Wednesday 30^th July                 DERRY  -  CAUSEWAY COASTAL ROUTE

Well, it has been an absolutely HUGE day here in Northern Ireland – we’ve travelled over 200km, according to Google Maps, and are absolutely shattered this evening after walking kilometres today.

I didn’t get off to a good start – the bed Lex and I are in actually has a broken base, right under where my upper body is. I couldn’t get comfortable last night; tossed and turned, and near midnight I finally came down to sleep on the sofa. As it’s only a two-person sofa, it wasn’t at all comfortable, but was better than the bed! Lex has volunteered to sleep on it tonight (he is a very good husband) and I’ll have the other side of the bed. I am going to email our host and inform him about this.

Anyway, we were all up around 7 (some of us more bleary eyed than others) and got organised quickly, as our aim was to do the Giant’s Causeway. We’d been in 2014, but it was a must-see for Jo. It was rainy and very overcast, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. We were off and running to catch the Visitor’s Centre when it opened at 9, when a Google check informed us that it doesn’t open until 10 now. Bugger. So we took the scenic route, travelling along the Atlantic Causeway Coastal Route, and stopping at lookouts and photo opportunities (there were plenty). We diverted to Portrush, where Lex and I had stayed in 2014. They’ve just had the Northern Ireland Open, and were busily taking down the small city they’d put up to deal with it.

                                    Misty rain over the Devil's Thumb

We arrived at the Giant’s Causeway just before 10, to find that hundreds of others had the same idea! Our National Trust membership got us free parking nearby, so we donned several layers (still light rain) and went in. Jo paid her 18 pounds, and we all had wristbands to show we’d paid. Lex went off to do one of the walks, and Jo and I walked down. We had almost an hour and a half looking at the amazing stones and geology and climbed the main cliff path as far as it went. Halfway up, my Crocs boots started to fall apart – first the band around the ankle, then on the downward path, the gel pad underneath. Luckily they held it together until we got back. They are 11 years old; I bought them for our last trip. For anyone who hasn’t been to the Giant’s Causeway, it’s definitely worth doing – certainly a bucket list item. We took the bus back up the centre (a pound each, worth it!) Lex was there waiting, so we had lunch in the café there – pasties and sandwiches and a much-needed cuppa.

                                                      Exploring at the Giant's Causeway

                                                         Us at the Organ Pipes

                                     Absolutely stunning scenery

Over lunch, we investigated whether we could get into the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (National Trust again), and discovered we could get in at 2, so booked that online. We had a bit of time to kill, so drove along the coastal route more, and discovered the beautiful little (very popular) harbour of Ballintoy, a little hidden gem. 

          Ballintoy Harbour - so pretty, with proper sand, paddling children, people kayaking...

Then we drove on to the bridge parking area. Lex and I had been there also in 2014 but I’d somehow forgotten the nasty little fact that you have to walk a kilometre up and down hills to get there, and back. It was starting to rain (of course) so Lex and put our rainproof pants on over our jeans. This obviously ensured that it DIDN’T rain, and we sweltered in them. Anyway, we survived the rope bridge. An American family were ahead of us – Mum, Dad and two little girls, plus Mum-in-law and assorted others. Right in the middle of the bridge in front of us, he dropped to his knees and proposed while holding one of the toddlers. She screamed and yelled, “Yes, yes I will marry you!” while her mother screeched “Don’t drop the ring!” After that, we could all finally get across.  It was better than a floor show.

                                                         Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

                                                   Lex and Jo go across

                                                                  Us on Carrick-a-Rede Island

Once we’d got back to the car (exhausted) we headed for home. However, we realised that we would just have time to pop into yet another National Trust property, Downhill House and Mussenden Temple. Downhill House was built in the late 18^th century for the Earl of Bristol, who was also a Bishop. He certainly had delusions of grandeur – the house is like a castle at the back and a gracious mansion at the front. The temple is just perfect – out on the headland and in a perfect line that you can see it when you look through the house. The sea is encroaching, though; apparently you could drive a horse and coach around it originally, but now there’s less than a metre to the cliff’s edge. We enjoyed a walk through the house’s ruin and down to the temple, then back, where we got tea and coffee in the little café before finally heading home. The rain had finally cleared by this stage, so we had glorious blue skies to drive under, and some of the washing went out onto the line to try to help it dry.

                                                          Downhill House, front view

                              Looking through from the front to the back of the house and the temple.

                                                                 Mussenden Temple

                                        Us at the temple. We met some very friendly Bavarian hunting hounds.

We were home just on 6. Luckily, tea tonight was Sainsbury’s ready cooked soup and curry, so it was a very easy task to reheat it. There’s a lot of sitting around quietly going on here! Tomorrow, we’re going to explore Derry’s town centre. Apparently, this glorious fine weather is going to leave us once more, and it will rain. Again. Sad.