The North Coast of Ireland should be on everyone’s bucket list, it really should!
We love it there and were delighted when Cancer Fund for Children offered us a long weekend away in one of their cottages in the area, as we knew there will be plenty to do and see over the three days!
We decided to make the most of the gorgeous weather and kicked off our weekend with a picnic in the fresh air, overlooking the Whiterock beach. Alex had made some gorgeous prawn and salad wraps that we devoured, almost tasting the sea salt in the air.
My brother fancies himself a connoisseur of spirits and other strong drinks so we couldn’t miss the opportunity and visit the Bushmills Distillery since we were only a stone’s throw away. I would have loved a tour of the place, just to give a clear account of tastes to my brother 🙂 but since children under 8 are not allowed, due to the strong fumes in the distillery, we had to do with a visit to the gift shop only.
Our first day finished with a Morelli’s ice cream in Portstewart. We joked, as Europeans who were raised in warm countries, with very hot summers, saying that we have come to appreciate an ice-cream, even in 10 degrees and in pouring rain, if the calendar says it is time for one :-).
Image credit: Morreli’s of Portstewart
Our Sunday was not as sunny but we still managed to fill it to the brim with exciting visits and discoveries, all thanks to the National Trust.
We have recently become members of the National Trust and have already enjoyed visits to a number of properties in Northern Ireland: Florence Court and Castle Coole are beautiful and we found the visit very educational, for both Emma and ourselves :-).
Castle Coole image credit: National Trust website.
This time, we got to visit a smaller property, Hezlett House, one of the oldest thatched cottages in Northern Ireland, which is adjacent to the beautiful Downhill Demesne House and the magnificent Mussenden Temple.
But the two most spectacular sights we got to see and totally fell in love with, once again, have been the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge and the Giant’s Causeway.
The Carrick-A-Rede is a spectacular and one of a kind visit, which is exhilarating for both young and not so young alike.
Emma got to walk in the fresh air, to explore the nature and the beauty of the country she was born in and which she perceives as home:
She was so impressed with the rope bridge and talked continuously about it for the rest of our stay. She was so brave crossing it, much braver than mummy, I must say!
Personally, I found Giant’s Causeway a bit too comercialised for my taste, since the new center was built. I found the place almost crowded and overtly touristy but Emma and Alex enjoyed the electronically guided tour and the beautiful views:
For the first time ever, Emma was capable to discern between the scientific truth about the rock formation and the legend of the Giant but loved both sides equally.
She kept asking about the reasons why people had to come up with a story to explain the stunning rocks. I had to explain that sometimes, people prefer a beautiful story to the bare truth…
I have only skimmed the surface and shown you a very small selection of the pictures we took over the weekend. I hope they have convinced you to put a visit to the North Coast on your bucket list and also, to sign up for National Trust membership, as there are over 500 stunning places in the whole of the UK waiting to be discovered and enjoyed!
Mama's Haven 
Great report and couldn’t agree more. The north coast is truly stunning and almost anywhere from Benone to Ballycastle (which is a lonnng way) is simply beautiful. We are just back from Iceland and while we loved it (and they had much larger waterfalls than us lol) I actually said while there that I thought our own (north) coast was much more amazing. Love the pix
Stunning photos xx
What a beautiful trip and beautiful photos! I am about to leave for a long weekend at the North Coast and this has given me lots of adventure ideas. Can’t believe I didn’t know about the treasure that is Hezlett House – what a dream. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never been to Ireland which is crazy as it is so close! It’s on my travel bucket list and I loved your photos.
Beautiful pictures! I’ve never been to Ireland
Lovely pictures. We really must take a trip. I haven’t done as much of Ireland as I would like, really only Dublin & close by, and I’ve never been to the North. Not that difficult either really as the ferry ports aren’t too far away.
Oh wow what a fantastic sounding time away, those pictures are absolutely beautiful. x
I have always longed to visit Ireland and this looks like a cracking place to start!
I’ve been wanting to Northern Ireland for some time. The scenery looks absolutely stunning.
It really does look like a beautiful area of the world – thanks for sharing your lovely photos x x
My husband has spent a lot of time in Ireland and loves the country. we must visit as we have friends to stay with and it looks stunning
What stunning photos they are, the scenery is idyllic x
I’ve never been to Ireland but I feel like I should now! How gorgeous are your images!
Ahh what lovely photos from a fabulous part of the world. We’ve not visited for some time but the north coast is wonderful. We are huge fans of the national trust, membership is a no brainer for us as there are so many places to see in Surrey and Hampshire 🙂