Up in the morning to catch the tour bus north to the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. First stop was a photo stop at Carrickfergus Castle just north of Belfast. It wasn't open so just had a walk around outside and climbed around on one of the low walls.
We enjoyed a beautiful drive up the Antrim Coast. The scenery was simply gorgeous. So green, lots of sheep, and gorgeous water views. Got beautiful weekend weather, I'm starting to think I'm very lucky when it comes to getting sunny days! Our driver had great stories about the area, he was very knowledgeable and apparently he just did the tour on the weekends for a bit of fun so you could tell he enjoyed what he did.
One place we spotted was called the Vanishing Lake (or Loughareema) which is a valley with a unique valley bed that meant a lake formed when it rained but could drain again within hours. Was empty when we saw it though... except for a few sheep.
Our first main stop was the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. I was really looking forward to walking along this rickety old rope bridge and when we arrived the area and views over the sea were incredible! There really is no way to describe just how gorgeous it is. There was a stunning limestone bay with a headland called Larrybane which looked very cool with it's contrasts of white, green and blue. Not far off that was Sheep Island where apparently the locals long ago put sheep in the hope the Vikings or whoever would take them instead of raiding the mainland. No idea how they would get them up the tall cliff walls but guess that's what legends are all about.
Sadly the rope bridge wasn't as thrilling as I thought it would be - I've been on much scarier ones in NZ but it was still like 30 meters above the sea so it was fun to cross. The bridge runs betwen the mainland and an island which was used by fisherman who were catching salmon. There was still a small shed and equipment there.
I loved walking around the little island, it was so relaxing. Spent quite awhile lying in the sun! Also walked around to the limestone bay and there was a little fort (apparently from like 800AD) and a great view of a tiny island called Stackaboy which I got some gorgeous photos off because the water was such a beautiful green colour around it. I really could have stayed out there longer. Soon after leaving we passed a place called White Park Bay which is a beach just down the road and has a hostel, I hope I get a chance to go back and stay there one day.
We stopped off to see the Dunluce Castle at a distance. Wish we could have had a walk around it but we didn't have the time, it looked so beautiful. Our driver also described some cool stories. After the photo stop we headed to the Bushmills whiskey distillery and enjoyed a 12 year they only sold there. Very nice. The distillery itself wasn't very exciting. Not even a proper tasting area, you just buy the whiskey at the cafe.
The final stop of the day was the Giants Causeway, a grouping of perfectly shaped flat rocks made by nature. There was a cliff walk along the top looking down on the causeway and it really is incredibly beautiful.
The stones themselves were very cool, how they could possibly be natural is a mystery. Walked around the stones for ages, there was a lot of people there but not too bad that you couldn't find a little spot away by yourself. The whole day made me miss home and the beach but I was also very happy to be out seeing such an amazing place. We spent quiet awhile at the causeway just enjoying the area. I think today was one of my favourite so far in my travels since I landed in London.Ok there are just far too many good photos so I'm just gonna post the rest under here :)
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