Northern Ireland Causeway Route

Recommended days	1
Budget	£
Difficulty	Easy

If the weather is good the Irish coast can be beautiful. This road trip took us along the Northern Ireland Causeway Route from Carrickfergus to Giant’s Causeway, an easy days travel.

We flew into Belfast and hired a car to save time but it’s easy enough to catch the ferry from Liverpool to Belfast, usually an 8 hour crossing so best to get a cabin!

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus is steeped in history. There is loads of parking by the castle, on the seafront and from there it is easy to walk to the attractions. There are plenty of information boards around and it’s worth walking along the front to see the Churchill tank a bit further up and then coming back via the city walls and murals and one of the little nearby cafes. The castle is pretty much intact and often has events on and again, has plenty of information inside.

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Dunluce Castle

After refreshments in the town we headed north to Dunluce. This is a ruined castle in a spectacular setting on the coast. There is parking nearby and it is well worth a visit for an hour or so before heading to Giant’s Causeway.

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Giant’s Causeway

Giant’s Causeway is somewhere I’ve visited many times and it is never a chore. As one of the premier attractions in Ireland it is well signposted with a huge car park and also an excellent new visitor centre and cafe. After going through the visitor centre you have the option of walking down to the stones or taking the coach.

I’d recommend walking as you get to see a lot more and appreciate the setting as a whole. It is also best to walk back, climbing the steep steps by the Organ and then taking the cliff path for some spectacular views.

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After some delicious food in the restaurant we headed back to the airport for our flight home. It’s quite amazing what you can do in a day and the Northern Ireland Causeway Route is a grat introduction to road trips!

2011