Blogs from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 6

Dear All Greetings once again from London, and this is my travel blog entry for my second full day in Northern Ireland. As mentioned, I only planned to write up one entry for my four-day trip to Northern Ireland this half-term holiday, but found that my travels and experiences there were just so wonderful that I couldn’t possibly do the trip justice by just writing up one entry. So this is my second of three. In my last, I wrote up about my first full day in Belfast. In this one, I plan to write up about my second full day, in which I decided to take a full day “Paddywagon” bus tour up north, to the beautiful and seriously stunning area known as the Causeway Coast. I had actually been hoping to visit this area ... read more

Belfast and Northern Ireland has a chequered history. Having spent many years living and working here during what is euphemistically referred to as "The Troubles" I can attest to there being more than that chapter in history to define this place. Here I am some 20 years on, returning to my adopted home, not only to revisit parts of "The North" but to cast southward into the Republic of Ireland. The largely coastal route will tease back the cassock to reveal the magic and silliness that masquerades as day to day life on this wonderful island; but first it's to Belfast I go. Spot of luck to kick off the visit by not being welcomed by the customary tipping rain. It is cool, I will not lie, but there is a promise of a colourful visit ... read more

Unser Urlaubsplan für dieses Jahr: Irland, genauer gesagt: Die gesamte Insel einschließlich Nordirland. Wir starten in Portrush, einem kleinen trubeligen Städtchen auf einer Landzunge ganz im Norden. Wir werden von unerwartet schönem Wetter empfangen und beziehen ein älteres, aber nettes B&B, mit tollem Blick aus dem Fenster direkt auf eine Meeresbucht und den Hafen. Wegen des guten Wetters starten wir mit einer Wandertour: 14 km immer an der wunderschönen Küste entlang, vorbei an Schafen und Kühen, über Strände und Klippen, über Wiesen, Zäune und Stiles, links der Blick ins Grüne, rechts der Blick auf das Meer, und dazwischen Felsen und Buchten. Am Ende der Tour wartet das erste touristische Highlight: der Giant's Causeway. Das Ganze ist eine eigentümliche Formation von 37.000 sechseckigen Basaltsäulen, die beim sehr gleichmäßigen Abkühlen von Lava entstehen. Das ist schon sehr se ... read more

A port call in Belfast provided the opportunity to see a bit of Northern Ireland. The region appeared peaceful now, after so many years of factional strife. We selected another Paddywagon Tours excursion as our port tour at Belfast. Our first stop out of Belfast was at the Dark Hedges. The Dark Hedges is a line of 18th century Beech Trees along Bregnagh Road in County Antrim. They are very mysterious looking, like something out of Tolkien. In fact, the road and the overhanging trees were used in filming the TV series Game of Thrones, where they appeared as the King's Road. Other productions have also made use of their menacing appearance. The trees were planted ca. 1775 along the entrance road to Gracehill House. The entrance drive has long since become a public road. (Gracehill ... read more

"It was a cold and blustery Day" Sounds like the start to a Robert Frost Poem or perhaps Winny the Pooh but that was exactly what the day brought me as I finished my tour of the Republic of Ireland and entered Northern Ireland in route from Ballyliffin to Belfast. My luck of waking and finding better weather ran out today. I donned my full rain gear and full helmet. The temperature was in the 50's so I had to make sure I had enough layers to keep from getting cold. It was basically rain the entire way so not many pictures to show along the way. I went through Derry (London Derry) to the English, which made think of Bill and Jim Derry (friends in the fastener industry) and wondered if they had visited the ... read more