With the wind waving your hair, you will find yourself surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, as you drive along a dreamy road that goes around Emerald Isle’s northern fringes. This journey deserves to be taken at a leisurely pace, so pack up your things and take a flight to Northern Ireland so you can experience exploring the Causeway Coastal Route.
Different places beg you to explore them as you continue driving through the quiet, narrow road that links together Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, Portrush, and Londonderry. On the borders of Belfast, lies the Carrickfergus Castle, built in 1177 and one of the best preserved Norman fortresses.
From this point, the road pierces some of Ireland’s enchanting hiking territory, the Nine Glens of Antrim, which are deep valleys made up by gargantuan glaciers, dating back to the last Ice Age. Also, between the glens, you will find the wonderful Glenariff Forest Park littered with waterfalls. Your next stop is at the Carrick-a-Rede rope-bridge, an strongly and solidly built high-wire, which was originally hung only on February to allow fishermen to reach their nets on an islet. Nowadays, the fixture stays there with its dizzying 80-foot (24 meters) drop to the Atlantic.
After walking a few miles along the coast, the Giant’s Causeway appears into your view. In this place, you will hear a legend saying that the columns were built by a giant, named Finn McCool, like a staircase to reach a Scottish rival. As you continue with this journey, you will find Ireland’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery at Bushmills, where you can sample peaty tipples and hot toddies that you can find only in this place. Another must-see is the 17th-century Dunluce Castle, which is one of Ireland’s eeriest ruins.
Last but not least, you can walk around the historic city walls at Londonderry/Derry. This will be your last stop in this journey and after it, you will never forget all the experiences that you lived, all the history that you got to learn, and the unique landscapes that you got to see.
Belfast’s revival
Belfast’s pubs offer a historic atmosphere with the typical Irish music and Dublin’s conviviality, but with fewer tourists. Some of the places that you can visit are John Hewitt, the Crown, Kelly’s Cellar, Bittles Bar, Muriels, and the Cocktail Bar. Also, you can learn about the city’s shipbuilding history at Titanic’s Dock and Pump House.
Tours of the city take areas that are associated with the Troubles, including the murals along the Falls Road and Shankill Road. You can also visit the Crumlin Road Gaol, where political prisoners were held.
When to go?
You can find the best weather from April to October, but keep in mind that even in summer you have to be ready for cold, wet, and windy conditions.
How to find it?
The main airports are in Belfast and Derry. There are also some express buses to Belfast from the Dublin airport. Ferries sail to Belfast and Larne from Stranraer in Scotland and Fleetwood in England, respectively. The return journey to Belfast can be made on the faster motorway from Portrush or Derry.
Planning
There are plenty of places where you can stay, therefore accommodation is not a problem. Guided tours are available by bus, rail, river, sea, horseback, and on foot. Also, a steam train runs from the Giant’s Causeway to Bushmills.
Websites
www.discovernorthernireland.com
If you loved this article or found it useful, don’t forget to share it with your adventurous and travel-hacking friends! If you want more post like this, follow us on Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter!