Discover Northern Ireland

Follow in the footsteps of giants

An hour’s drive north of Belfast, discover legend, history and Game of Thrones locations along Northern Ireland’s most scenic drive, the Causeway Coast.

TEXT AND PHOTOS: Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford

01 02 01 The Giant’s Causeway is made up of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns.

02 The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

03 Dunluce Castle coat of arms.

04 On the Causeway Coast, the roaring North Atlantic is your backdrop.

03 04

Salute Samson and Goliath (twin shipbuilding gantry cranes), bypass Ballymena – the city of Seven Towers – and descend under The Dark Hedges to reach Ireland’s northernmost coast, embarking upon a coastal drive widely regarded as “an epic”.

With the roaring North Atlantic as your backdrop, hit the open road straddling sheer cliffs, meandering through sleepy seaside villages and uncovering Northern Ireland’s stunning natural beauty town-bytown. From the cosmopolitan capital of Belfast curving around the island’s north-eastern tip to the walled city of Derry-Londonderry, the Causeway Coast’s mid-point is the eponymous and iconic Giant’s Causeway. A 50-million-year-old geological wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giant’s Causeway is steeped in myth and legend and is a true symbol of Northern Ireland.

With your heart in your throat, take a deep breath and step off the edge. Eastwards towards Belfast, take your chances traversing the (seemingly) treacherous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

Connecting the mainland to a tiny island since the 1750s, originally erected by local salmon fishermen, a 30-metre (98-foot) deep and 20-metre (66-foot) wide chasm is crossed only one way – a rope bridge allowing just eight people at a time. Further along, seek out the pretty seaside towns of Cushendun and Cushdenall.

Continuing west to Derry, walk within Dunluce Castle, a ruined medieval castle town perched atop a cliff, and the 18th century estate Downhill Demense with its vacant outpost of Mussenden Temple. A coastal drive is never complete without a seafood feast and Harry’s Shack, located right on the sands of Portstewart Strand, is the award-winning fish restaurant that’s fit to feed any giant or mere mortal who passes its doors.

DID YOU KNOW...

Bombardier Q400 has a wingspan of 28.4 metres (93 feet), which is the length of a basketball court.