The Causeway Coastal route connects Belfast to Derry via the stunning northern Irish coast. It’s definitely a rural route, but it’s stunning. I suppose it’s a bit like the NC 500 in Scotland, or for us (we thought) a precursor to the Wild Atlantic Way.
Leaving Belfast our first stop on route was at Carrickfergus. A small fairly run down little town just a little up the coast from where we’d stayed for Belfast, but it felt a million miles away.
After a spot of lunch we headed to the main attraction, the Norman castle. It’s an impressive building jutting out slightly into the sea. The castle dates back to 1177 and has been through a lot since it was built! It’s held off sieges by the French, the English, The Irish and the Scots!
Still standing tall you are treated to a fabulous tour by a very knowledgeable guide who guides you through the history of the castle, the people who lived there and how they defended the castle.
The castle has been beautifully restored, including a new roof using the techniques used when the original one was built and is dressed with props to help you imagine what life would have been like. They even offer you the chance to take away some medieval recipes to try! I shall give them a go when home and report back on Facebook!
A fun couple of hours and well worth a visit if you are visiting Belfast (you can get the train there).
Leaving Carrickfergus we continued up the Antrim coast, aiming for the Black Arch, a historical monument we’d read was well worth a visit.
It’s a beautiful road and the arch… Well, here it is, I’ll leave you to decide if it is worth a diversion (it was on our route, so no diversion needed for us). I can say it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating!
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