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Dodging the rain between the showers:             Northern Ireland part 2

22/9/2013

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Northern Ireland Coast
Northern Ireland is not a big country, but in this reasonably small package are crammed sights that will entice any traveller brave enough to face the weather.

This was my husband’s first trip back to his homeland for two decades, and the last time I was in the Province I was a newspaper reporter following the British Army, seeing life through the windows of an armoured vehicle.

“So Darling, what can you tell me about Ballymena?” As soon as I opened my mouth I regretted asking the question. I knew the answer. I’d heard it before. More than a few times.

“Did you know,” my husband mused, “that my name is on the school hall wall and that it’s Liam Neeson’s home town?”

Twenty years might seem a long time, but not much has changed, and at the same time everything is different. The police station is still surrounded by high security fences, and when the shops shut, the iron curtains descend across their façades. But this is an habitual routine rather than any real expectation of violence. After decades of taking heed of bomb alerts, and taking the long way round to avoid the delays at the police checkpoint, it is very hard to break habits.

However, I don’t want to dwell on the political clouds that hang over Northern Ireland. This was an opportunity to see it in a new light, and open the doors of travel to new possibilities.

I want to tell you about the unusual, the impossible and the strange.

Love for the homeland is deep routed. So deep in fact, that people buy holiday homes just 20 miles from where they live. Why drive long distances if you don’t have to? Mr Mc. was obviously being flippant when he said: “There is only so far you can take a Thermos flask,” but there’s an element of truth.

From Ballymena we headed north to the verdant, fecund north Antrim coast. Heathers, campanulas and cornflowers flow across the cliff top, the wind rippling the long grass to mimic the rolling sea below. The scenery is stunning. It’s wild, but accessible, pretty but with raw beauty. If you follow the coastal path every turn offers a new surprise; a hidden bay, an unspoilt white sandy beach, rock formations with families of seagulls nestled against them.

We walked from Port Rush to Dunseverick Castle, a challenging route that left our hair ruffled and our waistlines a little slimmer.

The full Causeway Coast Way path stretches 33 miles from Portstewart to Ballycastle, passing through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a World Heritage Site and several Areas of Special Scientific Interest. The sights are spectacular, whether you’re interested in the natural or manmade. Crumbling castles guard the boiling waters below (the least and most apt adjective for the churning, freezing sea), hinting at the troubled past of raiding Vikings and Ulster clans long gone; Impressive hexagon-shaped rock stacks loom out of the water at the Giant’s Causeway, surrounded by mystery and folklore; and for visitors with a head for heights, the Carrick-a-rede ropebridge offers an insight into the harsh lives of bygone fishermen.

No visit to the British Isles would be complete without touching on one of the most talked about subjects however: the weather. As it was August, the weather was changeable. In fact it was sometimes raining in between the showers. Across the dark, steely sea, fat, almost tactile, clouds, brought with them the threat of a drenching, and with the rain came winds that buffeted us along the cliff top. But after a short, sharp episode the dark skies split and shards of sunshine shot down.

Despite weather hardly warm enough to be out of thermals, hardy souls continued to frolic in the foam, and huddle on picnic blankets wrapped in coats.

Tempting as it is to hunker down into your collar, this is a coastline that demands you pay attention. The sights are staggering, the countryside is untamed, and what can be better than a hot chocolate in a café after a character-building hike?

For more photos please visit our Flickr page

The practical bit:
Strangest sight: a rabbit going for a walk on a lead at the Giant’s Causeway.

Fact: Part of the United Kingdom, but only separated by 11 miles of the Northern Channel from Fair Head to the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.

Walking routes: www.walkni.com. A Rambler bus operates along the cliff top road to help you complete the loop back to your car.

Things to see and do:
  • Giant’s Causeway (National Trust) 
  • Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge (National Trust) 
  • Secret rock pools and hidden caves at Ballantoy habour  
  • Dark Hedges – a magical tree-lined road planted to create an impressive entrance to Gracehill House in the 18th century and reputedly haunted by ‘Grey Lady’. 

Places to eat:
  • The Galgorm Manor (see below) has great food, whether you want afternoon tea, Italian with flare or a good steak. We ate in the new Fratelli’s restaurant, which is homely Italian fare with flair.  
  • Sandwich with a view at the Bayview Hotel, Portballintrae 
  • Coffee with a vista at 55 North, Portrush 

Places to stay:
  • Ramada Portrush 
  • Galgorm Manor: This spa hotel in Ballymena offers a luxurious rural escape with style. With dedicated facilities for weddings, extensive grounds and a Rolls Royce once owned by Alan Sugar, this country house is a great place to spend time relaxing.

Travel in Northern Ireland
Antrim coast
Travel in Northern Ireland
Dark Hedges
Travel in Northern Ireland
Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge
Travel in Northern Ireland
Giant's Causeway
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Ringing the bells of change in Belfast:                 Northern Ireland part 1

12/9/2013

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Tapping my foot to the melodies created by the live guitars, a glass of Shiraz in my hand and a platter of prosciutto in front of me, I was having a peaceful and thoroughly enjoyable evening. Four streets away 56 police officers were injured in a riot.

Walking on eggshells, the people of Belfast have learned to live with the uneasy peace. It has been two decades since my husband lived in the Province and despite last night’s scuffle, parades and protests, much has changed. The shopping area is no longer barricaded, tourism is opening its arms offering a hearty welcome, and businesses are thriving. Tourists play a huge role in the city’s regeneration with new visitor attractions and experiences opening to draw a more diverse crowd. Traditionally, when you think of Irish tourism you think of lucky Leprechauns, four-leaf clovers and a good pint of Guinness. But you’ve come to the wrong Ireland here. Northern Ireland has its own offerings from the bustling city to the heart-breakingly beautiful coastline.

So let’s start in the city. At the top of any visitors’ to-do list is Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience.  It is housed in a futuristic six-storey building on the site of the reclaimed slipway where the fateful ship was made. Visitors are taken on a journey from Belfast’s industrial development in rope and linen making through to the construction and launch. Whether you’re interested in technology, history or interior design, Titanic Belfast has something for everyone. You can examine the hype, myths and legends propagated by the years, Chinese Whispers and Hollywood. At the same time you can get under the skin of what actually happened, and examine the evidence that led to this iconic ship sinking 101 years ago. It’s a great place to start your Northern Irish tour.

From content we went to context. Belfast is a very walkable city. Just wandering around the red brick Victorian and granite Edwardian buildings gives you an insight into a stylish past. It was granted city status by Queen Victorian in 1888, and style, hand in hand with modernity, is pushing its way to the forefront again after a turbulent political paramilitary period in the 20th century. This is a slice of the past most wish to put to rest although murals depicting the troubles are still evident, flags are still flying, and flashes in the pan can still be seen from time to time. My husband warned me time and time: “Go ahead, ask questions and be interested in people, but don’t ask their religion.”

Architecture is the highlight of most walking tours and Belfast does not disappoint. The Merchant Hotel is one such gem, and a perfect place to rest after wandering the alleys of the Cathedral Quarter. This former bank, complete with vault door, and Ireland’s largest chandelier, dates from 1860s and is the venue for any elegant celebration. When high tea is served, the warm scones are presented and the string quartet strikes up, you are transported back in time.

Belfast is a city of two halves. One half is keen to respect and preserve its historic past. The other half is embracing tourism, enduring an uneasy peace and looking forwards to a less turbulent future. Two halves that almost go perfectly together. 

The practical bit
Where to stay: We stayed at Benedicts, in Bradbury Place. A clean four-star hotel within walking distance to the city centre. It has a restaurant, pub and nightclub to help you feel in the thick of it, but may be too noisy for some. www.benedictshotel.co.uk. For our Trip Advisor review please click here. 
Where to eat and drink: Deanes Deli Bistro, in Bedford Street, for great food, wine and live music at the weekend. 
What to do: 
  • Titanic Belfast www.titanicbelfast.com
  • Dome viewing platform at Victoria Square shopping centre, www.victoriasquare.com
  • High tea at the Merchant Hotel, Skipper Street, www.themerchanthotel.com

Need more information: www.gotobelfast.com, www.nitb.com

What to see more photos? Please visit us on Flickr by clicking here.

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The erosion of community – the airport rip off

25/8/2013

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A new voyage or destination gives a traveller the opportunity to learn something new about how people live. Travel offers us an insight into how the world ticks. 

A journey from one town to the next, or between two countries, gives us two points of comparison. It’s difficult not to compare. We notice how quickly cities have developed, especially if we are returning to somewhere we have been before. And one of the top topics to muse about over a coffee in the local café is how life has changed and how development has eroded our sense of community.

I don’t even think you have to leave the airport before the comparison starts. I’m sitting in Belfast airport, feeling a little bit abused. The problems started with my air ticket with a certain orange liveried bird of steel. You may say you get what you pay for, but I had thought that they were operating a business and the focus of any business should be its customers. Forget that.

Move a little further along the airport conveyor belt and you are greeted with several offers to relieve of a few heavy coins. Would you like to buy a plastic “security” bag for your cosmetics? No. Would you like to pay extra to shorten the frisk queue? Not keen on that either. Would you like us to be so inflexible that you think we are taking the …. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Above all, especially in an airport, security is paramount. I get that. But I can’t help beginning to feel that it is being used as an excuse to take short cuts and be lazy. I understand that you have an important job and we all benefit from the role you play in the airport game of manoeuvring thousands of people safely from one place to another. But apart from feeling like a pawn on a chessboard, I feel if we all smiled, phrased our requests with a little more respect and offered a helping hand rather than a slap, we would have happier and more efficient airports, and help to stem the community erosion. Rant over. Apparently, for safety reasons I “need to turn the computer off now”. Please.

Now for something to lighten the mood:

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