We enjoyed a traditional Irish Breakfast at the B&B before picking up Jeremy and heading to Northern Ireland. Black pudding, white pudding, fried eggs, sausage, rashers (pan-fried bacon) and potatoes. I liked the white pudding better than the black, but it was all pretty good. Evidently, brown bread is very popular in Ireland, eaten with butter and jam.
Once we got Jeremy, we headed north for a couple of hours to get to the Dark Hedges. (We were planning to make a quick stop in Belfast for some pics, but accidentally passed the exit and decided not to bother going back, since we had a full day planned.) Unfortunately, some of the trees have been cut down, so it’s not quite as impressive as online photos show it, but Randy was still able to find a nice photo op. The road is closed to cars, so we parked at the Dark Hedges hotel and walk about 10 minutes to snap the pic. That’s about all there is to do there, so we walked back and headed to the nearby rope bridge next.
The Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge area was really pretty and the weather was awesome! The last time Jeremy tried to visit, they had closed the bridge due to strong winds. So, we were grateful the weather cooperated this time! There was a bit of a line to cross the bridge, but we enjoyed taking in the scenery while we waited 5-10 minutes. Once on the other side, we stayed as long as we wanted then got in the short line to cross back over. (An official bridge person controlled when people could come and go.)
The Giant’s Causeway area was different from anything else I’ve ever seen. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an impressive 40,000 basalt columns. We joined a guided tour from the visitor center to learn about how the ancient lava cracked as it was cooling, into even hexagonal patterns. She also told us the legend of the giant creating the causeway to get to his Scottish rival. I don’t really remember much of that, but I was impressed by how unique the results were! We climbed around on the stones for a while then caught a shuttle bus back to the visitors center, instead of walking 20 minutes up hill. When I later asked Jeremy what his favorite place in Ireland was that we visited, he said this one was up at the top of his list!
We ate a late lunch at The Nook, conveniently located near the causeway parking lot. It was a bit crowded, but a friendly Canadian couple offered an end of their large table to us. It was interesting, a sad, to hear their thoughts on America and Trump. After lunch, we headed to Dunlace Castle, our last stop in Northern Ireland. It’s in ruins, but it’s easy to imagine how spectacular it once was, especially with the incredible ocean views out its windows.
We drove another couple of hours towards our next day’s destination before stopping for the night in Letterkenny. We grabbed some dinner at the Yellow Pepper then checked into the
Station House Hotel. I mostly booked B&Bs, since they’re more popular than hotels in Ireland; especially in the rural areas. Many of the B&Bs have triple rooms, with a queen and twin bed in the same room. So, this was one of the few places that I booked two rooms for us. After this, Jeremy will be with us 24/7 for over a week!
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