UK - 2 day trip to the North of Northern Ireland
- lorisolan
- Jan 2, 2018
- 5 min read
My partner is originally from Co. Down so as we were home for Christmas visiting his family, we decided to take advantage of this part of the world while we were here and planned a short 2 day road trip to the North of Northern Ireland. I expected it to be scenic as it is all along the coast and most of the coastal areas throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland usually are, however this particular road known as The Causeway Coastal route was outstanding. It was an added bonus that the sun shone for most of our trip as it always helps to make things look more impressive however even in some of the areas we went where it was dull, it was still beautiful.
Day 1
Mussenden Temple (Seacoast Rd, Coleraine BT51 4RH, UK)
Mussenden Temple is located in Downhill Demesne near Castlerock in County Londonderry. It is perched on a 120 ft cliff top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The temple was built in 1785 and forms part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol. The temple was built as a summer library and its architecture was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli. It is said that this area is one of the most photographed in the country and it is easy to see why. Due to cliff erosion, there was a risk of damage to the temple as it was becoming closer and closer to the edge as the years went by, however there was cliff stabilisation works carried out to ensure that this beautiful building stayed put.
This was one of the most scenic coastal cliff areas I have been to. The vast Atlantic out to the right, the rugged terrain and the ruins surrounding the area are something to be seen. It was almost like an obstacle course in some parts due to the previous nights rain so you really had to be careful around the edges.
Flash of the Pan (77 Main St, Bushmills BT57 8QB)
We drove through Port Stewart and Port Rush which were both built up seaside towns with lovely views of the ocean as well as entertainment areas such as Barry's Adventure Land and a cinema. We were hungry at this stage so we went to a great chipper or chippee in Northern Ireland and got a bag of chips in a small shop called Flash of the Pan. The owner was lovely and the chips were amazing. We sat with our turkey sandwiches (courtesy of some New Year's Day leftovers), a can of coke our chips and a lovely view at Ballycastle beach.
Giant's Causeway (44 Causeway Rd, Bushmills BT57 8SU)
The Giant's Causeway is an amazing natural phenomenon that was created due to a volcanic eruption. It is an area made up of 40,000 interlokcking basalt columns. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. It is open year round from 9am however make sure you check the closing times as these vary with the seasons. The admission fee is £8.50 for an adult and £4.25 for a child however we were told if you don't walk through the visitor's centre and go under the tunnel beside it instead, this is free entry. It is a very strange set up which I am sure will be rectified in the future!
Dunluce Castle (87 Dunluce Rd, Bushmills BT57 8UY)
Dunluce Castle is a now-ruined medieval castle located on the cliffs of North County Antrim. The backdrop of the mountains and the sea paired with the green, green grass adjacent makes this a picturesque spot for photos. Beware of the muddy ground unless you want to end up looking like I did!
Bushmill's Distillery
Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licenced distillery in Ireland dating back to 1608. Unfortunately as we were there so early in January the distillery wasn't fully back in action following the Christmas holidays so the tours were not running but we did get to visit the restaurant and the gift shop. They had a personalisation service for the labels on one of their most popular whiskys which makes for a really great gift for any whisky lovers. The history and the changes of the distillery over the years is really fascinating and can be read in the below link.
Fullerton Arms Hotel (Ballintoy)
Fullerton Arms Hotel is located on the tiny main street of Ballintoy village. It is a small family run business and has rooms on two floors above a cosy bar. Being so close to many Game of Thrones film locations, the hotel has added some themed GOT areas throughout the ground floor.
You can also find one of the ten GOT doors used as the entrance to the bar. These doors are scattered throughout Northern Ireland and the different locations of the doors can be found in the below link. When some of the trees along the Dark Hedges road (found in the Kingsroad scene from season 2) fell down in Storm Gertrude, some genius decided to carve these trees in to doors depicting various scenes from season 6 of the series.
Day 2
Ballintoy Harbour
Ballintoy Harbour can be found 1km from the small village. This stunning harbour location has been used for exterior Pyke shots and as the Iron Islands in Game of Thrones. If the weather conditions are at all choppy or windy, it can make this quite a dramatic spot to spend some time. You can stand and watch the waves building as the tide comes in and then come crashing down over the numerous large rocks that are spread across the coast. It really is a spectacle to behold. If you follow the link below you can see the exact scene in GOT that this location was selected for.
The Dark Hedges
Another famous spot from the Game of Thrones movie is The Dark Hedges which are coined as the 'Kingsroad' and can be seen in season 2 when Arya and Gendry are making their way away from King's Landing. The hanging trees have been in existence since the 18th century and are one of the most photographed locations in Northern Ireland.
Torr Head (Ballycastle BT54 6RQ)
The last stop of the day was Torr Head which is a spectacular rugged coastal area. After a steep walk to the top there are views of the Mull of Kintyre in the Southwest of Scotland just 12km away. The 360 degree views that surround this spot are breathtaking and are the perfect advertisement for how beautiful this country is.
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