Today, we took a tour of the north coast of Northern Ireland.
Note that some of the old warning signs still remain in place from The Troubles. This sign warns you to stay alert and stay together. This identifies a meeting play where there is a direct line to the police.
Carrickfergus Castle where William of Orange first landed in Ireland in pursuit of King James’ army.
The harbor at the small town of Carrickfergus.
Above, Tamlaght in Gaelic means “Death Grave,” a terrible name for a nursing home.
Below, the site of the home of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the US. Known as Stonewall Jackson, he had his ancestral home in Ireland although he was born in the US as is the requirement for anyone to be president.
Is this really a polka dot car?
Above, storm clouds forming over the area where the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. Will our trip be a washout?
For you Game of Thrones fans, most of it is filmed in Northern Ireland. Above, “The Wall” used in the series.
This crown in the roundabout was used for the Millennium celebration. They liked it and decided that it should stay.
Tom, our bus driver, negotiating a one-way tunnel with two-way traffic on the north coastal highway.
Fishing village on the north coast.
Look for the lonely lighthouse on the island where the Irish Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Ballygally House Castle now a hotel.
Left and below, Glenarm Harbor.
The walled garden in Glenarm. The castle is still occupied and is a private residence.
Storm clouds over our destination.
Carnlaugh fishing village. Winston Churchill’s mother owned a home here that remained in the Churchill family until after his death. He often visited this tranquil town.
Above, the “White Lady” rock on the coastal highway. Below, views of the glen running down to the coast. We learned that a “valley” does not run to the sea, however, a “glen” is a valley that terminates at the sea.
Below, cave houses along the coastal highway. The second picture is actually of a school that was held in the cave demonstrating how far back the Irish cherished education.
Below, the Archway at Red Bay, another one way pass on this road with 2 way traffic.
An old jail tower remains in one small town.
This is the "Vanishing Lake" water soaks into the ground due to limestone and peat bottom - it had just been raining a few minutes before. Because of the limestone bottom, the lake will fill up when it rains heavily then slowly drain into the underground aquifer. Below, a coffee stop at a nice park area.
Below, we arrive at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
Our approach to the rope bridge that connects the cliffs to the island. It was installed by salmon fishermen to get to the island. The salmon take a short cut between the cliffs and the island to get to their spawning grounds.
Edward climbing down to the rope bridge that is located 120 feet above the water that runs between the cliff and the island.
Hiking path to the rope bridge. It is a 1.1 Km hike up and down the cliffs to get to the bridge.
Cliffs at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
They say that on a clear day you can see Scotland from here!
Just above the rope bridge with the cliffs in the background.
The beautiful clear Atlantic Ocean water that runs beneath the bridge and the bridge itself on the right.
A rainy stop at the Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.
A watermill near the Bushmills Distillery. There were sever watermills built on the river to process the ingredients for the whiskey. Below a coastal castle with part having fallen into the sea. It was the important part, the kitchen and all the food storage areas.
Lunch at a restaurant in a former dairy barn.
Arriving at the “Giant’s Causeway.”
The giant stones were formed by lava hitting the cold Atlantic Ocean water. Oddly, the stones are all in the shape of a hexagon. There are about 10 other places in the world where this phenomenon occurs. The Giant’s Causeway more of these stones than any other location.
It is a difficult climb up to the top of the columns. Not for the faint of heart especially on a rainy day when the rocks are wet and “slippy” as they say here.
The mountain in the background bears a striking resemblance to the mountain above Machu Pichau in Peru.
Note the general hexagonal shape of the rocks. The blacks ones are very slippy. There are thousands and thousands of these stones stacked upon one another by the force of nature.
Relief map showing the layout of the stones.
Above, Elaine finds a Scottish Thistle that has somehow found its way to Northern Ireland.
The small town of Bushmills has nothing to support it other than the distillery. People, especially the young, are slowly moving away. To keep from having the town looking deserted, the buildings have been painted to resemble active businesses being operated in them. This one is a bookstore complete with someone sitting in the window above.
A truly great tour of this lovely area of Northern Ireland. We did not know that the area even existed when we came here but were very happy to learn about it and take what was a great tour for the price.
