Our trip to Northern Ireland was motivated by a visit to the UNESCO listed Giant's Causeway - an ancient geographic feature caused by a volcanic eruption. We had seen similar basalt columns at the southern tip of Tasmania a few years ago.Our flights were booked to Belfast - a city full of history and conflict over the years, but now going through a regeneration due to new tourist attractions (eg. Titanic themed museum) and very friendly locals that were curious to find out why we chose to visit Belfast over Dublin.
Arrival into Belfast
Leaving on a Friday evening after work, we caught our flights from Gatwick Airport and joined the rush of travelers escaping London for a post-Easter weekend away. The flight into Belfast Airport was short and for this trip we didn't have to worry about changing currency or data roaming.
Whilst catching the shuttle bus into town, one side of the bus started leaking a pink air-conditioning fluid onto the windows and seats. This was quite amusing to all passengers that were not sitting underneath the dripping fluid.
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| Two icons of Belfast - Samson and Goliath cranes |
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| Visited during sunny Springtime when a lot of flower were in bloom |
Premier Inn, Central City
Unknown to us when we first sorted out flights for this trip, hotel prices were sky-high during the week of our visit due to a film festival. Unfortunately we had delayed booking our hotel until a fortnight before thinking that rooms would be plentiful and affordable. Therefore we were in a bit of a panic when we realised that prices were not as cheap as we had thought. Tip: Always check in advance for big events in the city you are visiting that may inflate hotel prices.
We arrived at the Premier Inn close to 10pm and received a friendly welcome. The restaurant kitchen was closed but the receptionist offered to dial a pizza and we drank a pint of Guinness while we waited. The pizza was one of the best we had eaten in a long time. Then it was off to bed - a simple room layout, nothing fancy but we were only there to sleep.
The next morning (Saturday), the buffet breakfast was loaded with usual suspects - bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes. However, complementing the scene were a half dozen girls dressed up as Elsa from the movie Frozen. We later found out that a Disney stage show was in town and all the locals under the ages of 10 (and parents) were very excited.
Tours to visit Giant's Causeway
There are a range of different tour options for visiting the Giant's Causeway if you don't feel like hiring a car. Private tours (you and the tour guide), coach tours that hit all the key sites along the coast; and tours that allow you to combine the Giant's Causeway with a visit to one (or more) of the filming locations for the TV show 'Game of Thrones'.
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| The UNESCO listed Giant's Causeway, our reason for the trip |
McComb's Bus Tours
After some research on TripAdvisor, we booked our tour through the coach company: McCombs - their office is based out of one of the larger hostels in the city center. The booking process had not gone smoothly due to Mei selecting the incorrect date for the tour (one day earlier than required) and only realizing the mistake when the confirmation email was sent. Luckily the fine print stated that items could be 'transferred' and Mei hurriedly called the office and they changed the booking to the correct date without any hassle.
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| McComb's Coach Tours |
Trip Itinerary
We chose McComb's as our tour provider as it offered a mixture of different sites and activities in a single day trip: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a tour of a whiskey distillery, historic castles, a ride through the Antrim Coast and Glens (designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and the UNESCO listed Giant's Causeway.
We were also impressed by the professionalism of the tour staff - the driver (also the tour guide) was very firm about expectations for on-board punctuality. Basically if you are late, then you will be left behind. This ensures that the rest of the tour group who can follow instructions, are not disadvantaged by people returning late and later sites being cut out of the itinerary.
Stop 1 - Carrickfergus Castle
Our first stop was at Carrickfergus Castle for a toilet stop and photo opportunity. Built in the 12th century, the castle is preserved to represent medieval life and played a role in many famous battles between the Scots, Irish, English and French.
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| Statue of William III outside the castle - this was the place where he first landed in Ireland |
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| Thick medieval walls of the castle |
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| Close up of the British soldier that can be seen in the previous photo |
The weekend we visited, we had great luck with the weather and the coastline looked more like the Mediterranean Sea than somewhere in Great Britain. As we drove along the coast, we passed many green fields full of livestock, seaside villages and a disappearing lake (due to porous rock that causes the water to drain away). The driver pointed out the names of the all the different Glens and the history of the towns - although a lot of passengers slept right through the commentary. The view along the horizon was so clear that we could even see the tip of Scotland in the distance.
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| Beautiful blue coastline |
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| Islands off the coastline |
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| Lush green pastures |
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| Lambing season - lots of white fluffy balls in the fields |
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| Seaside villages |
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| Disappearing lake - the driver said it was full yesterday but completely drained when we visited |
Stop 2 - Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
The next stop was the famous rope suspension bridge that was constructed by salmon fishermen but is now a tourist attraction. The driver offered the purchase of discounted saver tickets to the rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway Visitor's Center. We decided to only purchase the bridge separately, although the benefit of pre-buying the tickets is skipping the queue if there are several coach-loads of tourists visiting at the same time.At the time of our visit, we were lucky that only a small queue was in play and the views across the bridge and the rock island were amazing.
As we were returning to the car-park, we heard an Australian accented voice say 'Mei' and turned around to see expat friends - Davina and Mark, who we rarely see in London but by coincidence happen to bump into at the same place in Northern Ireland.
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| The rope bridge |
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| View of the rope bridge connecting the mainland to the island |
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| Crossing the bridge |
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| Olie standing on the island after the bridge crossing |
The tour bus re-boarded and everyone was present except for one person. The driver backed out of the carpark and edged closer to the front gate, only for the missing person to realize the bus was on its way out with everyone waving goodbye. He then picked up his pace and we were on our way without any stragglers.
Stop 3 - Bushmills Whiskey Distillery
The next stop was lunch at the Bushmills Distillery where a hot meal of lasagna, and sampling 12 year old whiskey - not Mei's favourite thing.
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| Barrels of whiskey |
Stop 4 - Dunlace Castle
A quick stop for a photo in front of the ruined castle where the kitchen had fallen into the ocean. Occasionally, dolphins can be spotted playing in the harbour, but none on the day we visited. The scenic atmosphere was enhanced by the smell of cow manure. |
| Dunlace Castle |
Stop 5 - Giant's Causeway
Then it was off to see the main attraction of the tour - the Giant's Causeway. At the site, the Visitor's Center requires an entry charge (this is where the toilets are located), however it is possible to walk to the basalt columns free of charge (and return using a shuttle bus with a small fee).
The hexagonal basalt columns made for stunning photos and climbing. We stayed for an hour and then went to seek out ice-cream. The bus picked us up for the direct route back to Belfast (inland) and everyone fell asleep until the driver announced the hotel drop offs.
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| The hexagonal shaped columns |
Pre-dinner drinks - Spaniard
After a full day of sightseeing, we felt like a night out in town. Our first stop was the pub: 'Spaniard' that Mei had seen on a brochure. There, we met a 'local' who lived in Spain who was chatting to us and figured that it must be obvious to everyone that we were tourists. In his chat, he drew in two patrons from the nearby table, one was a Belfast local and the other was from the UK, here for work. They asked how we compared Dublin to Belfast, the latter we found to be more friendly - perhaps being drawn in to a Sydney vs Melbourne type of debate. |
| Belfast - full of people out and about on a Saturday night |
As it was a Saturday night, restaurants were difficult to find with a free table or an open 'kitchen' past 9:30pm. By chance, we spotted a small restaurant: Salt Bistro in Anne's Square, Cathedral Quarter with a free table by the window. We skipped entree for dips and ate lamb with a recommended wine. Very nice food and great service.
Exploring Belfast
The next morning, breakfast was advertised with an appearance of a 'surprise' guest - a waitress dressed up as Elsa from 'Frozen', who was very popular with the kids We were able to leave our bags at reception and explore the town.The original plan was to visit the Titanic exhibition but with the sun out, we just wanted to relax. We walked through St George's market, the Big Fish and the center of town - rebuilt after being destroyed during the war.
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| Belfast is where the Titanic was built |
Statue at Thanksgiving Square and Albert Memorial Clock
The Big Fish
Other sights when walking around
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| St George's Square market entrance |
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| St George's Market |
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| Paella and other goodies for lunch |
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| City hall |
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| Very good advice on the front of a pub |
Victoria Square Dome
As it was a Sunday, the shops opened late and around lunchtime the main shopping center - Victoria Square Dome was open for trading. We bought a coffee at O'Briens sandwich bar and climbed the viewing platform in the middle of the center for views over Belfast.
Kelly's Cellars
In need of a pint of beer before our flight, we wanted to know directions to the nearest beer garden. Spotting a tourist bus ticket seller, we asked the question and he pointed us to the oldest pub in Belfast where we drank a stout that tasted like coffee.
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| Beers to drink in a beer garden |
After our drink, we picked up our bags and went to the airport early, hoping that there would be live telecast of the Premier League games or Grand Prix. Sadly disappointed that the TV was broken in the pub and we drank wine and ate crisps as we waited for our short flight home to Gatwick.
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| No TV, but something that cheered us up was this realistic dog sculpture made of sand |
Next blog post:
North Wales, UK
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