Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Trip to the North Day One

Lauren and I had decided long ago that we should venture to the north for a few days during her visit. She had a number of things she wanted to see and do while up there and we made a best effort to accomplish them all. We were unfortunately not able to go across the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge , this is mainly due to the fact that the bridge would get stolen during the winter months or so the locals say... (I think it may possibly be due to a more sinister plot..)



However, we lazed our way from Dublin enroute to WhitePark Bay on the North Antrim Coast via Belfast, Ballymena, Coolraine, and Bushmills. It was a good easy drive and relatively easy to navigate our way in my little car. We decided to stop at Dunluce Castle.

It was a hazy day but, the views from the castle are amazing. The rugged northern coast is something that everyone should take an opportunity at least once in there lives to see for them selves.

Dunluce Castle

Dunluce Castle is one of the most extensive ruins of a medieval castle in Northern Ireland. It is located on the edge of a basalt outcropping in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and is arcessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. It is between Portballintrae and Portrush. The castle is dramatically surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops either side, which would have been a very important factor to the early Christians and Vikings who were drawn to this place where an early Irish fort once stood. It is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland of Dunluce, in Coleraine Borough Council area. (For further Information regarding Dunluce Castle click here.)

After I managed to almost throw myself off the cliff we headed to our B&B on beautiful WhitePark Bay near Ballintoy. We stayed at the Whitepark House B&B and I have to say it was worth every penny we paid. I will have a review in a later blog posting.

Here are some further images from Dunluce Castle:





Next Post Day Two: Giant's Causeway and Bushmills

2 comments:

Chris said...

holy cow, who knew the North was so beautiful? well, i guess lots of people knew, except me. I am adding that area to the to-see list.

-Chris

Chris said...

Great pics!!

-k.