BELFAST - GIANT'S CAUSEWAY
We planned our long weekend in Belfast not only to explore the city but also the surrounding area. We considered renting a car, but since we only had one day to get out of the town, we opted for an organised tour. The night before, we reviewed the ratings and offerings of the travel agencies, and then we chose the McComb's Coach Travel Giant's Causeway tour. We left at 8 in the morning, the meeting point was not far from St. from St. George's market. Our guide was an experienced driver, who explained things concisely and had strong opinions about the British. This was his first tour as a tour guide -
The road ran along the coast - Coastal Route, the destination was the Giant's Causeway.
Carrickfergus Castle: Our first stop is the best-preserved and continuously used castle in Northern Ireland since its construction.
Its core was built in 1177 by the Norman John de Courcy after he conquered the eastern part of Ulster. In addition to its defensive and military role, it served for a long time as a prison for housing prisoners of war, but it also had an armoury and a shelter. Since we arrived early, we couldn't go in.
Next to the castle stands a life-sized (quite small :) bronze statue of King William III., overlooking the harbour. It was erected to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the king's landing at Carrickfergus in 1690.
The Canals of Braavos, Carnlough: The sleepy harbour of Carnlough, known as Braavos in Game of Thrones, was our second stop on the Antrim Coast Road. In Season 6, Episode 7, part of the city of Braavos was filmed at the harbour. Arya Stark arrives in Braavos to find Jaqen H'ghart and learn how to become a Faceless Man. In the scene, Arya jumps into the water. In fact, the scene was filmed in two locations: the jump was filmed in Croatia, but the landing in the water was filmed in Northern-Ireland. Although the series is more than 10 years old, it still has a large fan base and attracts millions of tourists to Belfast and Northern Ireland.
According to a record from 1831, Carnlough had a total of 56 houses and a population of 260. Development began in the 1840s and 50s with the extraction and export of local limestone.
Cushendun Caves: The third stop is Cushendun, which is also a Game of Thrones location. Melisandre gives birth to her child here, and the famous battle scene between Jamie Lannister and Euron Greyjoy from season 8 was also filmed here. The caves are located near the beach and are easily accessible without a special permit. Their current geological state is due to over 400 million years of erosion. In good weather, the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, which is only 40 km from the trail, can also be seen.
The castle was less to my liking, but the charming Carnlough and its surroundings, as well as the caves, captivated me. The gloomy weather was offset by the colourful houses and the angry green fields. As a sharp contrast, there were the grim cliffs and the misty, gloomy sea.
Another notable feature of Cushendun is the statue of Johann, the goat. In the early 2000s, foot-and-mouth disease caused havoc on the Irish livestock population and nearly devastated the economy. The local favourite goat, Johann, was not spared and was the last animal to be slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading. A bronze statue in his honour was created by a Belfast artist.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge: When we were looking at the tour routes, this was the bridge I definitely wanted to see. As we found out, you have to walk from the car park to the bridge, and with the time spent on the bridge, the program takes several hours, which unfortunately didn't fit into our one-day tight schedule. But no worries, there will be a reason to come back. We did get a taste of it, enough to take pictures from a distance. We stopped at Portaneevey, where we had a wonderful view of the ocean. Next to Carrick-a-Rede Island, we can also see the uninhabited Rathlin Island and Sheep Island. The latter is under special protection because cormorants nest and breed here.
Ballintoy: Our 5th stop was at Ballintoy Harbour. It can be approached from the main road via a steep and narrow road, and larger buses cannot make the turn. Its significance increased with the rise of limestone extraction and export. The port was built in the 1700s from burnt limestone, reaching its peak in the 1800s. The quarrying provided a livelihood for about 100 workers at the nearby factory. The burning process itself took a week. The finished product was transported to the quay by narrow-gauge railway, from where it was transferred to the waiting schooners in the port. The main shipping routes led to England's dynamically developing industrial cities.
Of course, they also filmed Game of Thrones scenes here. The port is the beach on the Iron Islands where Theon Greyjoy returns and later admires his ship, the Sea Bitch. Here he first meets his sister, Yara. Theon later returns and is baptised here. Ballintoy is also the series' location for Euron's drowning and rebirth. On the nearby beach, Melisandre burnt Stannis Baratheon's flagship.
Bushmills, Giant's Causeway: Once upon a time, there was an Irish giant, Finn McCool, who got into trouble because the Scottish giant Bennandonner claimed the island of Ireland for himself. In his anger, he was inspired to throw the stones into the sea to create a causeway to Staffa in Scotland, where he would challenge his rival to a duel. In a mythical world where size determines winners and losers, Finn realises he has underestimated his enemy - Benandonner, a giant even among giants. He cannot defeat him with sheer brute force, so he must resort to a trick. Finn quickly returns to Ireland through the Giant Causeway, where his wife dresses him as a baby. When his rival arrived, he saw Finn's wife holding her giant baby (Finn) in her arms. Bennandonner was so frightened, "If the baby is this huge, how big must Finn be?", that he run back to Scotland, to Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa. In the flight, he teared up a part of the Giant's Causeway, breaking the connection between Scotland and Ireland. The giant remained forever separated from Finn McCool, who consolidated his power on the Irish island.
This is the mythology, and here are the facts:
The Giant's Causeway is the result of an ancient volcanic eruption that occurred 60 million years ago. The burning and rapid cooling of volcanic lava left behind 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that embrace the Northern Irish coastline, forming the Giant's Causeway. Similar formations can also be found on the Scottish island of Staffa. The area is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. You can't fly drones, but you can go and climb anywhere without any control.
Compared to these basalt columns with those in Badacsony (Lake Balaton, Hungary), they are significantly smaller, more like cubes, and the columns look as if someone had been playing with Legos on the shore.
On the Giant's Causeway, we can follow 4 hiking trails depending on our fitness and time. The blue one being the most popular. The parking lots and the visitor center are not close to the main beach area, so it's worth getting a bit orientated, although the other tourists help find the right direction. :-) The blue route leads down to the shore, where we can see the basalt stones and columns. We can also take small buses, which is especially useful for the return trip for those who have limited mobility or whose health does not allow for much walking.
If we want to explore the entire area, be prepared for several hours of activity. Most of the classic hiking trails are about 3-4 km long and not on flat terrain. The green line was specifically designed for people with limited mobility so that they can also have the maximum experience in this magnificent place.
We went through the blue line, then the green one. The place also made it onto the "must come back here" list. This approximately 2-hour period was enough to savour the harmony of the ocean, the stunning view, the green pastures, and the unique rock formations.
The Bushmills: The famous Irish whisky distillery is located in Bushmills. Their website sums up the company's history and philosophy: "We've been here for 400 years and don't plan on leaving soon." The official records go back to 1608, when they were granted a distilling license, and since then the making of whisky has been passed down from generation to generation in Bushmills. Our tour program includes a visit to the distillery, but there was a fair in the town, so the distillery was closed. Instead, we compensated ourselves and got an "Original" and a fruity "Black Bush."
Dunluce Castle: Our 7th stop was Dunluce Castle. The castle stands alone on the edge of a high cliff, surrounded on all sides by steep slopes, with the sea washing its shores. Since the Vikings sailed to Ireland's northern coast, it has been used as a fortress. The defiant ruins bear witness to the castle's stormy and violent history since the 1500s. It's no wonder that legends have been born about the building and its ghosts. One of them is a female figure in a white dress, who stood on the rock at sunset and gazed at the sea. After one of the maids tried to speak to her, she disappeared forever. In the 17th century, a strange tragedy occurred within the walls of the building, as the castle's kitchen slipped into the sea along with the kitchen staff. It is said that on stormy nights you can still hear the screams of the people who fell into the sea. Compared to Carrickfergus Castle, Dunluce became my favourite.
Dark Hedges: Our 8th and final stop was the Dark Hedges avenue on Bregagh Road. The mature beech trees were planted by James Stuart around 1775 when he was building his nearby house, Gracehill House. It originally consisting of around 150 trees, and was intended to impress guests. The legend says that the hedge was visited by a woman, the Grey Lady (a servant girl who died mysteriously or a Stuart daughter) and she always disappeared at the last beech tree. On Halloween, ghosts from the nearby abandoned cemetery join her.
The Dark Hedges also appear in The Game of Thrones as the King's Road. Arya Stark escapes from King's Landing on this road, dressed as a boy.
Due to tclimate change and the invasion of tourists, there are only 90 specimens. Therefore, traffic on the road was restricted and new saplings were planted.
The sun had already set by the time we returned to Belfast. We had a truly eventful day behind us. Due to the distances and the multitude of sights, we kept up a steady pace. Of course, we can spend more time and explore the same route in more depth, but not in one day. We got a taste and an addiction, now we're planning our next trip.
October, 2023
