Day 1 – Over the border

Galway to Derry/Londonderry was the longest drive of the trip so far. There was a couple of things to see along the way. Mostly the journey was along motorways and highways, which Jane was thankful for.

First stop was pretty town of Donegal. Donegal Castle sits right in the middle of the town, We had lunch at The Olde Castle Seafood Bar, before touring the castle. We joined in a tour of the castle and learned its interesting history. We also walked around the town and bought some souvenirs and this was probably the last opportunity in (The Republic of) Ireland.

Situated just before the Northern Ireland border is the Grianán of Aileach. This is the remnant of a fort built on a 250m hill. Perfectly circular it commands breathtaking views of Ireland to the west and Northern Ireland to the east.

We slipped over the border into Northern Ireland without any fuss. We were expecting at least a “Welcome” sign. When I checked Google maps we’d already left Ireland. We arrived in Derry and found our accommodation for the night. The Lawrence is a small boutique hotel elegantly decorated. Each room is themed on a famous Irish Writer. Our room, the Joseph Mary Plunket suite was beautiful. The hotel host explained a little about Mr Plunket and even sang us a verse of the famous Irish ballad “Grace“, dedicated to Plunket’s sweetheart. I’ve never had that happen in a hotel before.

We took some time to walk along the river front. We saw the famous Derry Girls mural. We had dinner at the Old Docks Bar and Grill before retiring for the night.

Day 2 – Causeway Coastal Drive

The Causeway Coastal Route from Derry to Belfast is said to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Our first stop was Duluce Castle. This was my favourite castle of the trip so far. Mainly for the location. Perched right on a cliff’s edge its magnificent views over the rugged coast line. The stone walls of the castle, the blue sky and green grass contrasted and complimented each other wonderfully. It was like a scene from a fantasy movie.

The next planned stop was the Giants Causeway, but we were running late for our appointment to cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. We had already booked online for this a few months ago. Jane readily agreed to it then .. but now after seeing the coastline she was thinking again. The bridge is a 15 minute walk from the carpark and there was a small queue to cross it. The wind wasn’t strong but Jane decided to stay and take photos and videos. I crossed it – it wasn’t scary at all. The bridge didn’t sway, but it did bounce a fair bit. It was an unique experience.

After lunch at a pub in the town of Bushmills – the place they make Bushmills Irish Whiskey, be backtracked to The Giants Causeway. This is a unique coastal landform that resembles stepping stones for giants. We didn’t have the time nor the energy for the full tour, so we took the cliff top walk and enjoyed the scenery from afar.

It was getting late so we pushed on into Belfast. Belfast is a small city and capital of Northern Ireland.

We checked into the Europa Hotel and returned to the car to find a parking space, while we got settled in. We had to return the car that afternoon with a full tank of fuel. We knew there was a petrol station close to the Sixt Airport depot. When we tried to fill up it would not accept any of credit cards – and there was no attendant. We had to return the car 3/4 full – and yes, of course, they slugged us with a charge.

We caught the Airport Express bus back to the city and rewarded ourselves with a few drinks in two of the pubs around our hotel. Jane spotted a Filipino restaurant, Rayles Diners, so we had some Sisig for dinner.

Day 3 – Belfast tours

We had the whole next day in Belfast. We had booked the Titanic Experience tour. The experience is situated in the actual location the Titanic was built. The self guided tour starts with the ship’s conception right through to the sinking and finding the wreckage, It was fascinating and very well done.

Since we arrived in Ireland Jane was bugging me to go to the Game of Thrones Studio Tour. I hadn’t allowed for this in the trip plan, so I have been telling her to arrange it for the past week. With only half a day left in Belfast, she booked it and all of a sudden we were on the bus to the studios. The tour is in the actual studio that about 75% of the Game of Thrones was filmed. It was pretty good with lots of props and scenes. The highlight for me was the Iron Throne.

On our return to Belfast, we found almost no restaurants with a free table for two for dinner. We eventually found someone that would take us in, The Shed Grill and Seafood. We shared a seafood risotto. It was nice.

Day 4 – Flying to Scotland

We woke fairly late and I went across the road to get Starbucks coffee for breakfast. I also picked up a Belfast Starbucks mug for my collection. We took the Airport express bus to the airport and caught our easyJet flight to Edinburgh.