DAY FOUR
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019
a day trip to the Antrim coast and game of thrones filming locations
This morning brought with it by far the biggest hiccup of the trip, which is that I set the time of my alarm when I got back to the hotel the night before... but forgot to hit start. So I woke up casually at 9:15am, completely missing the 8:30 day trip I had booked to see the Giant's Causeway and Game of Thrones sites. Giant's Causeway was the reason I came to Northern Ireland in the first place, and I had to head back to Dublin that night, so needless to say I was pretty devastated!
I was seriously considering renting a car (haven't driven in years let alone on the opposite side of the road haha), but let me just say that the concierges at the Fitzwilliam are absolute heroes, because they were able to call around and find a similar tour with a different company that left at 10:00. They saved the day and I am forever grateful. So I raced to shove everything in my suitcase, threw on clothes, checked out, and managed to hop on the tour bus through Irish Tour Tickets at the last minute. Thank you again, Fitzwilliam!! (Goes without saying, but if you find yourself in Belfast, I can’t recommend this hotel enough.)
Our driver Stephen was hilarious and a perfect guide for the day. ("I haven't seen season 8 yet, so if any of you spoil it for me I WILL leave you behind.") And the weather couldn't have been more gorgeous - great timing for a day of outdoor sightseeing.
The first stop was a quick photo op of the medieval Carrickfergus Castle... not a Game of Thrones filming location, but a lovely castle nonetheless.
I know it looks like I unnaturally cranked the saturation on these, but the sky really was that bright blue that day!
After leaving Carrickfergus, we hit the road to the Causeway Coastal Route, a truly picturesque drive. On the way, Stephen pointed out some various Game of Thrones tidbits and sites... like the set of Castle Black, and this tiny section of white-painted wall that became The Wall thanks to CGI. I managed to get lucky snapping a photo out the window of the bus, because per the sign they don't want people slowing or stopping to photograph it.
Detail of Castle Black and the little bit of white wall.
Even though we had lots of interesting stops planned, the drive itself through the Northern Ireland towns and countryside was really lovely.
What a sky!
Our next stop was the town of Carnlough, and a harbour that was used for a specific scene in Season 6.
In episode 7, Arya is stabbed by The Waif as she's getting ready to leave Braavos, and manages to jump into the canal to escape, before painfully climbing out onto an old set of steps. Our guide let us know that the scene where she jumped in was filmed in Spain, but she climbed out in Northern Ireland!
For context, below is the finished scene in Season 6, Episode 7 filmed at Carnlough. (The steps start around 1:40)
Our next stop took us back to Season 2: a visit to the caves of Cushendun, where red witch Melisandre gave birth to the shadow assassin in front of a horrified Ser Davos. The actual area is beautiful and serene, such a contrast from its dark and unsettling use in the show!
Below is the scene from Season 2, Episode 4 filmed at Cushendun Caves. THIS IS UNCENSORED AND TOTALLY NSFW!! And also pretty disturbing in general, so if you don’t already watch the show, you probably shouldn’t watch this.
Back on the road, we drove past the field where the Dothraki captured Daenerys at the end of Season 5 (where she dropped her ring for Jorah & Daario to find):
Our next stop was the Dark Hedges, a group of 150 beech trees planted by James Stuart in 1775 to line a path to his estate. The trees grew into a beautifully twisted setting that was used as the King’s Road in Game of Thrones.
As seen in Season 2, Episode 1
As part of the Dark Hedges Experience, we were met by a local guide who first brought us down the path towards the main attraction, telling us the story of the estate and its imposing path (haunted!) as we passed through a little wooded area full of homemade fairy houses.
We eventually found ourselves at the actual Hedges, and took some time for photos… helped out by a bag of cloaks and swords that Stephen had brought along to add to the Game of Thrones ambiance.
With our driver & guide, Stephen
Sadly, several trees have been destroyed or uprooted in storms since 2016… like this one that was for sale! I thought about it, but my suitcase was getting full.
After leaving the Dark Hedges, we took a short walk down a path through some beautiful gardens to the Hedges Hotel for a quick lunch before heading back on the road.
Our next stop was the main attraction of the day, and frankly one of the coolest places on the planet: The Giant’s Causeway. Depending on who you talk to, the Causeway was either created by legendary giant Finn MacCool as a way to walk to Scotland… or by volcanic activity 50-60 million years ago. Decide for yourself!
If you believe the science version, the gist is that lava flow hit the cold ocean and solidified, forming these 40,000 (mostly) hexagonal basalt columns that make your jaw drop. Here’s an article that goes into more detail.
This site has been at the top of my bucket list for years, so I was thrilled to be able to visit on such a beautiful day! The columns are so surreal, and it’s hard to believe that this was formed naturally. Maybe it was Finn MacCool after all.
Even the walk to get to the main site is beautiful!
One more, because honestly.
There’s a Visitor’s Center, but the local consensus seems to be that it’s a rip-off, since anyone can access the actual site for free, and you’re basically paying £12.50 for a small display and the chance to buy things at the gift shop. [Stephen: “The money’s supposed to be for upkeep… what’s to upkeep on 60 million-year-old rocks?”] So I took his advice and skipped out, but do think that the design of the building is pretty cool, echoing the iconic basalt columns.
After leaving the Causeway, we made one last photo stop on the way back to Belfast: the ruins of Dunluce Castle, used as the basis of a CGI-enhanced exterior of Pyke/Castle Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. Built in the 1400s, inhabited by the MacQuillan family around 1500, and seized by the MacDonnell clan in the 1550's… the castle’s kitchen ultimately fell into the sea when the land under the room eroded and tumbled into the ocean in 1639. Local legend says that all the cooks and servants were lost along with this part of the house, except for one boy who was on his way to work when the kitchen disappeared in front of his eyes. The castle ultimately fell to ruins, and is said to be haunted by a lady in a white dress.
We arrived back in Belfast around 6:30 after a great day on the coast, but I still had a couple of hours before my bus back to Dublin, so set out to walk around the city center sights that I had missed the day before, starting with the beautiful Belfast City Hall:
I realized that I had missed two of the Glass of Thrones pieces, so I stopped to find both of those: the Stark window right outside city hall, and the Lannister one on the Lagan River towards the east of City Center. Incidentally, the sixth was actually revealed about an hour before we got back to Belfast that day, but was all the way in the Titanic Quarter and too far to walk so I had to let it go unseen.
I headed back to the hotel to grab my bag (the bus depot was around the corner), and stopped into Boojum for a quick dinner, which apparently has a cult following among the people of Ireland. It's basically Chipotle, but I like Chipotle so works for me.
Just before getting on the bus, I took some quick photos of two Belfast landmarks that happened to be right there: The Crown Liquor Saloon, a beautiful Victorian-style pub and one of Northern Ireland’s most famous, and the Grand Opera House, designed by theatre architect Frank Matcham and opened in the late 1800s.
Finally, I hopped on the Dublin Coach for the 2-hour drive back to Dublin, enjoying a beautiful sunset along the way. After a frantic wakeup that morning, it turned out to be an absolutely perfect day.
