Intrepid Friends' Ireland Trip Part 10

"Well, we knew the glorious weather wouldn't hold forever! On Saturday a.m. I checked the forecast, and rain, and lots of it, was moving in by Saturday night so instead of taking a detour around to see Glenveigh National Park (and another castle!) we decided to just hotfoot it over to the northern coast, as we did want to see the Giant's Causeway.

It is about a 2 and a half hour drive from Donegal, and part way along we cross the border into Northern Ireland, leaving the Republic of Ireland behind. There was no actual way of knowing this had happened, except all of a sudden, the street signs were in tiled per hour instead of kilometres, and prices were in Pounds instead of Euros.

We bypassed the city of Derry, which might have been interesting, but nevertheless is a city, and 4 lane roundabouts are not what we enjoy. We travelled the coastal route to the village of Bushmills, and then tried to access the causeway. Along with a zillion tour buses and any number of other cars and people. The carpark was full, and so was the car park for the shuttle bus in Bushmills, a couple miles away. Screw this! was the general agreement, and we decided to take a tour of the Bushmills distillery instead.

Nice big parking lot with lots of room. Got tickets for the 1:30 tour, had a really crappy sandwich in their cafeteria, and then went on the tour and had a wee whiskey tasting afterwards. Yummy stuff I must say. Bought a bottle of a 12 year old reserve which is not sold anywhere but here, to bring home.

Then we went to find our b and b. No one answered the door! And all the lights were out, but check-in was anytime after 3 and it was 3:30 now, so I was confused. Caught poor Valerie in the shower did we! She heard the door bell, and came dripping wet in her bare feet! She far surpasses any of the other hosts we have had so far- so funny, bubbly, outspoken and down to earth!

And what a beautiful b and b she has. Our room is huge, with a lovely big bathroom and a shower you can actually turn around in! And turns out it's a good thing we gave up trying to park near the causeway. She is full of all sorts of useful information and saved us a bunch of money by telling us of another place to park for less than half the price. On her suggestion we waited until about 5, then went back, and by this time all the tourbuses, and most of the people are gone, and there is ample room to park on another road for way less money.

A short walk and we are heading down the road towards the causeway, or part of it at least. She says that since Game Of Thrones has been filmed in this area tourism, while always prevalent, has become unbelievable.

The sun was starting to go down as we walked among these amazing stone formations, and although it was very different from anything I have ever seen, I do think the whole thing has been over hyped. And instead of thinking about the volcanoes and eruptions which caused these geological formations, I would rather dwell on the legends  of Finn MacCool, the great giant from Scotland, who threw the rocks over to make a path between the two lands.

In fact, from this point, you can see the mainland of Scotland in the distant east, over the water. The weather held for about an hour as we walk around, and then the wind comes up, the mist moves in, it is almost dark, and it is time for dinner! Found a great pub very close, and wound up chatting with some folks from Florida while we ate.

A windy and wet drive back to the very lovely, comfortable bed at Valeries! This morning was definitely wet, although it did let up at times. We are the only guests here right now and we wind up chatting with Valerie for at least an hour after breakfast. She is a wealth of information about the area, having lived here her whole life.

On the mantel is a picture of her with Prince Charles and Camilla (and a bunch of other people) when she attended a gala a couple of years ago. She has attained, and managed to keep, a 4 star rating for her b and b, and was invited with others who have done the same to a reception at the manor where Charles and Camilla stay when they are in Ireland. So she had some good stories to tell about that evening!

The sky was clearing up, so we headed out to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle (raining again!), and drive along the coast, through several wee villages, to the harbour at Ballintroy. Very small and picturesque, and turns out to be another GOT filming sight! But no tour buses- they can't make it down the windy road.

We followed the coast road around, almost all the way to Cushendall, through farms, sheep, villages, but by this time the rain was coming down in sheets, and the fog was thick. This is the area that the Green Glens of Antrim are in (another song from my past!) and I was hoping to see them, but it was enough work to just see the nose of the car and the oncoming traffic.

Turned around and made it back to Bushmills, where a late lunch was a delicious wee cheese plate with a few crackers, just to tide us over until suppertime. On Sundays a very popular meal is the Sunday Roast, but the pubs and restaurants have them just until 2 or 3 o'clock, and seems way too early to eat dinner for us!

I have noticed a couple of differences between here and southern Ireland. There is no Irish anymore on the signs, only English. This part of Ireland is an extension of England, and it is obvious. We have seen pictures of the Queen here, not in the south, and the accent has changed too. It has taken on a decidedly Scottish tone, as well as different words, like "Aye" for yes creeping in.

This is a very interesting and complex country, for sure. It's too bad the weather was so poor today, but we can perhaps try again tomorrow on our way to Belfast. An email from the b and b I had reserved in Belfast arrived Friday informing us they had had to cancel our reservation due to circumstances beyond their control, so I had to scramble and find a replacement quickly. Had to settle for a hotel, but that's ok- they have free parking! And that is a must!

Time to brave the rain again and find dinner. Hope there is some thing that doesn't have "chips". So totally sick of those!"