The Antrim Coast

I have loved the ocean for as long as I can remember. After spending the day driving along the most beautiful coastline that I have ever personally seen, I am confident that much of that love comes from the knowledge that I was born on a beautiful Emerald Isle surrounded by the sea (my Facebook status on April 20, 2013).

Driving up the Antrim Coast was something I had looked forward to as I anticipated our trip to Ireland... But I was also a bit nervous about it. Other people had talked to me about the incredible beauty of the drive, but also mentioned the conditions of the roads. I interpreted that to mean narrow roads, sharp curves, and thousand foot sheer drops with no guardrails into the sea. I actually had a nightmare before my trip which made those concerns seem very real. My drive along the Antrim Coast actually turned out to be one of the highlights of my entire trip.

The mountains do indeed sweep down to the sea as you can see in the first picture, and if you look closely you can see the road and that there is land on either side of it, no steep cliffs... at least not by the road. It was a road with two lanes which were narrow and winding. I wasn't used to being in a car which was driven by a driver who sat on the "wrong side"of the car, and said car being on the "wrong side" of the road, but my cousin Barbara was a conscientious and safe driver and I soon felt at ease.

Anywhere along the road when we stopped to take pictures, we could look back over the miles of coastline and see the road we had just traveled winding its way up the beautiful mountain. We saw little farms with sheep grazing on the hills and the farmhouses that made me want to stop and stay for a week. We saw beautiful sandy beaches that looked as if they'd never been stepped on.

We stopped at a little park in the town of Ballycastle to eat our picnic lunch. Caitlin planned to buy a claddagh ring (Margie told us that she and Megan bought their rings in Ballycastle three years ago) so when we finished eating the two of us walked up the road and into the town where the shops were. Caitlin quickly found the ring that filled her hearts desire and we headed back to meet Barbara and Fred to continue our drive.

Our next stop was the Carrick A Rede rope bridge. Barbara and Fred waited as the two of us hiked to the bridge. It connected the mainland to a small "island". When we crossed the bridge we found a grassy spot where we sat down and enjoyed our conversation with each other as we looked out across the sea at the coast of Scotland.

Next, we stopped at the Giant's Causeway. We both enjoyed climbing the causeway (and Caitlin was wearing a skirt). All my life I've heard stories of how the causeway was created... follow the link and see what you think about it.

Our next stop was Dunluce Castle. This is the remains of a castle that does sit on the edge of a cliff. Centuries ago there was a terrific storm as a dinner party was being held in the castle. Part of the kitchen broke off from the house and fell into the sea... and some of the kitchen help as well.

At the end of our drive we arrived in Portrush which is a resort community. As we approached Portrush I saw something that really surprised me... surfers. Surfing and Ireland? Not something I'd ever imagined. But why not? 

The Antrim Coast is beautiful and I hope someday to spend a week there. Maybe in Portrush or Ballycastle. Preferably in a farmhouse B&B along the coast road, after all... I do love t'ocean.

That is Scotland in the background. 

                                                                         

This is a view from the road above, of the little island which is connected

 to the mainland with the Carrick A Rede rope bridge.

Caitlin crossing the rope bridge. It is an 80 foot drop to the sea below.

You can see the people lined up on the "island" and waiting for their turn

 to come back. Only a few at a time can cross.

The Giant's Causeway.

If you look near the edge of the water (middle of photo) you 

can see Caitlin bent over and touching it. 

It was very windy. As she climbed all over the 

causeway I was worried that the wind would catch her skirt

 and she would take flight.

This is Dunluce Castle. You can't see the sheer cliff... but it's there.

The Emerald Isle

We arrived at Belfast International Airport on the afternoon of Friday April 19. We departed from Belfast City Airport on the afternoon of Monday April 22. Two full days and two "bits" was not enough time, but I'm so grateful for what time I had. I look forward to, and plan to go back.

The flight from Leeds-Bradford to Belfast International was the shortest of our entire trip. It was a beautiful day and the flight was perfect. I sat between Caitlin and a business woman who I shared a friendly conversation with . Caitlin sat by the window and I leaned over frequently in anticipation of my first view of the land of my birth. Just as we reached our cruising altitude we began to descend. I couldn't stop looking now, knowing that at any moment I was going to see Ireland. Suddenly there it was. Beautiful. Green. The Emerald Isle.

This is me and my cousin Barbara in 1975... the last time we saw each other. And here we are nearly 38 years later. I had messaged Barbara shortly before the trip and asked her if she thought we would recognize each other at the airport or if I needed to send a photo. She said of course we would recognize each other. We did. Barbara and her husband Fred were very kind hosts to Caitlin and I for the entire weekend. Caitlin LOVES Barbara! She has a big soft spot in her heart dedicated just to her. 

After taking us to our B&B to check in and freshen up, Barbara and Fred took us to Carrick Fergus Castle and to dinner. You can barely see Belfast Lough (pronounced Lock) near the bottom right corner of the castle.

After dinner we went to visit my Mother's cousin Marilyn. This was an especially tender moment for me. You see, Marilyn remembers me as a little four-year-old girl (see the picture on my sidebar). As she greeted me with an outstretched hand and the words, "it's nice to meet you", I could see the emotion in her eyes. I felt very aware of the love she must have had for me when I was a child. I put my arms around her and said, "we have met before." 

I was also very excited to discover that Marilyn's younger brother Bill and his wife Mina were visiting from Canada. Mina's mother has passed away and her funeral was the next day. Now the reason I was so excited to meet Bill and Mina was because they live in Canada where Jeremy served his mission. Jeremy became acquainted with them during his mission and saw them again when he returned to visit Toronto a few years ago. The first thing they said to me was, "are you Jeremy's mom?" We enjoyed our evening visiting with them and some of Marilyn's children.

I've promised to write a post about a B&B where I stayed in England in 1997 (which I will when I finish writing about this trip), but on this trip Beechgrove Farm, where we stayed for 3 nights, was my favorite B&B. This is a beautiful view of Belfast Lough from my bedroom window. In fact, this picture doesn't even do it justice. Every time I looked out of my window and took in the full view of the length and breadth of the lough, I imagined what a sight it must have been to see the Titanic sail away from this very lough over 100 years ago. And since the B&B is much, much older than the Titanic, I also imagined that someone must have been standing at that very window more than 100 years ago watching that magnificent scene unfold.

I loved our cozy room, with the beautiful view of the lough from the window. Our room had a keyhole with an old-fashioned key which we had to use to open and close the door. The doorknob and keyhole were lower than the knobs on my doors at home... more than once I had to get down on my knees with key in hand, and peer into that keyhole to find the location of the mechanism to get that key to work.

I loved the breakfast room where we dined every morning. The same place settings were prepared for us each day. The white tea/coffee pot was filled with hot chocolate just for the two of us. It was delicious. Every evening, Mrs. Barron the elderly lady who owned the farm asked us what time we wanted our breakfast served the following morning. Usually it was just Caitlin and I, and sometimes one or two other guests who sat at a different table. On our last morning Caitlin didn't come down to breakfast, so I went alone and visited with a young couple from America who were road tripping through Ireland. I loved our stay at Beechgrove Farms.