Britain 09 - Day 11

Introduction

From Enniskillen we headed north towards Antrim, passing through Coleraine and Portrush. Portrush is a tourist town on the coast with car parking and amusement arcades in abundance. However the recent economic recession appears to have hit the town hard, with many closed up shops. On the bright side, we did find a cafe that produced some of the best coffee we had throughout our trip in ireland and Britain. (Overall the coffee and tea we were served throughout the trip bore a closer relationship to dishwater than to coffee.) Along the coast to the east we passed Dunluce Castle and then met Bushmills where we visited the famous whiskey distillery. On the day of our visit the place was crowded with tourists. As we found out later 30 busloads had descended on the town, the result of 5 cruise ships berthing in Dublin. We then drove on to the Giant;s Causeway and booked into the Ardtrabane B&B, right beside the Causeway. Although the rain had arrived en masse we walked along the cliff tops, down the Shepherd's Steps and back past the Causeway proper. The rain soon stopped and we had an excellent view of the area.

The north coast

East of Portrush the road climbs along the top of the cliffs, and the occasional layby gives you a good view of the area. We stopped above the White Cliffs, looking west towards Portrush and the oncoming rain, and west towards Bushmills. Nearby lies the remains of Dunluce Castle, a portion of which crashed into the sea one evening taking the servants and the evening meal with it.

Looking west towards Portrush and the White Cliffs

Looking east towards Bushmills and the remains of Dunluce Castle

More views of the remains

Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is the most spectacular part of the north coast of Antrim. It is one of the best examples in the world of columnar jointing in a basalt lava flow. There are oter good examples nearby, one being Fingal's Cave on the Island of Staffa to the east.

Coming down the Shepherd's Steps in the rain!	The Organ Pipes	The two of us at the Organ Pipes looking a bit bedraggled
A wet Colma and the Pipes	The pipes close up showing the hexagonal nature and the horizontal joints	Another example of the spectacular columnar jointing
The cliff edge trail going up and down in the rain	The Giant's Boot	A rock glacier above the Causeway
Looking down on the Causeway itself from the top of the cliffs	Despite the slippery rocks and crashing surf, people insisted on getting to the top for a photo	More thrillseekers getting close to the surf
The tops of the columns in the Causeway	Convex horizontal joints	Concave horizontal joints
Not all of the columns are vertical	Looking across the bay to the Organ Pipes	More columns

The road back along the coast and up to the Visitor's Centre.

The coastal road from the Visitor's Centre and the bus for lazy tourists	Looking across the bay with the light on the sea	From the Visitor's Centre looking across the Causeway
The tourist bus and the hexagonal symbol based on the basalt columns	Just in case you are in doubt	Ideal for hang-gliding?

Ardtrabane B&B

We had booked into Ardtrabane House because it was the B&B that advertised itself as being the closest to the Causeway. We parked our car there then walked along a local lane to the top of the cliff. Despite the heavy rain it was a spectacular view. That evening we walked the short distance to The Nook, the local pub converted from the old schoolhouse,and had a wonderful meal of fish and chips. They seemed to be more tasty for the rugged conditions outside and the usual pint of Guinness.

Across the fields to the B&B	Looking west towards Portrush	Hawthorn berries on the path
The road going east into the mist	The B&B sign in the wind	The B&B itself

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Last updated: 16/06/2017