Exploring County Antrim in Northern Ireland
I ❤️ St. Patrick’s Day. One reason, Len and I get to sip our special whiskey, the Jameson Black Barrel Bottle we bottled at Jameson Distillery in 2019. We filled it straight from the barrel, then slapped our personalized label on the bottle. Then, our bottle # was logged into the Bow St. Ledger. How cool is that? Sadly, this is our last year as we find our bottle empty post St Patrick’s Day 2024. All that to say, we’re heading back to Ireland this winter for another bottle and another experience. I know people say to good to new places, but the old keeps drawing me back. I gladly go.
When you visit the Jameson Distillery in Dublin, take the Secret Whiskey Tasting tour rather than the main tour. A brand ambassador will direct the tasting of four premium whiskeys, and most, are ones that will be new to you and only available at the distillery. It’s well worth the extra money and it will be an experience unlike you can get in the states.
Did you know that Irish whiskey is spelled with the ‘e’ to let people know it’s a Irish whiskey?
We always fly into Dublin when visiting Ireland, so our travel to Ireland always begins there, taking in some usual sites like Trinity College and Jameson Distillery. Heading north toward Belfast, we enter Northern Ireland that has quickly become our favorite destination on the Emerald Isle. Original Post | 2017
Our journey to Ireland, once again, takes us to the Emerald Isle in winter. Although winter's hues are welcoming and gracious, we long to see the vibrant and lush greens of the spring and summer; we have promised ourselves that there's a summer jaunt in our future. We do remind ourselves, that as much as these views take our breath away, the warmer weather must cause your heart to erupt in dance. However, we have come to love this country in the dead of winter; its beauty triumphs way beyond its pastures and sunny coastline. Every small village, every intimate pub, every miraculous rainbow, every spritz of snow and sleet, and every person we meet make us fall deeper in love with the Irish - and none of those has anything to do with the weather outside - well, maybe one!
This time around, it was Northern Ireland that consumed most of our time. As a small country, getting from one side of the country to the other is easy, and with a rental car, you're able to do it at your own pace. Outside of the larger cities, the roads become intimate, small and narrow, with little traffic other than the occasional vehicle and sheep moving from one pasture to another. With a multitude of places to visit, even a week is much too short of a time to spend in this most northern spot. Follow the signposts of the Causeway Coastal Route, and you will wind through small inland towns within a few miles of the sea and coastline views that will leave you breathless. You'll travel through metropolitan Belfast, walk through history at Carrickfergus Castle and Dunluce Castle and make your way to picturesque Ballintoy where Renly Baratheon's army (Game of Thrones) camped. You'll see the harbor, more notably known as the Iron Islands from Game of Thrones. Don't miss the lovely coastal village of Cushendun and the Cushendun Caves (located behind the village, where Melisandre gave birth to the shadow creature) and Mary Mcbrides Bar (you'll find one of the Game of Thrones doors in the back).
With only a couple of days, here's County Antrim at a glance.
Giants Causeway
They are simply rocks. You climb from one stack to the next. Piles and piles of honeycomb forged rocks, one towering over the next, almost stepping-stool-like, as if someone intentionally created them to make it easier for explorers. Rocks stretched from the sea to the land. Small stones then larger ones, pillar after pillar until, as an observer and a stranger, you finally get it.
In front of you, the winds from the sea, pound your face with nudges of understanding in hopes that you will sense the energy, the brutality and brawn of this place.
Turn around and the rugged and green, sky-high cliffs tell a story of how generations of people mustered a living from the land.
The sea. The rocks. The cliffs. Each played a role for the people who lived on the edge of the world.
In this place, legends were born and myths created telling the story of how this site was formed. It's geological gravity is only surpassed by the tangible peace that blankets those who walk over and alongside the rocks. In the midst of a formation that is so extraordinary, you grasp that along these 18 miles of rugged coastline of white chalk and black basalt cliffs on the North Antrim Coast, you are experiencing thousands of years of history with each step on each rock.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Giants Causeway will welcome its largest number of visitors ever during 2018. With Lonely Planet naming it as the top region to see in the world for 2018, even more will walk the hexagonal stones.
The entrance to the UNESCO site of Giants Causeway symbolizes the many pillars standing along the coastline. Designed as not to distract from the natural setting, these pillars are the visitors introduction to the coast.
Mark Rodgers of Dalriada Kingdom Tours is part of a family that has called the Causeway Coast for generations. His tapestry of myths, legends along with the history of the people who lived here will have you walking through history.
Dunluce Castle
As most castle stories go, this one, too, was a rough one.
One of the most picturesque castles of Northern Ireland, Dunluce guarded the jagged coastline for almost 1,000 years. Inhabited by both the MacQuillan and MacDonnell clans, the present day remains date back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was first constructed in the thirteenth century, with later additions fortifying its presence. The castle with a labyrinth of caves beneath is linked to the mainland only by a footbridge.
Its ruins remain majestically perched at the sea wall. Within the pieces of fallen walls and loosened stones are hints as to their lifestyle. The fireplaces where they prepared their food; the holes in the wall where protection was granted; partial columns and decorative towers that prove their need for beauty.
Legend tells of the kitchen, which was constructed on the cliff, falling into the sea, and only a kitchen boy surviving. After that, the owner's wife refused to live there any longer. Its visage has been seen within movies as well as in art of Led Zepplin's 1973 album House of Holy.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
As the bridge that has connected the mainland and Carrick Island for over 250 years, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge rises 30 meters above the ocean. At its beginnings, it was merely one handrail and wooden plants where fishermen would go back and forth searching for the best salmon fishing spot.
The bridge is a tourist draw to County Atrium, and if you have the nerve, crossing will put you in good company with other thrill seekers. Purchase tickets online which includes parking and access to the bridge. Views from the bridge are spectacular - that is, if you have the nerve to look up.
Traveler's NOTE: In unison, we spoke (in our opinion) that the coastline of Northern Ireland surpassed Cliffs of Moher along the western coastline of Ireland. With the ability to walk closer to the water's edge and when you add the magnificent rock formations, no contest.
Walk the Kings Road | The Dark Hedges
The Dark Hedges has long been a Northern Ireland treasure; now, the world has discovered the avenue of beech trees and is coming. So much so that cars and tour buses are now banned from using the road as of last year because of the eyesore and the destruction. Planted in the eighteenth century by the Stuart family, the landscape is eerily consuming. To get a more epic look at this road, watch the first episode of Season 2 of Game of Thrones, and for 17 seconds, you'll be amazed.
The Beech Trees of the Dark Hedges
The avenue of beech trees along Bregagh Road form an atmospheric tunnel. They were planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century in order to impress visitors to their Georgia mansion, Gracehill House. Originally, there were 150 tress; storms have taken some day (Game of Thrones Journey of Doors Passport) and some have been removed due (as recent as the winter of 2023) to the health of the trees, posing a risk to visitors. Visiting the avenue requires no admission but you will have to fight the crowds for an epic photograph.
When You Go
Giants Causeway: The Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust; Discover Northern Ireland
44 Causeway Road, Bushmills.
Carrick-a-Rede Bridge: Once a rope bridge walked by salmon fisherman, now a bucket-list walk 100 meters over the sea. Open year round except December 24, 25, 26. Admission, 7 pounds adults. Schedule is dependent upon weather. Cannot be pre-booked.
119a Whitepark Rd., Ballintoy
Giant Tours Ireland | Led by Flip Robinson, Giant Tours Ireland takes you along the Causeway Coast exploring all the filming sites (and more) of the Game of Thrones.
Dunluce Castle: A medieval castle on the northern coast of County Antrim. Entrance, 5 pounds. Open year-round (except Christmas and New Years) with varying seasonal times. Limited access for wheelchairs. App available on iPhones. 87 Dunluce Road, Portrush
The Dark Hedges: A short walk from Hedges Estate Hotel where you'll find free parking. Don't park alongside the road. Tour buses and groups are plentiful. Listed as one of the 12 best road trip in the UK and Ireland. Free. Bregagh Road, Ballymoney
Causeway Hotel: A lovely 28-room hotel located on the UNESCO Giant's Causeway site and built in 1836.
Bushmills Inn: For the finest in lodging, Bushmills Inn is a must. What began as a Coaching Inn in the 1600s, it is now an experience of tradition and luxury. It never loses its historical ambience even with modern updates. Fine dining followed by an evening in the Gas Bar including live music and cozy peat fires. Located in the heart of Bushmills and near the Old Bushmills Distillery.
Game of Thrones Journey of Doors
Discover Northern Ireland
Causeway Coastal Route
Ballintoy Harbor, a.k.a. The Iron Islands
