A Wee Walk and Some Irish Magic

Over a million visitors came to see the incredible Giant's Causeway last year. Add a wee walk, on a beautiful sunny day, along the cliff-top path to reach these basalt stones and then you have the magic.

Mark Rogers, of Dalriada Kingdom, guided us along the coast filling our ears with magical stories, history and geology of an area which has inspired countless myths and legends. Around every curve of the coast, Mark would ask us, "Do you think it can get any better?" He was right! The scenery and the rock formations were breath-taking.

When we reached the Port na Spaniagh, Mark shared some of his family history and a moving story about the wreck of the Girona, an ill-fated ship from the Spanish Armada.

At the Hamilton Seat, Mark told us about Rev. W. Hamilton who was the first to recognize the volcanic origin of the basalt stones in 1768. We sat on the Hamilton Seat in awe of what we saw.

In the beautiful sunlight the green seemed greener against the red bands of rocks and the other stones. We could have easily spent the day there soaking up the beauty of the spot. We finished up the walk high about the Giant's Causeway giving us a unique view of the stones we had climbed and explored the day before.

We had a lovely lunch and tea with Mark before exploring the area a bit more. We decided to walk another cliff-top path from the Causeway to Portballintrae which took us along a beautiful sandy beach. The sand was so clean and lovely to walk in. Of course, the other Beach on this trip kept his shoes on!

We missed the last bus so we kept walking until we reach the town we are staying in called Bushmills. Tired feet, happy hearts and 22 kms later we reached the Hip Chip for fish and chips. A perfect end to a magical day on the Antrim Coast.

I have more to share about our time in Northern Ireland but just need to find a wee bit more time. Dave is missing his afternoon naps when I usually do my travel blog. I told him he can rest on the bus to Dublin tomorrow. Enjoy those four hours Dave!!