army spokesman said.
The operation went on well into the night with soldiers pumping water from a nearby stream into a freshly dug moat. Spotter planes circled at low level over the quiet little country church and army helicopters maintained their presence on an otherwise peaceful scene.
In the afternoon, the South African mediator, Mr Brian Currin, held meetings with the Portadown district master, Mr Harold Gracey, and representatives of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition. Afterwards, he said he recognised there were tensions on both sides.
"What we need is clarity. The uncertainty continuously creates anxiety," he added.
As Drumcree hill lay quiet, around a mile and a half away teenagers were stacking up wooden crates for an "11th Night" bonfire on the loyalist Edgarstown Estate. Compared to the huge army steel structures down the road the scene had an almost picturesque campfire feel to it.