Causeway Drive Software

[Giulia Satmary]

Thebus left us at the visitor centre made of similar stone pillars as the magic natural ones. The guide stayed in the bus and we were free to walk down to the ocean shore and explore the famous stones in our own pace.

This makes me think about Lego blocks. Maybe a giant has been playing with his Lego? Some columns are higher and others lower so they make staircases you can walk on. The highest stones are 12 metres.

There are two theories on how these stones came about. The first is that cooling and shrinking lava created them some 60 million years ago as the lava cooling formed a pattern. The second story is that a giant created them as he needed stepping stones to get across the sea to Scotland.

Our next stop Carric-a-Rede Rope Bridge was just a short drive away. In this place too we had to walk a kilometre from the car park to the bridge. It was a very scenic clifftop walk, a nice and easy one but there are long stairs towards the end.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge was built some 350 years ago by fishermen. They needed to get to the small island since it was the perfect place to catch salmon. So they made a bridge and used it every day to get to their nets.

The Stuarts planted some 130 trees of which 90 remain. Today the trees have grown wild and they almost fill the road. But they look magic. Depending on where the sunlight comes from you can see the trees in different ways.

As I am a blogger I love to take photos from different ankles and always walk a bit off the path. On this tour I had a chance to do exactly what I wanted without causing delay to the rest of the group.

So on my next bus trip I will bring a water bottle and something to eat, just to be better prepared. But the great thing about this was that my Irish pub dinner tasted super good that night, a Dublin dinner with live music of course!

It celebrates the memory of the late James Chaine who represented Ireland in the Imperial Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland from 1874 until 1885 and founded the sea route from Larne to mainland Scotland.

The first rope bridge was erected between the mainland and Carrick-a-Rede Island way back in 1755, as the little island provided the perfect platform for local fishermen to cast their nets off into the Atlantic.

Hi KeithIs it possible to do the Causeway coastal route from Derry to Belfast? We are planning a driving holiday and will be in Sligo before heading to Derry. We are looking to stay in Belfast for 2 nights.We are travelling in November this year. Thanks for your adviceKath

This is by far the best travel guide I have found, and I have seen many! I am looking to do the tour this summer. We will be starting in Belfast (Traveling over from Liverpool). Do you have any tips on the way back journey, Derry to Belfast? We will be taking the ferry back from Belfast to Liverpool on the way home so need to do the trip back as well. Should we just follow the coastal route back or do across country?

We are planning to visit and drive the coast in 2 weeks in the Peak winter! How much of this route is bad weather friendly? Is a lot of it park and then walk to points or can some be accessed by car if really poor weather.

Me & my partner plan to do as much of the causeway coast on motorbike with me as a passenger over 2 days with a 1 night stay maybe around the bush mill area. Is the Torr head scenic route ok for motorbikes ?

As you drive further along the Antrim Coastline, you will reach a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. Cushendall is a charming town, the meeting point of three Glens of Antrim. The Glens are associated with a number of legends and myths about fairy-folk and mischievous elves. Fittingly, these little towns have an aura of magic about them.

We suggest going for a leisurely stroll by river Dall. Cushendall is also the perfect place to replenish your supplies if you are staying in a self-catering cottage as it has a couple of large supermarkets.

Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge is definitely the most exhilarating stop on this drive. A short coastal footpath leads visitors to this rope bridge stretched precariously between two cliff-tops. The bridge was first erected by fishermen to catch salmon, but is a popular tourist attraction now.

First thing you will need to be prepared for is the (possible) fee to drive your rental vehicle from Ireland into Northern Ireland. Prior to our Ireland road trip, we were told that we would need to inform our rental car agency that we were taking the car across the border. We were also told that we would incur a fee to drive into Northern Ireland.

Though you still drive on the left side of the road, the speed changes from KPH to MPH. We recommend doing some preliminary research on KPH to MPH or vice versa because most cars do not have a speedometer that features both KPH and MPH. So definitely be aware of this change and your speed when driving.

Though our itinerary is plausible, if we had more than seven days in Ireland, we would have done our trip a little differently. So if you have the time, here is an alternative and a more perfect itinerary of driving from Dublin to the Causeway Coast:

From the Dark Hedges, continue as our itinerary above with a visit to Bushmills Distillery after Giants Causeway. If you really have a lot of time and want to beat the crowds at Giants Causeway, we recommend spending the night in Bushmills.

Thanks to Game of Thrones, the Dark Hedges has quickly become one of the best places to visit in the UK. So whether you are a Game of Thrones fan or not, the Dark Hedges is a site to see during your trip from Dublin to the Causeway Coast. Not only is it on your way to the Causeway Coast, but it is also the perfect pit stop to give yourself a break from driving. If you ask us, walking down a road full of trees that form a tunnel is not a bad way to stretch your legs.

The Dark Hedges is on Bregagh Road and vehicles are not allowed to drive through it. With that being said, we found a very small parking lot right before the Dark Hedges entrance. If you find this lot is full, visitors can park at Gracehill House or Hedges Hotel for free. The Hedges Hotel and Gracehill House are only a 2-5 minute walk away to the Dark Hedges.

The next adventure on the Dublin to the Causeway Coast route is Giants Causeway, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and the most visited site in Northern Ireland. There is history and a myth to share about Giants Causeway. Over 60 million years ago there was a volcanic fissure eruption. This eruption resulted in creating more than 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. The myth of the story is about two giants, one Gaelic and one Scottish, that decided to build a causeway across the North Channel to fight. Though they never fought, they did create huge hexagon shaped stepping stones that we call Giants Causeway.

Though this beautiful natural site should be easy to visit, there are a few tips and tricks to know beforehand. Accessing the Giants Causeway is not easy because there are no parking lots available to the public. Since Giants Causeway is owned and operated by the National Trust, they are the only ones who provide parking. Though visitors do not have to pay to see this natural phenomenon, the National Trust are making visitors pay via parking which also includes access to the visitor center. Not interested in this tactic? Fear not, we have a tip for you.

Another option is parking in Bushmills City for free and using their park and ride. Their shuttle bus operates every 20 minutes, so just plan accordingly. The last option is parking at Bushmills Railway for $6 and then walking at least five minutes to the visitor center. Whichever parking option you choose, simply walk across the grass roof of the visitor center and follow the signs to Giants Causeway.

Our last sight to see in Northern Ireland during our road trip from Dublin to the Causeway Coast was Dunluce Castle. During our time in Ireland we visited over ten castles and Dunluce Castle is without a doubt one of the most picturesque and romantic castles.

This ruined medieval castle sits on a dramatic edge of a basalt cliff. Its history dates back from 1513 and into the 1550s when the MacDonnell clan (who swore allegiance to Queen Elizabeth) seized the castle. A local legend states that during a stormy night in 1639, the kitchen collapsed into the sea killing all the cooks. This is said to be a false story, but during the 18th century, the north wall of the residence building actually did collapse into the sea. The MacDonnell clan continued to reign in the castle until 1690 when the castle began to deteriorate from disuse. The people of Dunluce town scavenged the remaining materials to build their nearby buildings.

If we did not have dinner reservations at Cedars Grill in Donegal, Ireland, we would have spent more time along the Causeway Coast. So if time permits, we recommend stopping at these beautiful sights during your road trip from Dublin to the Causeway Coast.

Thanks for the itinerary and details! My husband and I hope to visit Northern Ireland next year, so this is very helpful. (We did points south a few years ago.) We will likely spend a couple of nights in bot Dublin and Galway, so where would you recommend we spend three or four nights in making the loop from Galway north and back down to Dublin? I appreciate any advice and suggestions!

Your itinerary is exactly what we're looking for! Flying to Sweden mid-March, then taking a quick flight to Dublin for 3 1/2 days. Belfast is a must (my grandfather was born there), do you think we'd be able to follow your itinerary in that short amount of time? Everything looks amazing!!!

Hi, I am delighted to hear you find my itinerary helpful. My itinerary is for a full 7 days, so it would not fit for your trip. I would recommend staying in Dublin and taking day trips with tours because driving in and out of Dublin's city center is not easy.

My daughter, who lived for a time in Belfast without a car, went to the Giant s Causeway on tour. When we later visited her in Belfast, we all took a day trip (in our rental car ) to the Giant s Causeway and Antrim Coast. She said that while the tour was good, they did not get to visit Dunluce Castle and their time at the Giant s Causeway was limited (she and her friend almost missed the bus!) She said our trip was better because we got to visit more places and because we could take our time seeing what interested us.

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