We got up Friday morning with plans to see and do everything we couldn’t see and do over Christmas and Boxing Day, driving through and experiencing many of the places we had already been by.
We headed up the coast past the old castle at Dunseverick, of which only a single tower remains, the site was probably used as a fortress as early as 500 BC, was a frequent stop for Saint Patrick in the 400s AD, was rebuilt and destroyed several times by warring clans, the most recent remains being from the 1500s.
From Dunseverick we continued to the town of Ballintoy and the harbor within. The harbor used to be the site of a limestone quarry that supplied people all over the British Isles with limestone. As time went on the quarry closed and the harbor fell to more private use. In recent years however Ballintoy Harbor has become much more popular, being used as one of the filming sights for HBO’s Game of Thrones.
We continued up the coast to Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, an old rope bridge that fishermen used to use to reach Carrick-a-Rede Island during the Atlantic salmon run. The bridge crosses a 40 foot gap about 100 feet above the water. In recent years it has become a popular tourist attraction with hundreds of people crossing the bridge every day, and due to safety concerns, the bridge has been modified, lowered, and shortened, giving it a much less authentic feel.
After crossing over the bridge and back we headed the other direction back to Dunluce Castle, this time the gates were open and we were able to walk around the castle, and even climb into one of the towers. In it’s day the castle would have been fantastic, overlooking the sea, and defending many of the nearby ports and harbors.
The rest of Friday, and all of Saturday were spent going back through the towns of Coleraine and Portrush, shopping in the newly opened shops, and buying souvenirs.