Travelling Lore

A couple of years ago I visited Northern Ireland after a fun-filled road trip of Ireland's gorgeous emerald landscapes.  We only had one day to see as much of Northern Ireland as we could before we flew north to Norway.  Since my fiance and I are both science nerds, we prioritized our sightseeing and chose to skip Belfast in lieu of some iconic geologic sites.  I would have loved to see the Titantic Museum in Belfast as I hear it's absolutely wonderful, but unfortunately we just didn't have enough time to squeeze it into our day trip.  So for those of you in a similar time crunch situation--or for those of you looking for some travel planning inspiration--I've put together the itinerary we followed in Northern Ireland. Stop #1: The Dark Hedges We left from Dublin bright and early to make our way to the infamous Dark Hedges .  We stayed in Gogarty's Hostel , situated right in the middle of Temple Bar.  Our private room was small, but clean, albe...

Our very last stop in Northern Ireland (before returning to Dublin to fly to Norway) was Dunluce Castle.  On the way there from Giant's Causeway, we saw telltale signs of the Giro D'Italia 2014 that had happened a day or two prior, hence the giant bicycle art in the grass. Dunluce Castle is also located in County Antrim and is a short 10-15 minute drive away from Giant's Causeway.  It was built into the cliffs of north Antrim around 1500 by the MacQuillan family, though the earliest mention of it in written records was in 1513.  In the 1550s the MacDonnell clan seized the castle under the famous warrior chieftan Sorely Boy MacDonnell.  This occurred during a period of violence and rebellion when Sorely Boy sought to consolidate MacDonnell territories in Scotland and Ireland. By the 17th century Dunluce had become the seat of the earls of Antrim.  A small town had established itself by 1608 and can be seen by visitors exploring findings from arc...

Giant's Causeway  was the main attraction and biggest reason I wanted to visit Northern Ireland. As you've read already, Ireland and Northern Ireland have many spectacular places to see. But Giant's Causeway, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a geologist's dream. As someone who works in the geoscience field it was breathtaking to see such an expanse of basalt columns and their beautiful symmetry lined up along the Antrim Coast.  If there's one thing in Northern Ireland that you can't miss, this would be it. The Giant's Causeway Visitors Center opened its doors in 1986.  Like the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge , this site is part of the National Trust , a conservation organization in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Scotland has an independent National Trust).  Its aim is to preserve and protect historic places for everyone to enjoy for the years to come. The Chimney Stacks Though the Visitors Center has only been open for about 30 yea...

Another fantastic Northern Ireland site is the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede .  Located near Ballintoy in County Antrim, this bridge was first erected by fishermen about 350 years ago.  It spans over a 23-meter deep and 20-meter wide chasm and was traditionally used by the fishermen so that they could check their salmon nets.  Today fishermen no longer work in the area due to a diminished availability of salmon.  In the 1960's fishermen caught approximately 300 salmon per day, but by 2002 only 300 salmon were caught in a single season. The original rope bridge consisted of a single rope hand rail that was replaced with a two hand railed bridge by the National Trust .  So suffice it to say it's much safer now than I'm sure it was 350+ years ago!  For those afraid of heights, crossing is definitely a thrill since the rope bridge undulates as everyone walks across it.  However, the staff has safety in mind as only a maximum amount of individual...

When we found out about Northern Ireland's Dark Hedges I knew we had to go.  I am an absolute sucker for tree tunnels and this looked like the mother of all tree tunnels! Located about 50 miles north of Belfast and near the village of Armoy along Bregagh Road, this avenue of over 150 beech trees was planted in the 18th century by the Stuart family.  It was intended to impress visitors as they rode up to the entrance of Gracehill House, the Stuarts' Georgian mansion. The estate itself has a royal heritage  that dates back to the 17th century.  King James I granted the land to a cousin who unfortunately drowned on his way to Ireland before he was able to take possession of the estate.  The property subsequently passed down to William Stuart, the cousin's grandson, where it remained in the family for a number of years.  There's also a local ghost story that features the Grey Lady, who glides along Bregagh Road and vanishes from sight when she...

Another post so soon?! Time to cross something off of my blog's To Do List.  Here are a handful of some of my favorite photos from Ireland and Northern Ireland.  I apologize for the watermarks, but it's just to discourage people from stealing my photos and claiming them as their own.  Now, onward! Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.  It was especially windy the day we toured at the Cliffs, but the views were great and we were quite happy that it wasn't raining!  In fact, we got quite lucky with the weather for the majority of the time that we were in Ireland, with the exception of the first couple of days in Galway. This is my favorite photo from the entire trip.  As you probably well know, Ireland is known for having a lot of sheep.  This one was watching us as we made our way down from looking at the Clochan on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.  That pink coloring on its back isn't blood, so don't worry!  It'...