We landed in Belfast early Saturday ready for our drive out along the Causeway Coastal Route (CCR). When we got to the Hertz counter, I found out that I had book the car based on our departure date rather than the arrival date. Ok, so I paid for 1 extra day, no big deal right? Well, it doesn't quite work that way. The no-show condition says that they can give the car to someone else even though I have fully paid for the car in advance. Lovely. It gets lovelier. They had no other cars available, and neither did the 2 adjacent car rentals. Avis had a long queue and it did not look hopeful but the prospect of spending the next 8 days in Belfast flashed through my mind. Even though it seemed impossible, I prayed for God's help. The Avis manager made a number of calls, and offered me a manual car. It has been more than 20 years since I drove one and didn't like the prospect of balancing the clutch in hilly Ireland. So he made more calls and finally found me a suitable car. Praise God!
We set off on the CCR. It starts getting pretty very soon. We made short stops at Kinbane Castle and the Ballintoy Harbour before stumbling upon The Fullerton Arms for lunch. They had a table for 5 but they needed it back within 1.5 hours, which was absolutely fine because we are quick eaters. It turned out to be the table in the Game of Thrones Room.
After lunch we headed to the Giant's Causeway. Fascinating - Over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by lava flows about 60m years ago. We didn't spend as much as time there as we would have wanted to because we had tickets for Carrick-A-Rede at 4.30pm. The walk to the Carrick-A-Rede rope suspension bridge was long but well worth the effort. After that, we drove to Portstewart, where we stay for 2 nights.
The next morning we drove to Magilligan Point to catch a ferry to Greencastle, crossing the Irish border. We drove along the Wild Atlantic Way to Malin Head, greeted by at least a hundred tractors doing a fundraiser for cancer. Malin Head's rugged coast is the most northerly point in Ireland and you can catch a glimpse of Hells Hole.
Our next stop was also something circular, in a literal sense - Grianan of Aileach. A giant stone fort on top of a hill that looks like a donut from the bird's eye view. We could almost lean against the wind when we were there.
We drove back into Northern Ireland after that and visited the Mussenden Temple and the gardens in full bloom at the Bishopsgate entrance. As we were leaving, we saw a brilliant rainbow, the sort that conjures images of a leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of it.
We ended the day with dinner at Harry's Shack, known for "beach food made good", watching the sunset.
The first 2 days in Ireland could have turned out quite differently if God hadn't help us with the replacement car.
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| Giant's Causeway |
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| Carrick-A-Rede |
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| Malin Point |
The next morning we drove to Magilligan Point to catch a ferry to Greencastle, crossing the Irish border. We drove along the Wild Atlantic Way to Malin Head, greeted by at least a hundred tractors doing a fundraiser for cancer. Malin Head's rugged coast is the most northerly point in Ireland and you can catch a glimpse of Hells Hole.
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| Grianan of Aileach |
Our next stop was also something circular, in a literal sense - Grianan of Aileach. A giant stone fort on top of a hill that looks like a donut from the bird's eye view. We could almost lean against the wind when we were there.
We drove back into Northern Ireland after that and visited the Mussenden Temple and the gardens in full bloom at the Bishopsgate entrance. As we were leaving, we saw a brilliant rainbow, the sort that conjures images of a leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of it.
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| Harry's Shack, Portstewart |
We ended the day with dinner at Harry's Shack, known for "beach food made good", watching the sunset.
The first 2 days in Ireland could have turned out quite differently if God hadn't help us with the replacement car.
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