Michael and Pam's Travels Our European Motorhome Adventures and other Travels

Game of Thrones, Northern Ireland ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 2019

Date: 1st July 2019

Travelled: 56 kilometres from Bushmills to Ballycastle both in Northern Ireland

Visited: Giantโ€™s Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge and The Kingโ€™s Road

Stayed: Ballycastle, beachfront lay-by, free + B. N55.20517, W06.22491

Budget: 29 days @ โ‚ฌ79 per day

We hear rain on the roof a few times overnight, it continues as drizzle over coffee. Checking the weather forecast for today looks a little bleak, but it seems to be clearing so we go for a walk around Bushmills for half an hour.


Our plan for this morning is the Giantโ€™s Causeway. There is no cost to walk the site, but the National Trust charge ยฃ12.50 pp for parking at their car-park. Thanks to P4N we find you can park at the tramway carpark all day for ยฃ8 for a motorhome. Being it only requires an extra 200m walk we take the cheap option.


Map showing the Antrim Coast of Northern Island, left icon Giantโ€™s Causeway, right icon Carrick-a-Rede




Whatโ€™s it all about ? There are some 40,000 octagonal or hexagonal basalt columns that circle the Causeway..


Visiting the Giantโ€™s Causeway is something of a touch and feel experience for Pam.


So the Giantโ€™s Causeway is done, we return to the Hymer and continue east on the A2 around the Antrim Coast. 10 kms later we turn for the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Another National Trust rort, this time free parking but a ยฃ9 pp entrance fee.


We find out the Bridge has been closed all morning due to high winds. But we are lucky it just re-opened ! Pam is excited.





So, Carrick-a-Rede is done.

We drive the last few miles to Ballycastle and have a quick survey of the parking spots. Lots of boom gates although most are open. Still not the most friendly of towns it seems. We still need a supermarket and some LPG and there is an LPG station showing on the data-base, so we drive on. Alas no more the manager tells me. We do a quick re-plan and drive the 14 kms to The Dark Hedges, now infamous as a Game of Thrones backdrop as the โ€œKingโ€™s Roadโ€.



Looks spooky doesnโ€™t it ! At 6pm in the evening there were 2 tourist coaches here, one at each end of the lane. Luckily they all started walking back and I got this shot.

Map of Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. Icon on our parking spot.


Returning from the Hedges we spot an LPG pump at a little village servo, another job done. We hit the Co-op supermarket at Ballycastle before parking with another motorhome at a beachfront lay-by less than a km from town. We point the Hymer into the wind, I pour a glass of beer and wine and the day is done.


Itโ€™s cool and windy out there, but warm in here.

Michael and Pam


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