Tag Archives: Northern Ireland

The Antrim Coast Sightseeing Marathon

(Portrush, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland)

June 9 was a test of my sightseeing endurance. Despite not being in peak physical condition (due to a worrisome sore throat and some other cold symptoms), I decided to maximize my tourist thrills and see as many sights on the Antrim Coast as possible…by using public transportation.  I set a goal of three:  the Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills Whiskey Distillery, and Dunluce Castle.  Could I pull it off and still make it for pre-dinner drinks at the Portrush Yacht Club?

Early indicators were positive.  “Hopper” bus pass in hand, I caught the first Route 402 bus and scoped out the latter sights on my way to the Giant’s Causeway.  Knowing the lay of the land was essential to success.

Frolicking on the Giant's Causeway
Frolicking on the Giant’s Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is bizarre.  The legend is that it was indeed a causeway built by a giant to link Ireland and Scotland.  However, tragedy and misunderstanding naturally entered the picture…and the causeway was destroyed, with only a small portion here (and a smaller portion in Scotland) surviving.  The geological explanation is less thrilling.  In any case, the cover art for Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” album is no longer a mystery.

The slightly scarier side of the Giant's Causeway
The slightly scarier side of the Giant’s Causeway

I rambled, photographed, and  moved on to some intense cliff trails.  No challenge was left unturned.  162 straight steep steps up?  Bring them on!  Exposed windy cliffs with no protective railing?  No problem!   A bus at 12:26 instead of the 12:36 I thought I had read?  That’s going to be tricky.  Nonetheless, with a full 2 minutes to spare, I caught the hourly bus and was on my way to the town of Bushmills and its namesake whiskey distillery.

More frolicking on the Giant's Causeway, but note the red-jacketed park rangers at top right.
More frolicking on the Giant’s Causeway, but note the red-jacketed park rangers at top right.

I’m not really a whiskey (Irish) or whisky (Scottish) drinker.  I don’t think I’ve ever had Bushmills whiskey before today.  However, I appreciate well-made products and didn’t want to make the same mistake we made in Orkney, where we passed up the opportunity to tour the Highland Park Distillery.  And so, within 10 minutes of arrival, I was on a tour with 8 strangers to see how the (famous?) Bushmills Whiskeys are made.

It was cool.  It was hot – almost unbearably so in the distilling room.  It was odd – could that goopy granola really become whiskey?  Indeed, how did they ever come up with the process in the first place?  And then we saw the bottling line – I was expecting to see Laverne & Shirley appear at any moment (and was trying to get their theme song out of my head).

Exterior of the Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, Northern Ireland (photos were not allowed inside)
Exterior of the Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, Northern Ireland (photos were not allowed inside)

Armed with all kinds of information about distillation, peat (or not), and sherry casks, we each received a free sample in the on-site bar.  I went for the oldest available option (12 year old single malt), reasoning that 12 must be better than 10 (with the 16 and 21 year old varieties deemed too expensive for the tourists).  It was smooth, it felt good on my sore throat, and I will never have it again because the 12-year old blend is only available for purchase at the distillery.

With the clock a-ticking, I abandoned a plan to go into town for lunch and instead grabbed a quick lunch at the distillery’s café.  I opted for the Steak and Guinness pie and (see photo below) it was surprisingly the best meat pie I have ever had.  Rich-tasting, with virtually no gruel-like filler, I wished that I could have more.  But no!  I had to catch another bus!

Steak and Guinness Pie from the Old Bushmills Distillery (Bushmills, Northern Ireland)
Steak and Guinness Pie from the Old Bushmills Distillery (Bushmills, Northern Ireland)

Dunluce Castle was an immense, opulent castle on a cliff overlooking the Antrim coast.  It provided unimaginable luxury, leisure and fine cuisine for those lucky enough to be received there.   However, a wing of the castle rather inconveniently fell into the sea one day.   This was the beginning of the end – before long, the castle was plundered and now only a huge haunting shell remains.

Dunluce Castle (the part that didn't fall into the sea)
Dunluce Castle (the part that didn’t fall into the sea)

I grabbed a handset for the audio tour and set out, madly clicking photos as I ambled, climbed, stretched and ducked through the ruins.  But there was a bizarre scheduling quirk, and the previously hourly bus skipped an hour…I suddenly had time to kill.  Noting that a guided tour was scheduled to begin in 2 minutes, I asked if I could go.  Even though I had already been on the audio tour, and no other people wanted a guided tour, I brazenly convinced the staff to send me off with a private guide for an enhanced tour that didn’t duplicate the audio tour.  I learned about a cave, secret passages, and all kinds of other stuff that other guests would not hear about.  Success!  Filling my final 20 minutes with a much needed “wee cup of tea”, I caught a bus back to Portrush with time to spare before my evening social engagement.

Nightfall on the West Strand in Portrush, Northern Ireland
Nightfall on the West Strand in Portrush, Northern Ireland

I will probably pay the price for rushing around like this…but it was fun to manipulate the limited bus schedule and other factors to create a whirlwind of sightseeing fun.  When combined with the previous day’s off-the-beaten-path tour by car, I think I’ve done a good job of travelling in this part of Northern Ireland.

My First Visit to Northern Ireland

(Portrush, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland)

After more than a week in the Republic of Ireland, I am now in Northern Ireland.  Northern Ireland belongs to the U.K. but the border crossing was a complete non-event as both countries belong to the E.U.  It was a long and epic journey:  Westport-Knock, Knock-Sligo and Sligo-Derry by bus; a shuttle bus from the bus station to the train station; a train from Derry to Coleraine and finally a train from Coleraine to Portrush.  It took more than 8 hours, with a quick shopping stop in Derry, but I enjoyed seeing so many different parts of the island in quick succession.

Derry (also known as Londonderry) was the first place where I had time to walk around a bit.  Its city walls are still intact and, as in Dubrovnik, you can walk around the old town on top of the walls.  I suppose it would have been logical to do that first.  But I had a feeling that the “Abbazappa” music shop in the old town would yield results…and I was right.  It was a motherlode of travel-appropriate 45 rpm singles and I am looking forward to playing them all when I get home.  It was bit of a frenzy, to be honest, and after paying for them I had to rush back to the bus station in order to make my connection.

Near the waterfront in Portrush, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Near the waterfront in Portrush, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland

The train trip from Derry to Portrush followed a beautiful route along the sea.  I’m staying in Portrush for three nights; it is a seaside resort town with a long history of welcoming travellers.  Thanks to the efforts of a friend back home, I was able to meet up with a family in Portrush for dinner.  They had never met me before but gave me a great welcome to their home town (as well as a great dinner).  The hospitality I saw in the Republic of Ireland is also quite apparent here.  Afterwards, even though it was almost 11:00 p.m., I was able to take some photographs of the shore (see this post’s “cover” photo) without any lighting difficulty.  These long days really fool you – it just doesn’t feel like it is time to wind down for the night.

Mussenden Temple (near Downhill, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland)
Mussenden Temple (near Downhill, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland)

The next day, I met up with an old radio friend from my undergraduate days at Queen’s.  He lives in the nearby town of Limavady and offered to give me an off-the-beaten-path tour of the area west of Portrush.

"Downhill Demesne" - this was being used as office space during World War II, but has gone downhill since then
“Downhill Demesne” – this was being used for official purposes by the RAF during World War II, but has gone downhill since then

Among other places, we visited the “Downhill Demesne” and Mussenden Temple complex as well as the top of Binevenagh Mountain.  Binevenagh, in particular, is extremely difficult to find so it was great to have a local guide.  There is no way it could have been reached by public transportation.  Binevenagh also confirmed that the Republic of Ireland does not have a monopoly on steep and spooky cliffs.  The views were great – we could see all the way to County Donegal in the Republic.

View from Binevenagh Mountain of Magilligan Point and County Donegal
View from Binevenagh Mountain of Magilligan Point and County Donegal

As we hadn’t seen each other in 20 years, my friend and I had a lot of catching up to do.  Obviously, a lot happens over two decades, but it was more remarkable how little our personalities seemed to have changed during that time.

I enjoyed the tour but I think my guide was a little nervous at first.
I enjoyed the tour but I think my guide was a little nervous at first.

Next up on the itinerary are some of the more traditional sights on the Northern Ireland coast.  These will be a little more crowded but it’s not really high season yet.  I just hope the notoriously fickle weather cooperates – a couple of these places are really exposed to the elements!