OVERVIEW

This amazing day with us takes you from Dublin to a UNESCO Heritage site in the northern half of Ireland. We leave Dublin at 6:30 am and take the 100 mile journey on the M1 straight up to the city of Belfast. There our other tour compatriots, who are on the Belfast tour, will transfer to another bus and will do a tour of this great city. We will be taking the coast road from Larne, until we reach Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. This coast road has been compared to the Great Ocean Road in Australia and California and you will see why. The minute we leave the port town of Larne, we arrive on a road built literally into the cliff-side around the rugged coastline of the north. We pass through little quaint villages and also pass the famous 9 Glens of Antrim, each of which will be explained to you by your driver in regards to what happened there, the terrible stories of some of them, and the funny stories of others. No matter what you want to listen to you will be overawed by the beauty you see on this fantastic road.

After you reach the village of Ballycastle, the fun really starts with a viewpoint over Carrick a Rede rope bridge and then you get to walk over the bridge if you have the nerve! This is included in the price, and we are the only tour company to include this in the price! It is for a charity so we are glad to offer this in our price. The National Trust run parts of this coastline and we are happy to donate money towards this very worthy cause. Looking after our natural sites of beauty is of prime concern to us so any help we can. With lunch in the village of Ballintoy at a small pub we will then make our way to the UNESCO Heritage site of the Giants Causeway. This amazing natural formation has amazed generations of people. During the Victorian era this was a massive hit for the English tourists. Today it is one of the biggest draws that the North of Ireland has to offer and it is easy to see why. Looking out onto Rathlin Island and over to the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, where similar formations exist also the backdrop is hard to beat. The mystery of these hexagonal shaped rocks, over 40,000 still begoggles us when we see it. You can safely walk out on these rocks and even sit in the wishing chair in the middle of these rocks. We recommend walking along the cliff top down to the staircase and returning via the lower road, and then you get to see a birds eye view of the whole area and then be right in the middle of it. After this we will make our way back to Belfast where you will get to spend an hour visiting this city before returning to Dublin.

ITINERARY

We depart from the tourist office on Suffolk Street at 6:30 am. We will be taking the M1 motorway through counties Meath and Louth before hitting the border into what we call the "six counties" i.e. part of Ireland that is administered by the United Kingdom. Our first stop will be a coffee stop in the border town of Newry, before we are back on the M1 again and in no time at all we will arrive in Belfast city to drop the Belfast tour off as we continue on our adventure up the North.

We take the coast road beginning at the port town of Larne. The North coastal route is famous worldwide for its beauty and in my opinion matches the Great Ocean Road in California and Victoria, Australia. Straddled along this road are quaint villages and dramatic cliffs that we are literally clinging to as we drive northward to the causeway.

Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge: This is our first official stop of the day and you will get to spend an hour and a half at this man made wonder over to a little rock out-drop. The rope bridge was originally used by salmon fishermen who would cast their nets under the rope bridge to trap the tasty creatures. Now, thousands of people each year walk across it holding their breaths! This is included in the price of the tour, and we are the only company to offer this. It is a 20 minute walk to the rope bridge from the car park so you have lots of time to spend taking in the beauty. In front of you will be Rathlin Island where Robert the Bruce spent some time before fighting the English in Scotland.

We will be stopping in the small village of Ballintoy for lunch in the Fullerton Arms. Great food and funny staff. This village is one of the prettiest in Ireland and has a fantastic view over the ocean on a good day all the way to the Orkney Islands.

And now for the highlight of the day and possibly your trip to Ireland; The Giants Causeway. We will be visiting the causeway for one and half hours also which will give you lots of time to explore this anomaly in geological terms. 40,000 hexagonal shaped rocks spread out like a road to the sea. Take a good walk and breathe in the clean ocean air. After the causeway we will be doing a full circle back towards Belfast but before heading back we will take a stop at Dunluce Castle, home once upon a time to the McDonnell clan. Built on a cliff it is known as the most romantic castle in Ireland. We will stop for a photo stop here before returning to Belfast.

Arriving back in Belfast you will get to spend an hour here taking in the main city sights including City Hall, the Titanic Quarter and Donegal Square. We will be picking up the Belfast city tour from there and all making our way back to Dublin for arrival around the 8 clock region.