THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY, NORTHERN IRELAND.

This story happened on: 09/02/2012

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One of my long standing ambitions had been to drive the amazing route in Northern Ireland from Belfast to Bushmills – the Causeway Route – and this I did in July 2011. It is listed as one of the top European drives and frequently gets listed very high in top drives of the world so I always knew I was in for something special but nothing can prepare you for the sheer splendour and continuous breath taking scenery. Most of the route is adjacent to the sea shore and is stunning. It is also a truism that when something is on your doorstep you often fail to get round to visiting because you feel you can always do it some other time! Well, 2011 was going to be the year and nothing was going to stop me.

We took the ferry from Stranraer to Belfast having stayed overnight in Cumbria at Englethwaite Hall Caravan Club Site. I prefer shorter ferry journeys as I find them boring and so I am always prepared to drive a bit further and the Stranraer-Belfast crossing is pretty quick.

We stayed at the excellent Ballyness Caravan Park in Bushmills, Co Antrim. Mostly fully serviced hard standing pitches with immaculate facilities including WiFi and just a ten minute walk from the centre of Bushmills. A meal at The Distillery Arms and a guided tour of the world famous Bushmills Distillery need to be on the list and – of course – a trip to the Giant’s Causeway itself. Indeed the hop on hop off bus calls right into the site itself and is a brilliant way of seeing everything.

The memories will stay with Faye and me forever. My photo is taken at Portballintrae but it could be one of up to another thirty scenes any one of which would make the front page! Our trip will be remembered for many reasons; not least for popping in to a Spar store in Bushmills on the Sunday to buy the last ever edition of The News of the World!!

I love doing the research for these touring trips of mine and this one needed a lot of planning. I am therefore particularly grateful to Bill Martin who I work with at The Caravan Club and who lives in Belfast and to Natasha Macdonald who works at East Grinstead House and spent her childhood in Northern Ireland. (By the way, I think also it highly likely that over time Club Together will become a very valuable research database for us all to use.)

7 comments

NatashaM commented on 09/02/2012 15:12

NatashaM

Commented on 09/02/2012 15:12

Fantastic to see such a great story about my home country. That picture brings back warm memories of holidays as a child in Portballintrae; I used to swim off the harbour wall at high tide. I love the North coast; there is so much to see and do and some wonderful bars and restaurants. If anyone wants any help planning a stay in Northern Ireland I would be happy to give you a few tips on my favourite places to go and if you check out The Club’s Travel service we have some great rates negotiated on the ferries. Christopher I appreciate the comments and I am delighted you enjoyed your stay so much. Now to plan my next trip home ........

jacobson commented on 10/02/2012 14:42

Member

jacobson

Commented on 10/02/2012 14:42

We done that same trip 3 years ago, englethwaite hall Carlisle, Stranraer to Belfast, we then stayed at lovely CL at a place called Islandmagee, next day decided to do the Antrim coast road, got half way round it when BANG big engine problem,ended up on the back of an RAC van being towed back into Belfast.

Two days later and £800 lighter our second attempt on the Antrim coast road was more sucessfull and well worth it....

NatashaM commented on 16/02/2012 14:45

NatashaM

Commented on 16/02/2012 14:45

I am sorry to hear about the problems you had Roseroy but that it all worked out well and you managed to drive that beautiful coastline. The views are stunning and you can stop in sleepy like coastal places like Cushendun and Cushendall, onto Ballycastle, then to Portballentrae, Portrush and Portstewart with the amazing National Trust Strand - the beach goes on for miles. I used to love as a child to go and visit the castles and for those who have a head for heights I loved to cross Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge - magical!

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/carrickarede/

Interested commented on 23/02/2012 13:10

Member

Interested

Commented on 23/02/2012 13:10

Glad to hear that you had a good trip to Nothern Ireland. We are considering a similar trip but have never taken the caravan on a ferry before. Anything we should know? Would we always be advised to book sites in advance? Hubby would like to wait and decide where to go once we arrive. We would book a site for our arrival.

StanWharton commented on 23/02/2012 21:31

Member

StanWharton

Caravanner

Commented on 23/02/2012 21:31

A group of us, 7 units in total, toured Ireland two years ago and had a fantastic time. We had pr-booked all the Sites, mainly because of the number of units, but if you are travelling solo I don't think that you would have any problems as there are plenty of exceptional Sites wherever you go. I can almost guarantee that you will have a memorable holiday, the country is great and the people are very friendly. Happy travels.

NatashaM commented on 06/03/2012 20:44

NatashaM

Commented on 06/03/2012 20:44

Hi Interested, if you give the Club's travel service a call they can help you with your crossing and am sure Hazel our resident travel expert could help advise. We have one Affiliated site in Northern Ireland and 6 or 7 in the Republic of Ireland but there are also plenty of others around. School holidays start at the end of June so would expect sites to be fairly busy through into July and early August so June or September might be worth a try. Good luck with your first ferry crossing. Natasha