Day 3: A trip up the coast

Day 3: A drive up the coast

An update about yesterday evening: We went to eat at a pleasant little eaterie called "Molly's yard", it was really nice and the fayre was so filling that afterwards we felt too contented to traipse off to the Comedy club as previously planned, the traditional Irish coffee I ordered would be difficult to better. We traipsed back to the trusty Ibis instead, an early night in anticipation of tomorrow's busy day.

 

After a hearty breakfast - I've been meaning to have an "Ulster fry" whilst here, and today was the day, a typical full English but with soda bread instead of toast. Afterwards we eagerly awaited the pick up from our car hire company. "Enterprise" car hire operate a complimentary collection service, I thought this meant they continually told you how nice you looked whilst taking you to your car, but apparently this "complimentary" meant  it was free...

 

Our hire deal was really good, the upgrade from car group "A" to group "B" cost us an extra £1, (yes one pound!)

 

We planned to drive the "Coastal route" north to the Giant's Causeway, via Carrickfergus, Larne, Ballygalley, Ballyvoy, Ballycastle and Ballytoy, (the last place isn't actually spelt like that but I wanted to keep up the "Bally" sequence.)

 

We stopped early on so I could photograph Carickfergus Castle, there's a song called "Carrickfergus" by Van Morrison, I really love it, and this was really a homage - in fact now I can't get the tune out of my head!

The Castle at Carrickfergus

 

The coastal drive was fabulous, the views were great, the weather though cold was lovely - and it got nicer through the day, an added bonus were the roads, which were so quiet. We stopped for photo opportunities, comfort breaks and coffee at a number of sights -  cosy little harbours and panoramic headlands, all bracing and beautiful.

Cosy harbour near Ballygalley

Crashing waves off the coast

 

We got to the Giant's causeway at about 2:00 pm, the visitor's centre was impressive and not particularly crowded. After picking up the obligatory leaflets we followed the winding trail down to the shore line and the actual "causeway". It's really an impressive experience, the massive basalt columns growing out of the ground, all hexagonal, are truly bizarre. 

Jan watching her step!

Atlantic waves

 

This particular geological phenomenon is unique to the small corner of Ireland we were now at, and it - as well as the crashing waves, the clear blue sky and the fresh air, all contributed to a wonderful experience. I must warn you however that if you ever come here wear good shoes and don't carry any bags, it would be easy to fall and do yourself damage - my "gazelle-like" agility was sorely tested at times as I skipped gaily from stone to stone...

 

We turned for home after this, but with one more stop - the oldest distillery in Ireland was nearby at Bushmills,  and purely for the purposes of research, we felt a tour would be in order. £7:50 and a 45 minute factory walk seems a lot to pay for a glass of Whiskey, but it did seem to be very good whiskey...

 

Tasting a wee dram

 

We drove back into Belfast taking the scenic route, from the Lisburn Rd we dropped down from the hills above the city, (covered in snow), and returned the car safe and sound - approximately 120 miles all round, a really successful day!