Causeway Coast & Glens Visitor Guide 2014
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Visitor Guide 2014 causewaycoastandglens.com Mussenden Temple, Castlerock PAGE 3 causewaycoastandglens.com Causeway Coast and Glens In the footsteps of giants There’s nowhere else on earth quite like the Causeway Coast and Glens. With a welcome as warm as a blazing peat fire, this picturesque corner of the Emerald Isle is a tourists’ nirvana. Where else can you sample such a diversity of attractions, activities, and amenities? Where else can you experience scenery so sublime it takes your breath away? Dunluce Castle, Portrush PAGE 5 causewaycoastandglens.com “Ireland’s coastal highway to heaven; the Antrim coast offers one of the world’s most spectacular drives, with natural and man-made wonders awaiting round every bend in the road.” Henry McDonald, Guardian.co.uk 1 PAGE 7 2 The Causeway Coast and Glens follow one of the world’s great region is unique, not only because road journeys, the Causeway it boasts Northern Ireland’s No1 Coastal Route [see Your 5 Day tourist attraction, the UNESCO Itinerary on page 24] or to take World Heritage site Giant’s one of our specifically designed Causeway, but also because of tours encompassing everything the hidden gems that lie in wait from Myths & Legends, to Parks, at every turn. A place for quiet Gardens, and Family Fun. No www. reflection or a full-on adrenalin matter where you go, or how you Visit our website to plan your rush; retail therapy or some beauty choose to go there, the sights, journey and find out more. spa relaxation; scenic splendour or sounds and smells will live long in causewaycoastandglens.com buildings steeped in history; there the memory. is so much to see and do, you Here’s a taster or two to whet 1 Causeway Coastal Route, might just have to return again, the appetite. Perched on a dark near Portrush and again… basalt outcrop overlooking Royal 2 Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Perhaps the best way to make Portrush Golf Club is Dunluce Ballintoy the most of what is on offer is to Castle with its stunning Atlantic causewaycoastandglens.com 1 1 Benbradagh, Limavady fingers, the beech branches create 2 Ballintoy a natural arch that is a favourite of professional and amateur photographers alike. views and rich history of siege The click of camera shutters and settlement. Or if you’re the provide the soundtrack to any courageous type, try traversing visit with a proliferation of picture the awesome Carrick-a-Rede postcard settings certain to find rope bridge with its 80-foot a home in both the memory chasm below. If it’s something and holiday album. Revel in more sedate you’re after, why the tranquility of the Roe Valley not visit the florally festooned Country Park or the rugged beauty inland villages of Broughshane, of Rathlin Island; the awe-inspiring Ahoghill, Galgorm, and Gracehill. views of Lough Foyle from Just outside Ballymoney, famous Binevenagh to the lush forests and for its legendary motorcycle road tumbling waterfalls of the nine GuidetoCCG racing brothers Joey and Robert famous Glens of Antrim, be sure Download our FREE App. Dunlop, you will also discover an not to miss Glenariff ‘The Queen Available on the App Store avenue of trees known locally as of the Glens’. With quaint harbours and the Android Market. the Dark Hedges. Like entwined dotted around the coast from PAGE 9 “...in effect, three major tourist attractions which sum up what Northern Ireland has to offer...Giant’s Causeway, the Antrim Coast and the nine Glens of Antrim.” Paul New, Sunday Sun 2 causewaycoastandglens.com Like us on Facebook Keep up to date with all the latest news and offers. facebook.com/ CausewayCoastandGlens PAGE 11 Carnlough to Portballintrae and mile after mile of golden beaches from Ballygally to Benone, Portrush to Portstewart, you won’t be able to get the lens cap off fast enough - you might even catch a surfer on the crest of a roller! Of course, no trip to the Causeway Coast and Glens would be complete without sampling a drop of nectar from Ireland’s oldest whiskey distillery. You are certain to leave Old Bushmills Distillery with a smile on your face (especially if you avail of the end of tour tipple). It’s not just the adults who are catered for. Happy children make for happy holidays and you’ll guarantee ear-to-ear grins with a stop off at traditional fun factories like Barry’s, Ireland’s largest amusement park in Portrush, Benone Tourist Complex, Carnfunnock Country Park or more recent additions such as the Jet Centre in Coleraine. A season’s long programme of events in the coastal resorts will be sure to keep everyone entertained. 2 1 Slemish Mountain 1 2 Broughshane village causewaycoastandglens.com 1 For those, young and old, who like nothing better than a leisurely stroll, the choice is endless; and if you prefer a ‘good walk spoiled’ (as author Mark Twain once described golf) then the Causeway Coast and Glens is nothing short of a fairway fanatic’s fantasy. Top class links courses including Royal Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock, Ballycastle and more than a few excellent parkland courses including Galgorm Castle, Gracehill and Roe Park Resort are a feature of the region. Portrush is now dubbed ‘Major Golf Capital of World’, following the success of 2 PAGE 13 “One of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever seen is the country lane called Dark Hedges. The serpentine trees form a tunnel that is spectacular at any time of day but particularly intriguing and mysterious just before dark.” Jim Zuckerman, world-renowned photographer 1 The Dark Hedges, near Ballymoney 2 Drumaheglis Marina, River Bann 3 3 Children of Lir, Ballycastle causewaycoastandglens.com 1 GuidetoCCG Download our FREE App. Available on the App Store and the Android Market. 1 Glenoe Waterfall 2 Portrush Harbour 3 Causeway Coastal Route, Fairhead local stars Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke. Who knows, maybe some of their magic might even rub off on you and your game. Where you play is important - and so is where you stay. The Causeway Coast and Glens can boast all forms of accommodation, from deluxe hotels to modern 2 PAGE 15 “Top 10 Most Spectacular Drives - There’s always space for another beautiful drive along a coast. Here you’ll find the epitome of untamed landscapes, the land of the nine glens, where ferocious green leaps over the road and where cliffs cut into the wild Atlantic sea.” Esther Young, ABC News USA 3 causewaycoastandglens.com 1 “...the Causeway Coast is a splendid way to travel back in time and see Ireland for what it was and always will be, a magical island the colour of emeralds, in which every little valley hides a village of fairy creatures.” Sascha Matuszak, Europe Up Close - the Insiders Travel Guide. 2 PAGE 17 self-catering apartments, quaint Motorcycle Road Race; a celebration cottages and family-owned B&Bs. of Ulster’s rural past and present And don’t get us started on pubs. at the Ballymoney Agricultural If you want an impromptu lesson Show; St Patrick’s Day at Slemish on the area’s rich culture and its Mountain; plus the Danny Boy and countless myths and legends, then Dalriada Festivals. just ask a local, in his local. There’s a popular saying in There’s no shortage of this part of the world: “When God characters more than willing to made time, he made lots of it”. spin a yarn or two. Visit the Oul So why not leave the stresses Lammas Fair in Ballycastle (on the and strain of modern life behind, last Monday and Tuesday in August) take your time, and embark on a and you’ll see what we mean. Or journey you will never forget. perhaps you could immerse yourself Perfectly positioned between in the annual Heart of Glens Festival the cities of Belfast and Londonderry, for a fun-filled guide to tradition the Causeway Coast and Glens is and music. The incredibly diverse an ideal base camp from which to range of events also includes the explore Northern Ireland. But be Northern Ireland Cup International warned - once you’ve glimpsed www. Youth Football Tournament (David what the Causeway Coast and Visit our website to plan your Beckham and Wayne Rooney Glens has to offer, you might just journey and find out more. are just two of its graduates); find it hard to leave. causewaycoastandglens.com the North West 200 International 1 Glenarm Castle 2 Carnlough Harbour 3 Causeway Coastal Route near Carnlough 3 causewaycoastandglens.com Game of Thrones Follow the path of the stars on the Causeway Coast & Glens three-day Game of Thrones Itinerary 1 HBO’s award-winning television and Glens to represent everything pivotal scenes were shot. series Game Of Thrones combines from Winterfell to the King’s Road, The Game of Thrones itinerary the cut and thrust of medieval The Iron Islands to Stormlands. not only brings to life the drama warfare with murder, mysticism, Now you too can stand on the of the series, but also provides a and intrigue. The battle for spot where Lannisters schemed, front row seat at locations steeped control of The Iron Throne, which stroll in the footsteps of Starks, and in local myth and legend, where rules over the Seven Kingdoms gaze on grasslands crossed by the ancient warriors walked long of Westeros has captured the Dothraki horde. before leading men. So why not imagination of fans all over the The Causeway Coast and step on to a set like no other, world that revel in every twist Glens Game Of Thrones itinerary where you can indulge your and turn of the storyline.