Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle

The beautiful Antrim coast from Dunluce Castle

It was a very bouncy trip on the Zodiac, coming back from Iona and we were soaked from head to toe. The rain had tipped down for the entire visit and the boat itself was very wet. Our waterproofs kept our insides dry but our outsides were dripping. Arranging coats and waterproof trousers to dry in a cruise suite is quite a challenge. But we know who is up for it. Don’t we! Yep, Gabrielle rose to the challenge and, in no time, everything was dry once more. Even the shoes.

Dinner was as delicious as ever and there was a certain amount of red wine too, which was most satisfying. Now we are ready for the night and we have ordered our breakfasts to be served in the room as we have an early start for our longest day visit.

We wake to sun and the sound of a busy docks, with ships loading coal and other products. We breakfast and go down to our coach to be met by a very humorous guide and the bus driver, whom the guide says has just passed his test and is on his first day. This theme runs throughout the day as the driver delivers a masterclass in roadcraft.

It’s Gabrielle’s first time on the island of Ireland and she is blown away by how beautiful it is, even though memories of radio news bulletins about the Troubles still haunt her memories from her childhood. The drive out of the city takes us past Harland & Wolff shipyards with the iconic towering cranes, Goliath and Samson with the largest of these 106m tall. Shipbuilding is now in decline and the yard deals mostly in repair. The Titanic was built here and a huge and iconic visitor centre is an attractive addition to the waterfront. Its shape from above forms a star in memory of Titanic’s White Star Line.

Belfast has 600,000 population - a third of the whole of Northern Ireland lives here and, after the Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles in 1998 it became a bustling and cosmopolitan city. History and Titanic attract new tourism from all over the world.

The bus takes us through beautiful rolling countryside until we reach the Antrim coast where you can see right across to Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. As we pass through Armoy we are told of the motor cycle races that take place here with speeds in excess of 220mph on winding country roads.

We stop for a quick view of Carrick-a-Rede - National Trust rope bridge that can be seen from the cliff tops and where I discover just how tiny and cramped a coach toilet really is. We pass Bushmills distillery without visiting and head to our first main stop of Dunluce Castle.

This amazing ruin played the part of Castle Greystone in Game of Thrones. Our coach driver negotiates a really hairy turn with consummate ease to get into the castle grounds. It’s perched on volcanic formed cliffs and the first mention of it is in 1513. It was owned in turns by the Irish clans, Scots and the English Crown. Later it grew to 300,000 acres with a village and farming. By the 1700s though, its time is over. Now it is an archaeological venue and treasure trove. Well worth a visit, not least for the stunning views down the Antrim coast. The castle, like so many others, was plundered by the locals after its fall, taking slates, timber and anything not nailed down.

We travel on to Portrush where Royal Portrush Golf Club hosts The Open this year. We learn how “Amazing Grace", a Christian hymn, was written by John Newton, an English clergyman and former slave ship captain, in 1772. He had been saved from shipwreck here and mended his ways thereafter, becoming a key mover in the abolition of slavery.

A huge portion

We have a massive lunch at the Royal Court Hotel, perched above the cliffs outside Portrush. On our first viewing we decide we need to come back for a stay here as well as to revisit the tour at leisure. We are seated with a group of Americans who are fascinated and amazed by the concept of Yorkshire Pudding and Horseradish sauce. What exactly is it? Well, it’s like pancake batter and you cook it in patty pans in a hot oven. But is it sweet? With meat? No. Fill it with meat gravy and try it. And this white stuff? Horseradish. And what do you do with that. Dab a bit behind each ear for good luck. No, I don’t say that but I think why not try it and see. Anyway, they proclaim it is all delicious and finish by saying … And what is York Shire? Sigh. Wedges of Pavlova, enough for six people each arrive. We decline but the Americans go all in!

Giant’s Causeway is next on the list and we have been really looking forward to this wild and dramatic unspoiled spot with its unique geological signature. Except it isn’t any of that except the last. It is quite underwhelming because there are so many people all over it and it is so commercialised and so crowded. We take a walk down, dutifully listening to the recorded commentary on the little speaker devices. We try to get good photos but there are literally hundreds of people swarming all over it.

The moody pictures that one sees of these amazing rocks must be taken at about four in the morning! Gabrielle walks up the hill and I take the electric bus back. On the way the bus stops to pick up an injured woman who must have fallen off the kerb and damaged her ankle on one side, her kneel on the other and put a gash on her forehead. She’s in a bad way and has to shuffle her bottom onto the platform by the door before they can get her in and close the doors with her sitting there in agony. Apparently, there is at least one ambulance incident a day here, usually from people ignoring advice and scrambling on the very slippery rocks. One big positive out of all this is that, although I had to stand all the way, no one offered me a seat. I’m obviously not looking that old!

We draw a strong contrast between the solitude in Iceland and the hurly burly of civilisation. It’s been a bit of a shock. Yet we shouldn’t be surprised. The spot has been popular for tourism for 100s of years. More stones have become exposed as erosion wears away a covering of lava over the years. The columns were formed by volcanic eruptions 400-600m years ago. The top layer of lava cooled quickly but below that it cooled much more slowly, cracking in uniform columns with four, five or six sides. That’s the real story, but like everything in Ireland, there’s a better tale: the rocks lie 16 miles off the coast of Scotland across the Irish Sea and the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) lived there with his wife. He and the Scottish Giant across the water traded insults by shouting and Finn decided to build a causeway to cross the strait and deal with his enemy. He threw rocks into the water and set off across the sea until he caught sight of the Scottish Giant and realised that he was twice as big as him. He dashed home to his wife with the Scot in pursuit and his wife told him to lie in bed and pretend to be a baby. No sooner said than there comes a knocking at the door and the Scottish Giant bursts in, demanding to know where Finn is. Why there’s no one here except me and the baby says the wife. My husband’s popped out. The Scottish Giant sees the “baby” and with a cry, dashes out of the door. “If that’s the size of his baby, how huge must he be?” He hurries back to Scotland, ripping up the stones as he goes.

We drive back to the ship, knowing that packing, a quick meal and an early night await. Then Gabrielle has a great idea: let’s get Santosh to bring us champagne while we pack. What luxury and what a great wheeze! He arrives with two glasses and when we ask to photograph him with them, he promptly loses his presence of mind and one of the glasses tumbles off his tray onto the floor.  Ah well, the sweet smell of champagne in the carpet will greet the next guests!