Skip to content

The Northern Ireland Causeway route

Recommended days 1
Budget £
Difficulty Easy

The Northern Ireland Causeway route is one of my favourite places to drive as the roads are usually so empty and if the weather is good then the views are superb. I often drive the coast road between Belfast and Londonderry and my eldest daughter came with me on this trip.

Gortmore Viewpoint

On this particular visit I had spare time so we followed the brown signs to the Gortmore Viewpoint. It was quite spectacular looking out along the coast at the sea mist as it rolled in. The statue of Manannan Mac Lir was beautifully evocative – as far as I remember it was stolen a few years ago and had to be replaced which is a real shame.

Messenden

From the viewpoint it was a short drive to the town of Castlerock which has a beautiful beach, plenty of parking and some good ice cream! We saw the temple at Mussenden from the beach so that became our next stop. It’s a National Trust property that has the shell of a country house in the grounds too. Originally built at the end of the 18th century as a summer house/library the temple is now an iconic place for photography and you can even get married there.

Giant’s Causeway

The mist and cloud had now started to really take effect and by the time we reached Giant’s Causeway the sunshine had gone and the light was flat and dull. The Causeway is another of those evocative places and whatever the weather it is pleasant to experience. Another National Trust property (with a huge cafe!) it is worth combining with the rope bridge at Carrick a Rede a few miles further on the coast road.

Londonderry

Our final stop of this Northern Ireland Causeway route was Londonderry. This is literally one of the most divided cities I have ever visited with the ramparts looking down on the Bogside. I remember so many names and events here from watching the news as a kid in the 80’s at the height of the euphemistically named ‘Troubles’ and there are still plenty of murals around trying to keep the spirit of division alive. We just visited the Peace Bridge and walked along the riverside enjoying the sunshine.

2014

20 thoughts on “The Northern Ireland Causeway route”

  1. Hello! I just wish to offer you a big thumbs up for the great information you’ve got here
    on this post. I’ll be returning to your site for more soon.

  2. This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.

    I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post.

    Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!

  3. Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and
    design. Wonderful choice of colors!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *