We drove out to the site of Giants Causeway our first evening in Ireland. We were too exhausted to even think about venturing beyond the parking lot. The wind and cold made our decision to turn around and find some dinner easy.
We returned to Giant’s Causeway on day 3 of our trip. Kilmail Country Chalet was selected for our two-day B&B stay in the area because of its close proximity to sites we wished to visit multiple times. We were 15 minutes away from both the Giant’s Causeway and The Dark Hedges. We arrived early enough to have all the causeway to ourselves. It was a beautiful morning. Blue skies with lovely clouds overhead. We walked around photographing this amazing wonder for almost two hours. Cyndie and I both agreed that we could have easily spent an entire day here. There is just so much to see and photograph at this natural wonder.
The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986, and a national nature reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant’s Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres (92 ft) thick in places.
Much of the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site is today owned and managed by the National Trust and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland. The remainder of the site is owned by the Crown Estate and a number of private landowners.
It was a relief to land in Dublin after being on the move since early afternoon the day before. I didn’t get any sleep on the flight. The excitement of being in Ireland perked me up a bit as did the nervous anticipation of loading up our rental car and heading out on our way. It was a bit of a bumpy start as we did not know that a diesel automatic car turns off when you step on the break. It was quite baffling, but after a few occurrences we assumed it to be normal and continued on away from the airport.
All was going fine for an hour or so into our journey until we put the town where we’d be staying into the TomTom. We didn’t realize how to change counties (Dublin = Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Ballymoney = Northern Ireland). Turns out there is a Bally-something-or-other in the ROI too. After driving in circles a bit and abandoning any dependence on the TomTom, we resorted to a paper map and information gleaned from Google Maps before our mobile hotspot (which we also rented with the car) quite working because we crossed over into Northern Ireland. Off to a smashing start.
Directions
Driving through the Irish countryside trying to locate you B&B while completely exhausted is an experience. At this point in the trip I was realizing why it was recommended to stay the first night in-country in a hotel in Dublin. To late. The frustration was further exacerbated by stopping to ask for directions. When you are not used to the accent, it is very difficult to understand much. Thankfully the nice shop keeper and local farmer were able to ascertain our desired destination and recorded the direction on a piece of receipt tape. The written word was a relief to see; shortly we were back on track…and actually not far from our destination.
The Causeway Coastal Route between the cities of Belfast and Derry~Londonderry is a kaleidoscope of natural landscapes, imposing cliffs, bubbling mountain streams and gushing waterfalls. The route starts in Belfast and will take you through the gorgeous Glens of Antrim towards the famous Giant’s Causeway. The highlight is the odyssey that is the Giant’s Causeway, 40,000 basalt columns jutting out into the ocean.
~www.ireland.com
Causeway Coastal Route
Our first experience with the coast of Northern Ireland was awe-inspiring to say the least. After checking into our B&B just a wee bit up the road from Ballymoney we headed out to find a place to have dinner. Our first sight of the coast was at the end of Ballybogy Road by The Royal Court Hotel. There is an access road to the beach and the White Rocks. The wind was gusting at almost 40 mph; on the beach; it was easy to imaging what a piece of metal being sandblasted must endure. It was difficult to stand there and view the beautiful coastline. The photo above is from the coastal road East of White Rocks. There wasn’t any sand storms up on the coastal road which made it easier to take a photo. The wind sure made it feel chilly too. If my math is correct, 45 degrees and 40 mph winds feel like 19 degrees. Brrrr.
We continued on down the coast scouting out sites to visit the following morning. It was getting late, it was windy, cold and we needed some dinner before we collapsed. We returned to The Royal Court Hotel where we dined on fish and chips with a pint of Guinness; it was divine.
Kilmail Country Chalet
After some much needed rest at Kilmail Country Chalet and their delicious traditional Irish breakfast we made our first visit to The Dark Hedges before setting out to explore the coast some more. We visited the following sites by heading East along the coastal road. We did visit Giants Causeway as well, but I am leaving that for the next post as it deserves it very own.
Dunluce Castle
Dunluce Castle is a now-ruined medieval castle in Northern Ireland. It is located on the edge of a basalt outcropping in County Antrim (between Portballintrae and Portrush), and is accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The castle is surrounded by extremely steep drops on either side, which may have been an important factor to the early Christians and Vikings who were drawn to this place where an early Irish fort once stood.
Dunseverick Castle Ruin
Dunseverick Castle Ruin is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, near the small village of Dunseverick and the Giant’s Causeway. The Castle and the peninsula on which it stands were given to the National Trust in 1962 by local farmer Jack McCurdy. The Causeway Cliff Path also runs past on its way to Dunseverick Harbour to the east and to the Giant’s Causeway to the west.
White Park Bay
White Park Bay is a bay and three-mile long beach located near Ballycastle, County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, along the Giant’s Causeway Coastal Route. Sheep and cattle graze the hills and beach along the bay, which has been under the care of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty since 1938. It is situated in the townland of White Park.
My first post of Ireland photos will begin with a favorite location in Northern Ireland, The Dark Hedges. The beech tree-line road was already one of the most photographed natural landmarks on the island of Ireland. This tourist attraction recently achieved global prominence after it appeared on the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. In January 2016, Storm Gertrude damaged several of the 200+ year old trees. The site is still a vision to behold, but it is a fraction of what it once was; only 90 of the approximately 150 trees remain standing.
Kilmail Country Chalet Breakfast
We had two opportunities to shoot this natural wonder. Our first view of this natural marvel was the morning of day 2 of our trip after a hearty traditional Irish breakfast while we waiting out a brief storm where a wee bit of hail fell. When we arrived at The Dark Hedges it was everything but dark. The sky was bright and full of clouds; the remnants of the earlier hail shower still lingering. The harsh sun cast deep and heavy shadows. You can easily see the gaps that Gertrude made here. Stay tuned for many more Ireland posts to come. Here are the shots from two different day at The Dark Hedges.
We made another visit the morning of day 3 before departing the area and heading West. The light was dramatically different.
