Date: 28th May 2018
The Drive: We left Dublin at around 9 a.m. and headed towards Belfast. It was an easy drive—just straight down the motorway! We stopped at Tesco to grab some road snacks and drinks. There is one toll road, which was about 1.90 euros. Entering Belfast was easier than we expected. We were thinking it was going to be like Manchester or Birmingham. It turned out not to be that busy and an easy route in.
Where We Stayed: The Old Bank, Crumlin Road, we booked this through Booking.com and it set us back £55. The room was lovely and new with a comfy bed, desk area and en-suite. The location was great and was up the road from the jail and a 30 minute walk into the centre. We would recommend this hotel.
What We Explored
Titanic Belfast is the must do attraction while you are in Belfast. We arrived around 11 a.m after the two hour drive from Dublin. We parked over by the arena which was far cheaper than parking at the Titanic museum. It was a lovely day and it was sunny and warm. We decided to explore the Titanic first before it got really busy. First of all the building is spectacular in design. It is made to look like a ship and all four sides of the building are the same. We spent a lot of time outside just looking at the building, it was shining in the sun. It cost £18.50 for an adult ticket which we thought was rather steep, but then decided we would probably only ever visit once.
Once you’re in the museum you first learn about the industries in Belfast which led to building the Titanic. It shows how the harbour was developed and the company that was involved in building the Titanic. This is when I realised there was so much behind the ship rather than just it sunk. We were starting to look at the real history and not what is shows in the film. The shipyard ride was a good way in getting a true picture of what it was like to build the Titanic and how much work was involved.
Inside the Titanic was the next part of the museum where we looked at 1st, 2nd and 3rd class rooms. The difference was amazing and it was interesting that there were more 3rd class than 1st on the ship. Here is where you can see a plan of the whole ship and what each deck had.
We were then taken through the Titanic’s Maiden Voyage. You go through the journey from Belfast to Southampton to France to Ireland and then across to New York. I liked this section of the museum as it was fact heavy. Here you see how many people got off and on at each stop, how many letters were delivered at each stop. Then you are told about the day it set sail to New York…
Let’s be honest we are all in the museum to see this part, the sinking of the ship. This section you could feel the atmosphere change as you are listening to distress calls and survivors accounts of what happened. You learn about the people who have died and the exact timings of the sinking. This section gave me the same feeling as I got in the 9/11 museum in New York, it was chilling. I thought most of the museum would be about the sinking but it was actually quite nice to learn about what happened before.
You are then shown to a cinema to see beneath the ocean, where you can see the wreck at the bottom of the ocean. This was also rather chilling as you could see everyday objects such as shoes, dolls and hairbrushes. It was a great museum and we enjoyed exploring.
SS Nomadic was the next ship we explored. This was the Titanic’s tender boat and the last remaining White Star Ship in the world. This place is great for kids as you had sections where you could try uniforms and life jackets on. We liked the top deck where you could see the Titanic museum in the background. Make sure you visit here as it is included in your Titanic ticket.
Crumlin Road Goal were kind enough to gift tickets for a tour of the jail. This was great fun and was full of so much information. We arrived and met the tour guide at the start of the jail. We were firstly shown the room where all prisoners would be processed, we could not believe that prisoners were still using this room in 1995. Our tour guide was brilliant and full of sarcasm and jokes, he had us laughing all the way around.
We were then shown into a tunnel underground. The tunnel led to the court house across the road, it’s where the prisoners would walk between both buildings without being seen my the media or getting hurt. This tunnel was cold and damp and had a strange feeling inside. It was rather scary.
We then made our way into the main section of the jail where we could see all the different wings. This was interesting, some of the wings had been used for filming films and TV programmes. We then had time to look in all the different rooms such as a cell, padded cell and the kitchen. We had a look at other forms of punishment throughout the years. The last part of this section was the execution room, this bit made us feel uncomfortable… verging on dark tourism! We walked into a cell where a death row prisoner would stay the night before his/her execution. It was a large room as two prison guards would have to stay with the prisoner at all times. Joined to the room was the execution room fitted with a noose. On the wall were the names of the 17 prisoners who were executed at the jail and they were buried along the jail walls.
We really enjoyed our tour and the guide really made it. We learned a lot about the history of the jail and it was so realistic. It gave you an insight on what it would be like to be a prisoner and in particular a prisoner sentenced to death by execution. We would recommend this to others.
Crumlin Road Goal kindly gifted us tickets, all opinions are our own.
We then went to find the Salmon of Knowledge, the story is of a salmon eating nine hazelnuts that fell into the well of wisdom. It is said that by doing this the salmon gained all of the worlds knowledge and who ever ate the salmon would in turn have the same power.
Food and Drink
Spoon Street was a must stop for a frozen yogurt with a toppings bar. I love any ice cream place where you can load on your own toppings and sauces. It was super hot today too so this was much needed.
We googled somewhere to go for tea and came across Buba on Trip Advisor. This restaurant serves tapas style food and everything we tried was amazing. The staff were great and talked us through the menu and gave us recommendations. We tried the following and all were amazing – buba breads, baba ganoush, halloumi fries, falafel, bbq chicken flatbread and vegan borek. This place is great if your a vegan as they have their own menu.
Before going back to the hotel we stopped at the Harp Bar for a drink. We had a beer and gin and tonic. This bar had some great decoration and it was so full of signs you didn’t know where to go. It was dark wood and red in colour and looked amazing.
Steps According to Fitbit: 14, 912
Miles Walked Today According to Fitbit: 6.5
Total Miles Walked: 14.21
Up Next: Mike’s Birthday… walking a Llama
Important Question: YES! We fell in love with Belfast and would love to come back. There are so many cool little spots to see within the city and it has a really nice vibe. We would love to come back with some mates as the bars are so cool and chilled out. We will definitely be back. However we did feel the Titanic Belfast was a little steep in price.
Date: 29th May 2018
The Drive: We left Belfast early to get to The Jungle and then moved onto Derry. The drive was pretty easy, though getting to The Jungle you do drive down some narrow back roads, we were just hoping not to meet a tractor!
Where We Stayed: We stayed at Charlotte House which we booked through booking.com. This place was really nice with a bedroom and en suite. It came with water and pastries for the morning which was a nice touch. It was very warm today with blue skies, and we were also close enough to work into the centre which was perfect. We payed £55 for one night.
What We Explored
Llama Trekking was first today. It was Mike’s birthday and this is what I had booked for him to do. He loves all kinds of animals and constantly winds me up that he wants a llama, manatee, dog, mini horse, pygmy goat… you get the idea. So I decided to give him a Llama to walk around for a bit. I booked this through The Jungle Northern Ireland, they offer loads of adventure sports and cool/unusual things to do. We arrived at around 11 a.m. and headed for the reception area. We thought we would have a guide that walked around with you but nope. We got given a Llama, a few tips on handling and told the route and we were on our way. Such a cool experience. We loved every minute of walking our Llama (that we called Liam). We did get a little lost, we were meant to follow the Llama signs but I think we missed one on the way. It took about 45 mins to walk the Llama around and get some cool shots before it was time to head back. Once we had given the Llama back we had ordered a picnic lunch which was amazing. We had sandwiches, crisps, fruit, yogurt, cake and a can of pop. It was all really fresh and delicious. It was becoming a hot day so made our way back to Fabs and headed over to Derry.
We then drove to Derry which would be the start of our coastal road trip. We parked our car where we were staying and walked into town. Our first stop was the Peace Bridge which connects the two sides of the River Foyle. This was an amazing bridge which you can walk or cycle over. We walked across the bridge and headed over to the City Walled Brewery, however it didn’t open until later. So we walked back over the Peace Bridge and headed for the city walls.
The City Walls were a great way to explore Derry and they went round in a square. It was really sunny and hot and the walls made it feel even warmer so we dipped into an ice cream store for a sundae. Once we had cooled down we carried on exploring the walls before heading over the peace bridge… yet again… for beers and tapas.
Food and Drink
We eat and drank at the Walled City Brewery. This was a great place to watch the sun set from the beer garden. They have a large board behind the bar with all of the beers they brew in house. We manages to get a taster of four each and it was really well priced. I think by the end we had tried all the beers and made a heavy dent in the cocktail menu too. We got chatting to an American couple who were also exploring Northern Ireland. We swapped travel stories and then ordered the tapas as the sun was setting, it was amazing. We will definitely be back here and would highly recommend it.
Steps According to Fitbit: 17,934
Miles Walked Today According to Fitbit: 7.82
Total Miles Walked: 21.03
Up Next: The most spectacular sunset over The Giant’s Causeway
Important Question: YES! Llama Trekking was definitely worth the money with the picnic. Everything offered at The Jungle was well priced and The Walled City Brewery was also well worth the visit.
Date: 30th May 2018
The Drive: We left Derry early and headed towards Port Stewart Strand and then onward to Bushmills. The roads were clearly signposted for the Coastal Road. We basically hugged the coast for as long as we could. The views were amazing and the weather was great. It was blue skies and sunny, meaning we could see for miles. The drive is easy and when we were stuck in traffic or behind a tractor we just took in the view. Keep an eye out for signs as we stopped in many places that wasn’t on our list. Bushmills was so busy to park the car we were lucky that we could park at the hostel.
Where We Stayed: We stayed at Finn McCool’s Giant’s Causeway Hostel for £57.75 for the one night. We stayed here all because of the location, you could walk straight to the Giant’s Causeway. It was our worst sleep of the trip as the beds were so uncomfortable. However we would probably stay here again just for the location!
What we explored
Portstewart Strand was a beautiful beach we came across on the coast road. TOP TIP! Do not park at the Portstewart Strand car park as it was so expensive and it’s only a car park on the beach! Instead we parked past the village in a car park at the side of the road and walked down to the beach. The path towards the beach is breathtaking with a view for miles. The beach was huge and has plenty of space. We paddled in the freezing cold water, ate ice cream and went for a long walk.
Bushmills Distillery was our next stop. We drove through the town and it was rammed with no space to park! We then decided to park at our hostel and get the bus into the centre. This was cheap and easy to catch. We then headed to the Bushmills Distillery. Mike loves whiskey and enjoys going to any distillery, me on the other hand I hate the stuff! We walked around the distillery and saw an insight into the making of it. It was a really good tour. Mike would say the best part was the tasting room at the end! With the tour you get one sample of a whiskey of your choice…so Mike had mine too.
Giant’s Causeway was the main reason for this whole trip. It had been on our bucket list for a long time. It did not disappoint at all! You have to visit this place and take in the scenes. It is amazing! TOP TIP! Do not pay to park at the Causeway as it is so expensive. I think it is £11. They make it sound that you have to pay this to get into the Giant’s Causeway. You DO NOT! I highly recommend staying at the causeway as you are then able to visit once all the tour groups have left, if you don’t fancy the hostel there is also a hotel which is, as you would imagine, more expensive! It was a beautiful day, we headed down at around 7 pm. It was really quiet as the visitors centre, and the shuttle bus, was now closed.
We walked around the causeway which was like playing on stepping stones from when you were younger. I was absolutely memorised with the waves coming in and covering parts of the Causeway. We watched so many people get drenched as they stood at the edge, until a huge wave then came and hit them! Once we had spent a few hours getting shots and taking in the scenes around us we decided to walk the red route back to the top. This route is a little tough but the views at the top are so worth it. We climbed the steep steps to the top and got some shots of us sat at the edge dangling our feet.
We then hung around for the most spectacular sunset which rivals others around the world. There is another blog post idea in there somewhere… The sunset was magical and like out of a movie. The photographs just don’t do it justice, it was stunning.
Food: We grabbed sandwiches from a shop in Derry, which we ate at the beach. For tea we went to a lovely fish and chip shop in Bushmills. The fish and chips were so good. There is nothing better than sea air with fish and chips.
Steps According to Fitbit: 20,781
Miles Walked Today According to Fitbit: 9.06
Total Miles Walked: 30.09
Up Next: Castle hunting!
Important Question:Of course! Absolutely worth it. It was worth staying at the Causeway and seeing it out of opening times. Mike would say that it’s definitely worth going to the distillery too! It was a fab day that we would happily do again.
Date: 31st May 2018
The Drive: The drive today was similar to yesterday, beautiful. Around every bend was a new view full of sea, beaches, castles and cliffs. This would have to be one of the prettiest road trips we have ever taken. It was amazing how the views changed as in one section their would be so much sea mist and then around the next bend it would be clear.
Where We Stayed: We stayed in a B&B in Cushendall called Garron View. It was run be the sweetest family! It cost £45 for the night and was one of the best nights sleep we had all week. The beds were so comfy and we even had an en suite. The breakfast the next morning was great, Mike had a full English and I had a toastie. We would stay here again for the comfort and friendliness of the owners.
Where We Explored
Today was set aside to find and explore as many castles as possible. Now, I love a castle but it has to be a good castle… that’s in ruins. None of these castles that are mansions or the ones that are in perfect shape. I need an old ruined castle to feel the history behind it. Well Northern Ireland didn’t disappoint.
Dunluce Castle
Our first stop on this part of the road trip was Dunluce Castle. We could see it from the road and it was pretty small but looked like a great castle. We parked up and took some pictures. It cost quite a lot to go in so we decided against that and admired from afar. This castle is very touristy and was busy at the time. We were looking for those castles that are overlooked by the tourist trail. So we hopped back in the car and drove on the coast road until we saw another sign for a castle.
Dunseverick castle
Now this castle is what I call a real castle. We stood in the lay-by and stared at it. I really wanted to get to the top so we decided to give a go. There are no paths marked so we just guessed the best one to use. It was worth the climb for some great views out to sea and photos stood on the castle. This castle is really overlooked as we hadn’t come across it through our research. We stumbled across it by the brown tourist sign we saw on the road. This is worth the stop and climb.
Ballintoy Harbour
This place was made famous by Game Of Thrones. We do not watch the show so didn’t really have a clue what we were looking at! It is a pretty little harbour which was great to explore. There were piles of rocks you were able to climb up and around. Make sure you climb the steps at the back of the car park to get a view of the whole harbour.
Dark Hedges
Yet another place we visited that is shown in Game of Thrones. This place was immense, the trees are all kinds of shapes. It looks as if it is straight out of a story book. Don’t be fooled though by those lovely photographs on Instagram, it is really hard to find a quiet part and not get others in your photo. This place was so busy and there were coach tours pulling up all the time. It is definitely worth the visit but does lose it’s magic with the amount of tourists.
Kinbane Castle
On to the big one and the best castle I have ever been to. The best bit about this castle is you are likely to have it all to yourself. That may have something to do with the amount of stairs you have to climb down and then of course… back up. Believe me there are a lot and it nearly killed me, but it was so worth it. This was such a cool place to visit. The views from the top of the cliff were amazing. You could see along the coast line and the fog made it look mysterious. This is a must do while in Northern Ireland and certainly worth the massive climb back up to the car.
Carrick-a-Rede
We were lucky to be gifted tickets to visit the rope bridge. Another stand out attraction in Northern Ireland. We didn’t know what to expect. We started at the ticket office, collected our tickets and then took the path down to the bridge. It is a long walk but easy and the views were amazing as always. We then came to the rope bridge which is one way traffic. We walked across the bridge and could feel it slightly sway. Be prepared as it was so much windier on the bridge. We were expecting to then have to queue up to come back straight away, but you are able to explore the small island. We saw hundreds of birds on the cliffs and it was a nice place to sit down and take five minutes to just take it all in. Once you are ready to leave you join the short line and walk back over the bridge
Carrick-a-Rede kindly gifted us tickets, all opinions are our own.
Food
We were so hungry after our day of exploring castles and basically lived off junk food from the supermarket. We came across this small pub called Harry’s Licensed Restaurant. The food was amazing! We both got burgers with a salad and chips. It was so nice and just what we needed after a day of exploring.
Steps According to Fitbit: 20,541
Miles Walked Today According to Fitbit: 8.96
Total Miles Walked: 39.05
Up Next: On the hunt for puffins
Important Question
YES! All worth it, all the castles we visited were free and we made such amazing memories on this day. We had so much time exploring and looking at the different views.
Date:1st June 2018
The Drive: Today’s drive was a simple one. We drove to the port and parked the car there for the day for free! Then at the end of the day on returning to the mainland we stayed close by so again a very easy drive.
Where We Stayed: Sleepy Hollow B&B which was another lovely place with breakfast.
What We Explored
Today was all about seeing the Puffins! At one point we thought we may never see them, more about that in a bit.
So we started the day with a lovely breakfast in our B&B by the cutest couple. We had a really good night sleep and felt totally refreshed. We then headed towards the port ready to catch the ferry, luckily there were tickets left! We’d recommend you book in advance through the website if you plan on making the trip! We had a 30 minute wait so went to a shop to grab some water and snacks for the ferry (These came in handy).
The ferry ride over was a bit rough and quite cold because of the wind. It was bitter! It took under an hour to get from the main land to Rathlin Island and once there we decided to walk across to the tourist information which turned out to be the biggest mistake of the day… To get the to other side of the island there was a bus that cost £5 return. We thought great, let’s do that as we don’t have much time on the island.
Little did we know that there is no timetable and the buses go with every ferry or whenever it feels like it…so we had missed ours. Typical! This was island life at its fullest. It was an hour until the next bus so we decided to walk the 4.5 miles over to the bird centre. It was miles of ups and downs, although the weather was on our side! Just as you thought you were getting there you would turn a corner and see even more road. It was a lovely walk but we’d say if you were going for the day like us, get the bus as soon as you get off the ferry. It’ll cost you £5 for a return ticket and save you a lot of time!
Along our trek we did witness a load of different animals and it was full of spectacular views of the island and out to sea.
We finally turned the last corner and saw the building. Thank God for that! We were losing the will to live a touch towards the end! So we had about 40 minutes to explore before needing to get the bus back. Off we went in search of puffins. There is an RSPB centre at the end of the trail and they were amazing. There is a cost, £5 each, and they offer binoculars and help you distinguish between the puffins and other birds. They were a great help. There were thousands of birds on the cliffs, the noise was quite unbelievable.
Eventually after looking for ages we found puffins and they are the cutest thing ever. It was a little like a massive game of Where’s Wally? Puffins seen and looked at… for ages. It was time to get the bus back. On the way we had a quick look at the lighthouse, where you can learn a lot about the history of the lighthouse and get some more great views!
o we get back to the top and try and get on the bus. Apparently we would have to wait for everyone to be on and “see if there is room”. This was a little worrying as we wouldn’t have enough time to walk back to the boat. Eventually he started the bus and told us to come aboard. Another phew moment!
We were exhausted today after all the walking and stress about getting back to the ferry in time. We went for ice cream once we were back at Ballycastle and had an early night in our next B&B.
Steps According to Fitbit: 18,814
Miles Walked According to Fitbit: 8.21
Total Miles Walked: 47.26
Up Next: The Gobbins
Important Question: Rathlin Island is worth the visit if visiting Northern Ireland, however make sure you get the bus once you are off the boat. Also, if you are only going for the day it’s worth researching what you’d like to do. As travelling around the island can be a challenge!
Date: 2nd June 2018
The Drive: The drive was getting easier the closer back to Belfast we were getting. We were saying goodbye to small twisty roads of the coast and hello to the boring dual carriageways. We were already missing the coast view to our left when driving.
Where We Stayed: We stayed at Slemish Barn Hostel, which we booked through booking.com. It was a lovely hostel, we stayed in the family room which had two sets of bunk beds and a private bathroom with shower. It also had a shared kitchen where we made our snacks for the evening.
What We Explored
We started our day with a trip to Glenariff Forest Park in the hunt for some waterfalls. It was a misty day which made the forest look spooky. It was a lovely walk on the waterfalls trail. In the park you can choose which trail you would like to walk and there is a good map and description at the start with the length of the trails. It was quite a hike in some parts as we walked to the bottom of the waterfalls and then had to climb back up to the car park! Here are the waterfalls we saw on our hike along with the trees, plants and spider webs caught in the mist.
This is a great morning out and we saw lots of families having fun exploring the forest. Once we had managed to climb pack up to the top we went to the cafe for hot chocolates and cakes. Just what we needed for what was coming up next!
When we were booking our trip to Northern Ireland we wanted to find things to do outside of Belfast and the main tourist places. We came across the Gobbins which looked like it was just up our street. We were very lucky to be gifted tickets but as always our opinions are our own. This place was absolutely amazing! The centre is lovely and tells you the history of the Gobbins which is really interesting. You do need a sturdy pair of shoes as the ground is uneven and sometimes slippery. They will check and you won’t be able to go on the walk if you don’t have decent enough shoes! You’re then given a warning card, don’t think about it too much! You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you listen to the guide. As soon as I saw there were 1000 steps you had to climb I started to panic, but there was no need to panic as the steps are spaced out and manageable. We then got our helmets on and into the minibus to the start.
So the Gobbins, a walk just above the sea level along the cliff edge. The path is made up of steel bridges, caves and natural steps cut into the cliff. The story behind the Gobbins is interesting and the guides are well informed. There was a small group of us which meant we could all hear and they do say to take it at your own pace. Once in the cave there is a very small section which does get pitch black. We saw many sea birds including puffins! We enjoyed every minute of our walk and didn’t want it to end. TOP TIP! Take in the scenes on the way out as you will be walking back the same way to take your photos. The guides will also take your family photos which was great.
The thing with the Gobbins is no walk would be the same and they are starting to do nighttime walks. I would love to go back on a blustery day where the waves hit the cliffs and get you wet. We will definitely be back to explore this place at a different time of year.
The Gobbins kindly gifted us tickets, all opinions are our own.
Steps According to Fitbit: 16,687
Miles Walked According to Fitbit: 2.41
Total Miles Walked: 49.67
Up Next: That is the end of our Northern Ireland series. Up next …who knows what the Summer will bring.
Important Question: Yes! The Gobbins was one of the highlights of our trip and is definitely a must do no matter what the weather. We cant wait to go back on a blustery day to see the sea.