Tour - Day 8, Giants Causeway - Rope Bridge - Glens of Antrim - Belfast

Today we left Letterkenny at 9AM and it was raining. We passed by some wind turbines and lots of rolling hills and farmland. No more stone walls... this is Brit territory.

By the time we got to our first stop, 90 minutes away, the sun had come out! It was a photo stop near the Port Rush Gold Course, recent home of the Irish Open golf tournament. The coastline around Whitepark Bay and the green Glens of Antrim was beautiful! Yes, I'm still in my same parka, toboggan and scarf ;)

Just around the bend was the ruins of Dunluce Castle. The iconic ruin of Dunluce Castle bears witness to a long and tumultuous history. First built on the dramatic coastal cliffs of north County Antrim by the MacQuillan family around 1500, the earliest written record of the castle was in 1513.
It was seized by the ambitious MacDonnell clan in the 1550's, who set about stamping their mark on the castle under the leadership of the famous warrior chieftain Sorely Boy MacDonnell during an era of violence, intrigue and rebellion. In the 17th century Dunluce was the seat of the earls of County Antrim and saw the establishment of a small town in 1608. The dramatic history of Dunluce is matched by tales of a banshee and how the castle kitchens fell into the sea one stormy night in 1639 during a banquet! Locals claim it's haunted...

Afterwards, we spent an hour and a half at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. For $10, you can walk across the swinging rope bridge, formerly used by fisherman to access Carrickarede Island. Generations of fishermen once relied on Carrick-a-Rede as the best spot for catching salmon. After the fish’s migratory patterns changed, the age of fishermen on the island came to an end in 2002. The bridge is suspended 100 feet over the sea! It was a leisurely 20 minute walk each way, to and from the bridge. Once I crossed, I was rewarded with stunning views of Rathlin Island and even Scotland. A white washed cottage and small boat still remain on the island as reminders of its past.

                                  The meandering coastal path I walked down to the bridge.

 

 

We had a lunch stop in the village of Ballintoy, also on the coast. I walked up the road to check out an Anglican Church of Ireland and some sheep farms with baby lambs. Adorable! The farmers spray paint them for ID reasons.

                                          These two were so new they could barely stand!

From there we continued along the beautiful North Antrim Coast to world famous Giant's Causeway. Its 37,000 basalt columns form stepping stones leading from Ireland to Scotland and are featured in the Celtic legend of Fionn MacCool. These hexagonal-shaped pillars date back to a volcanic age almost 60 million years ago and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site . We spent 90 minutes there, and I listened to an audio tour as I walked  for 15 minutes down from the visitor center. Legend has it that two giants loathed each other. One day after enduring insults from Benandonner, Fionn built a path to use as stepping-stones to reach Scotland, which was then ripped up by Benandonner. The result was the Giant’s Causeway...

If you're not into legends, here's the scientific explanation: Sixty million years ago Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten rock was forced up through fissures in the chalk bed to form an extensive lava plateau. The dramatic cliff like edge of the plateau forms the Causeway coastline. The larger fissures, through which the lava flowed, can be clearly seen as bands of dark rock which cut down the cliff faces and jut out to sea. There were three periods of volcanic activity which resulted in the flows, known as the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts.

It is the Middle Basalts rocks which forms the columns of the Giants Causeway. The rapidly cooling lava contracted and variations in the cooling rate resulted in the world famous columnar structure. The columns are mainly hexagonal though there are some with up to eight sides. Weathering of the top of of the lower Basalts formed the Inter Basaltic Bed - the band of reddish rock which is a feature of the area. The same action of the weather created circular formations round a nugget of basalt which are known locally as "giants eyes".

OK... enough rocks!!!  Our last stop of the day was the Dark Hedges in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. It is recognized by Game of Thrones fans as the King's Road in Westeros, and is the most photographed place in N. Ireland! The beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House, now a private country club.I'm guessing the "hedge" is much more impressive in summer with leaves on the tees!

From there, we drove an hour to Belfast, our final overnight on the tour. My hostel is decent, in a fun area, and I headed down the street to meet the group and guide Sean for a farewell Guinness and a boxty... . potato pancake filled with veggies and chicken in a white wine sauce! Finally, a photo in real clothes without my heavy coat and hat! ;)

                     Yum! Tomorrow it's the Titanic Museum, Black Taxi tour and back to Dublin!