Having arrived in Northern Ireland, as well as making our way round the coast, we had the Games of Thrones doors challenge to complete. We’d collected the Game of Thrones Passport in Enniskillen during one of our diversions on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The first thing we noticed as we crossed the border into Northern Ireland were the bins in the laybys. There are no bins in laybys in Southern Ireland, and the public bins usually have very small openings.
The bin companies do not want household rubbish going in them as they are private companies, and they charge households to remove rubbish. This works if you are resident in Southern Ireland, but is not so good for vanlifers. As we crossed into Northern Ireland we were happy to see real sized UK bins and to get rid of some of our rubbish. (I never thought there would come a time in my life when I was happy to see a bin!)
Other than that, crossing backwards and forwards over the border was an anti-climax. We had no idea what to expect. The answer – nothing. No signs, no border controls, just our phones beeping as we moved from one network provider to another.
The first place we stopped was a camp site called Blazing Saddles. It wasn’t the best place we have ever stayed. It even had life sized models of cowboys and native Americans outside of the bar. I’m quite sure that is no longer politically correct. The place was huge and I would imagine, in the summer, when it is busy, it is a great place to be. But we arrived in December. We were grateful to be able to top up the power, and they opened the pub so we had a couple of drinks. The pub was huge, and there was just us and 3 builders in for a drink. The open fire was lit, however, which was lovely.
In the morning we went to the loo, only to discover the water was all switched off. We couldn’t top up our tank and, worse still, we couldn’t flush!
We left the campsite and headed through the hills to Limavady. Frank Owens pub has a door, and a really chatty landlord.
Game of Thrones passport stamped, we went to Downhill beach, a beautiful, long sandy beach with the Mussenden Temple above it. (For fans, season 2, the Burning of the Seven.)
Next was the Giants Causeway and, if I am honest, we were disappointed. I think from all the perfectly framed photos I have seen over the years, and the hype it gets, I believed it would be bigger. It is fascinating to see the interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
Personally I prefer the idea that the causeway was built by a giant, Finn MacCool, so he could get to Scotland and fight Benandonner. Realising Benandonner was much bigger than him, he dressed as a baby and pretended to be his own son. Seeing the huge baby, Benandonner imagines Finn must be even bigger than he is. So he runs back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway as he goes. The other end of the causeway can be found at Fingals Cave in Scotland, which is on our to do list.
I wouldn’t want to put anyone off going to the Causeway. It is really unique and a lovely shore walk, and the visitor centre is great. However if, like us, you are National Trust members, remember you are in the UK and can use your card. Ours were tucked away safely in the van and we ended up paying to get in.
When we left the Causeway a warning light came on in the van and it went into limp mode. Not much fun being stuck in a layby, on the roadside, in the dark, waiting for the AA. A really helpful man came along and fixed things. He also suggested a place to spend the night. We followed his directions and found ourselves driving down a long, narrow lane, with nothing around, into a small carpark. We really had no idea where we were, until we woke up to see the sun rising over the clifftop and realised we were on the edge of a cliff, with the carpark to ourselves.
There were steps down to Kinbane Castle, a ruin, and we were able to climb and scramble through it, walk along the beach to a waterfall and see many hundreds of really tiny snails. We had read about these rare snails at the Giants Causeway. They were minute.
Our next stop was Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. We couldn’t get in the car park as the barrier was too low. The Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy kindly let us park in the pub carpark and walk to the bridge. We got halfway before we realised we had forgotten our National Trust passes, again. This time we walked back to fetch them and headed for the bridge again.
Walking over it is not for the faint hearted, as the sea surges between the mainland and the island and the bridge moves as you cross it. Now, it is open for tourists, and closed if the weather is bad. When it was originally built, it was for salmon fishermen, and they had to go out, whatever the weather. The bridge, at this time, only had a handhold on one side, as the men would have been carrying their fishing equipment with the other hand. Once they got to the island, they had to lower their boats down the cliff face, then climb down to them, so they could fish. I hope they got a lot of salmon for their efforts.
Close by was Sheep Island, so called because in the times of the Viking invasions, the Irish put sheep on the island in the hopes that the Vikings would take them and turn back. It didn’t work. The Vikings invaded Ireland anyway, and judging by how difficult it is to get on to Sheep Island, they probably didn’t bother with the sheep.
Heading back to the pub, we took them up on their offer of fresh water for the tank, and had a lovely belated birthday meal for Neil. Oh, and got a photo of another door, and our passport stamped.
From here we made our way to the King’s Road. Sadly we didn’t bump into Ned Stark (I do like Sean Bean). However we did find somewhere to park for the night.
The Dark Hedges, another Game of Thrones filming site where 2 rows of beach trees line the road, is very spooky in the dark. We headed back in daylight and got some lovely photos. We were very lucky to see it, as the trees are dying and it is already looking a little sparse. It is still very atmospheric. Some of the trees, which have been taken down for safety reasons, have been used to make the doors.
We photographed the door in the Dark Hedges hotel and had our passport stamped. As it was a hotel, we had to wait until breakfast was underway before they would let us into the dining room.
Our next Game of Thrones stop was Mary McBride’s in Cashendun, a lovely pub with a very Christmassy atmosphere. There were also the sea caves to visit This is where Milisandre gave birth to the shadow creature. Apologies if you are not a fan.)
We moved on to the Ballygally Castle Hotel. A lovely place but very expensive. I paid £10 for a Game of Thrones rubber duck for my son, and £10 for a gin and tonic! Got the door photo and the stamp in our passport though.
The next day we drove through the “Dathraki Grasslands” otherwise known as the Shillanavoghy Valley to Londonderry.
Londonderry really got us in the mood for Christmas.
I had a prosecco-filled virtual chat with 2 friends I was missing. We went to sing carols and see the display of 71 Christmas trees in the cathedral and went out for drinks in the evening.
The pubs were full of people dressed up for Christmas parties and the atmosphere was fun. I left very overdressed in jeans, a jumper and a coat, while all the girls were sparkling in their little dresses. It was so cold though – I am too old to dress like that now. My pride no longer keeps me warm!
Wild Ireland had been on my list of places to visit, and it didn’t disappoint. It is a zoo where there are animals which used to be native to Ireland: bears, foxes, wolves, lynx and more. The keeper talks were entertaining and it is lovely that many of the animals have been rescued.
For example the bears came from Lithuania where they were being kept in a concrete cell. One of the bears made an appearance in my book Sleeping Giants: A Puca Adventure (The Puca Adventures Book 1) eBook : Abbott, Emily : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The great bear took off, up to the top of the cliff and along the summit, following a well used path made over many hundreds of years. Her speed was incredible, with the wind in my face, I soon settled into the rhythm and felt it was the most amazing thing I had ever done. Better, even, than zip wiring across the river in Akureyri. She was incredibly graceful, for an animal so large, and the ride was so smooth. Strangely, I felt safe and trusted this majestic animal.
Eventually Ursi slowed, and came to a stop. “Now we have to get down the cliff,” she said. “It doesn’t become too sheer until after the cave entrance, but it will be difficult for you. You must hold on tight and trust me. I will not fall.”
OK,” I replied, now used to the conversation playing in my head. I held on more and more tightly, leaning forward, flat onto the bear’s back, as the bear went over the edge and started her perilous way down the cliff face. I closed my eyes really tightly, moving with her body, as we inched down, towards the cave entrance.“
We returned to the GAA park up in Letterkenny for a night, and the water in the showers was hot! A bonus after the first visit. We had a lovely walk in Cuilagh, across the boardwalk, but did not tackle the stairway to heaven, up the mountain. Very considerate to put in a stair case, but it was too cold, and too wet and we are too old and too fat!
It was then time to have a Christmas lunch in Carrick-on-Shannon and park up at Anderson’s Thatched Pub again for their Christmas party night.
Gene was as welcoming as the time before, bringing us a pizza in the afternoon (not gluten free so lucky Neil) and making us feel at home in the pub. The musicians and singers were on the go all evening and we loved it. So relaxed and informal and so much fun.
We had planned to walk up Mullaghmore in County Clare on the way back to dads, but it was so windy and cold, we had a McDonalds instead and arrived at dad’s house for Christmas.