Thursday 22nd August
We had booked a rental car for our last
two days in Belfast in order for us to visit some third-cousins of
Robyn's and to have a bit of a drive around the Northern Ireland
countryside.
We had arranged with Rose the night
before to pick her up early, well early-ish, So after a fair cab ride
to the car rental joint we got to her hotel a bit before 9.
Some discussion ensued – reading this
you should take it as being a euphemism for a few arguments – which
resulted in us deciding to take the Coastal Causeway Route north from
Belfast. Our major destination was the Giant's Causeway, but we
wanted to wend our way along the coast and see some of the sites. I'm
glad we did.
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| Carrickfergus Castle |
A brief stop in Carrickfergus and then
further along the coast to various Games of Thrones televisions
filing sites saw some wonderful coastline. The road hugs the coast in
places, wangling around the bays, and passing through small villages.
It was a relaxing drive after the hectic week or so we had had since
the start of the Worldcon in Dublin a week before. It had all been
good stuff but sometimes you just want to slow down a bit and take it
easier. The weather was good, so far, and all things boded well for
the day.
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| Rose contemplates jumping while Robyn walks away |
By lunch time we were in Ballycastle
were we found a small cafe by the harbour. The cod fish and chips
were good and we could see parts of the coastline of Scotland away
over the water – probably not Islay, but more likely Campbelltown.
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| The rocks from a distance |
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| The rocks closer |
The weather started to close in a bit
as we approached the Giant's Causeway but we weren't going to let
that deter us. The car park was full. Never mind we passed another
one a few hundred metres back, so we braved that one, got a spot, and
walked along the cliffs down to the visitors' centre.
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| Vistors' centre |
You can always tell when a tourist site
is doing well: the visitors' centre is normally huge and packed with
people. This one fitted the bill. Luckily enough we had arrived in
time for a guided tour down to the rocks so we joined the group and
headed down the 15 minute walk.
We scrambled over the rocks for 10 or
15 minutes with all us going in different directions, but generally
seeing mostly the same stuff, if from different angles. It was great
day, at least until the drizzle started to threaten to become
something rather heavier. A ride back on the tourist bus to the
centre and we were shortly on our way to the Dark Hedges.
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| The Dark Hedges |
The rain had really started to sheet in
by this time so we only had a chance for a brief look down the
laneway cutting through entangled trees before jumping into the car
and heading back to Belfast.
Pizza for dinner from the spot under
our apartment, and then a collapse into bed. A very relaxing day.
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