Exploring County Antrim

July 16, 2023

From Belfast Castle, we set off on our journey through County Antrim and its mystical landscape of rock formations, ruined castles, and wooded glens.  Our first stop in Antrim was at the Dark Hedges.  They were planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century as the formal entrance to their property, but the gnarled and intertwined beech trees became famous as the site as the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones.  Before the trip, I had heard that the Dark Hedges, while really cool, were a bit of a disappointment because there were tons of tour buses parked nearby and too many people to truly appreciate the site.  That, however, was not our experience.  Though there were a decent number of people, it wasn’t overwhelming and the street was still very cool.

For lunch, we stopped off in the harbor-town of Ballycastle, which marks the eastern end of the Causeway Coast, and found a small pub to grab a quick bite before continuing our tour. The town was everything you would expect in rural Ireland - narrow roads winding up and down rolling hills, flanked on both sides with picturesque and colorful storefronts. We also got to drive along the harbor as we started our trek down the Causeway Coast.

Our first stop along the coast was Kinbane Castle (Caisleán Ceinn Bán), which was a late-add to fill our puffin void and perhaps the highlight of the day. The ruined castle was built in 1547 by Colla MacDonnell, then rebuilt in 1555 following an English siege. What is left of the castle sits on a limestone headland jutting out from basalt cliffs with incredible views of both Rathlin Island and Scotland. We had to descend 140 stairs from the top of the cliff to reach the castle, but wow! I can’t imagine a more picturesque location.

Next on the itinerary was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, but we arrived to find that it was closed for the

day due to extreme winds. Luckily, everything along the Causeway Coast is relatively close together and I was able to rejigger our plans tomorrow and get reservations to come back to the bridge in the morning. We did walk down to the rope bridge, which was a much longer walk than I had anticipated (~1.2 miles), but then set off to Dunlace (Dún Libhse) Castle. In contrast to Kinbane Castle, Dunluce (“dun-loose”) Castle is pretty well preserved for being centuries old. It is perched atop a dramatic basalt crag and there is a narrow bridge that leads from the former guest lodgings and stables across a dizzying gap to the main part of the fortress. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle was the seat of the MacDonnell family (the earls of Antrim from 1620). What amazed me the most about the castle (besides the setting and the view) was the fact that three of four of the bay windows are virtually undamaged beyond the lack of glass. Dunlace Castle was very cool, but personally I think Kinbane Castle was the more impressive and stunning site.

By the time they kicked us out of Dunlace Castle at 5:00 pm, it was time to go to our hotel and get ready for dinner. We were staying at the Causeway Hotel (est. 1844) because it is right at the Giant’s Causeway and offers unfettered access before the visitors experience and parking lots open up.

Dinner was at Bushmills Inn, which is an old coaching inn dating back to around 1608. It has peat fires, gas lamps, a secret library, and a round tower, and the old 17th century stables are now used as a restaurant that uses local produce to make local dishes. The food was good across the board, but the stars of the show were the savory goats' cheesecake and the sticky toffee pudding. After dinner, we returned to the hotel and grabbed one last round of local craft beers before turning in for the night.