Itinerary

Sunday

Rendezvous in Belfast for a poignant black taxi tour of the town. For many years visitors avoided Northern Ireland until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The Troubles are obviously the ‘elephant’ in the Northern Irish living room and so, to set the scene for our walk ahead, we see some of those unforgiving murals and the strident graffiti.  The strife in Northern Ireland can be traced back over eight hundred years. We see the memorial plots and the peace walls of Shanklin and the Falls and hear some first hand accounts from people who lived through those troubled times.  After our tour of Belfast, we take a private transfer to our hotel which overlooks the sea at Carnlough.
Overnight: Carnlough
Monday

We drive to the Queen of Glens described as “Switzerland in Miniature” to explore the most dramatic of the nine Glens of Antrim, Glenariff. We pass waterfalls, gorges and woodland. After our lunch we visit the private Glenarm Castle with its beautiful park, home to the Earls of Antrim. We take tea in the castle's gardens and enjoy a walk through the Earl's private garden and estate. This evening we have dinner at a private house in Larne.
Overnight: Carnlough
Tuesday

We walk along the water’s edge of the glorious sandy beach at White Park Bay, within sight of both Donegal and Scotland, and are rewarded with coffee and Mrs McCullough’s freshly-baked scones beside the tiny harbour at Ballintoy. We continue along a cliff-top path to the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge hanging precariously over an eighty feet chasm (crossing it is optional!). After lunch in Ballycastle, we walk along a memorable and stunning stretch of coastline past the Giant's Causeway - the extraordinary geological phenomenon of forty thousand basalt columns.
Overnight: Bushmills
Wednesday

We pick up our trail to Ballycastle Bay where we take a ferry to Rathlin Island, eight miles off the coast towards Scotland. The boomerang shaped island attracts geologists, botanists and birdwatchers. It is where Robert the Bruce retreated from Edward I (Longshanks) in 1306 and where, in 1898, Marconi made the world's first radio communication.
Overnight: Bushmills
Thursday

We walk the beautiful coastal surroundings of Downhill Demesne with spectacular views westwards over Downhill Strand towards Magilligan Point and County Donegal and to the east Castlerock beach towards Portstewart, Portrush and Fair Head. On the estate of the Bishop of Derry, we reach the Temple Mussenden, built in 1785 as a summer library with an architechtural style that pays tribute to the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli. This afternoon we take a scenic train ride to Londonderry, the only remaining walled city in Ireland and the finest example of its type in all of Europe. We have time to walk the historic walls and take in the sights of this vibrant center, set to be UK City of Culture 2013. A short boat ride across Lough Swilly brings us to Donegal and our country house hotel in Rathmullen.
Overnight: Rathmullan
Friday

This morning we take another ferry to Doagh Island and spend a day walking amidst wild flowers admiring coastal views. We visit the Famine Folk Museum, with it's genuine 19th century thatched cottages and real life exhibits drawing new meaning from defining moments in Ireland's history. The tour provides a weath of information about Irish immigration to the Americas, Australia and elsewhere. We return to our hotel for our farewell dinner.
Overnight: Rathmullan
Saturday

We bid farewell after breakfast and have a transfer to Londonderry for our onward connections.

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