Norn Irn

[Maryanne]According to Kyle, "Norn Irn" is how the locals pronounce Northern Ireland! Today was planned as a ROAD TRIP around the NE coastline


Sarah and Me, with Carrickfergus Castle - the first stop on our road trip around Northern Ireland


Early sights along the road - Garron Point and Ballygalley Head


Kinbane Head and Castle - a gem on the scenic coastal road
[Kyle]We were all up bright and early for the drive up the coastal route to the North end of the country. The weather had cleared overnight and we had the company of what Sarah calls ‘The Day Star’. Wow! We had all of this marvelous, stunning scenery to ourselves. There was too much of it to take in. We made so many stops, I was worried we wouldn’t make it back in time for Sarah’s flight. My favorite part was the Torr road, which was very narrow and hilly and windy and went through the most gorgeous landscape, mostly without another soul in sight. We could even see Scotland across the narrow strait.


Torr Head detour on beautiful Scenic Coastal Road
We rejoined the main route and went to the Carrick-a-rede footbridge, a swaying rope bridge originally put up by salmon fishermen to give access to their nets but now one of Northern Ireland’s biggest attractions. We got to the bottom of the hill at the start of the bridge and found every tourist in Northern Ireland cued at the line. Every person going across the bridge was stopping to get a picture of it and was hamming it up for their friends. This was slowing the crossing rate to about 20 per hour. A quick look at the line and I figured we had hours to wait. Suddenly, it was looking a lot less fun.


Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Sheep Island
On to the next thing; Giant’s Causeway. This is a World Heritage Site where a lava flow cooled very quickly into hexagonal columns. Very cool but also home to all of the children of Spain. We made a couple more scenic stops along the way and then headed back in the rain to Belfast to return the car and get Sarah back on her flight to London. We were all so glad we had nice weather in the morning for the coastal drive.



The amazing hexagonal geology of the Giant's Causeway
Back at the marina, we found out our engine parts had not arrived as promised, meaning we would have to stay at least another day until they arrive, which is a real bummer because the weather was supposed to be perfect for going north. Also, the stinkin’ wifi is still out. Aaarrgghhh!! It’s possible no one will see this until Scotland.