The Giant’s Causeway in Ireland is a UNESCO World Heritage site and famed for it’s dramatic coastal scenery and geological features. This was the first stop on our visit to Belfast and one of my favourite parts of the trip.
Parking Advice For Visit The Giant’s Causeway In Ireland
I’d read online that it can be very expensive parking at the visitor centre as they try and charge around £12 per person to park as this includes access to the visitor centre.
We parked at the Bushmills Railway Station for £8 per car for all day which was a 5-10 minute uphill walk to the entrance to the Causeway. Instead of paying to go into the visitor centre you can just walk under the tunnel to the right which takes you directly to the Causeway for free.
It’s then a scenic 20 minute walk to the main feature of the Causeway which is the interlocking basalt columns.
Keep Calm & Enjoy The Rain In Ireland
The sea was a beautiful turqoise colour when we visited and the area itself really was breathtaking. The weather unfortunately took a turn for the worst as we were walking one of the trails and the rain started to pour.
We carried on like true British people used to torrential rain in September. As we had arrived fairly early on a Sunday, around 10am, it was very quiet at the Causeway as the tour buses hadn’t yet arrived but by the time we left around 12pm it was starting to get fairly busy, so try and get there early if you can!
Ballintoy Harbour
Next stop was Ballintoy Harbour which was around 15 minutes drive away. However, to get there you go down a very windy, narrow road which can be a little nerve wracking at times, especially if the car coming the other way is going too fast!
The harbour itself is a beautiful coastal inlet with a beach and cave. Again, it was fairly quiet early on a Sunday with a few tourists but mostly local dog walkers. This is where they filmed scenes for the Iron Islands, for all the Game of Thrones fans out there. It’s a lovely short stop for a walk on the beach, a peek in the caves and a few photos of the harbour.
Giant’s Causeway Resturant Recommendation
We were getting a little peckish at this point and through tripadvisor I found a well reviewed restaurant 15 minutes away in the town of Ballycastle.
It turned out the restaurant was actually full and we didn’t fancy hanging around so we walked down the street to find the Marine Hotel were offering a Sunday roast.
The service was quick, portions were big, the food tasty and at a fairly reasonable price. We walked off our lunches on the Ballycastle seafront which is very quaint and traditional, unlike some of the seafronts in England!
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
I’d booked tickets to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge for 2.30pm and they advised to arrive at least half an hour before so off we headed, 10 minutes back in the direction we’d come from.
Tickets for the rope bridge cost £9 and can be booked online, it’s advisable to book in advance as it can often sell out. We weren’t sure how long each of our stops would take so we ended up going back on ourselves to get to the rope bridge but we weren’t to know.
Walking The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
The rope bridge is 20 metres long and connects the tiny island of Carrick-a-rede to the mainland. It’s a good 20-30 minute walk from the car park to the rope bridge and again the weather wasn’t on our side (thank god for waterproof jackets!).
On arrival at the rope bridge it was fairly busy and was far more touristy than the other places we had visited. After a wait to let people cross the bridge in the other direction we were let on. The bridge feels high and does move quite a lot so be warned if you’re afraid of heights.
To be honest I found the rope bridge underwhelming and a lot shorter than I imagined. Once on the other side the views of the coast were lovely but due to the bad weather we were herded back over the bridge and onto the mainland.
The Giant’s Causeway To Belfast
At this point we were all tired from our early start and due to it being a Sunday some of the other attractions were closing. We decided to leisurely drive back to Belfast on the coastal route.
On the way to the Causeway we’d take the quicker, direct inland route so this gave us a chance to experience the gorgeous coastal scenery. We drove through very pretty, small villages and if we’d had more time it would be nice to have stopped and had a look around.
We dropped the rental car back at the George Best City airport which was closer to our airbnb in the centre of Belfast rather the International Airport where we picked the car up. Once we’d dropped the car off we got a taxi to our airbnb and had a well deserved sit down.
Read more about our visit to Belfast by clicking here. Before you do, let me know what you think to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland? Did you know Ireland was such a beautiful place?
