Private Giants Causeway & Coastal Tour from Belfast in Luxury Mercedes

The Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge was first established in 1755 – nearly 265 years ago! In its day there was only one single hand rail and the odd wooden slate every few steps. It was highly unsafe and a real thrill seeker may have found the excitement in crossing. The bridge has massively evolved from then to create a safer experience whilst keeping the excitement and thrill of crossing intact. Located along a stretch of the North Antrim Coast, the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge sits roughly 100 feet over the hollow waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The crossing is often considered daring and for thrill-seekers due to the bridges tendencies to sway in the wind and the drop from looking down. We find this is a great stop and a great piece of the North Antrim Coast to include on our Giants Causeway Tour.

**Please Note** - Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge has reopened and is now accepting time-slot bookings. We will be in touch to assist you with your time-slot for crossing after booking your tour.

Final stop before our return to Belfast is The Dark Hedges again this is a famous Game of Thrones film set where 'The King's Road' was placed. The trees dating back to 1775 were placed to create an imposing look into the Gracehill House Estate.

There is a legend that the ghost of Grey Lady comes to the tree's and crosses from tree to tree. The lady is claimed to be the spirit of James Stuarts' daughter or one of the house maids from the Gracehill House. This is quickly becoming a piece of heritage within the North of Ireland and is a fantastic spot for Game of Thrones fans and normal tourists!

Ballintoy Harbor or to Game of Thrones Fans, known as 'Iron Islands' is a spectacular spot along the North Antrim Coast that welcomes thousands of tourists each year. We make a brief stopover at the harbor for an opportunity to visit the spot, take a walk and take some pictures. It's a truly outstanding harbor placed on a piece of the coast you have to experience for yourself.

The Giants Causeway, the main attraction of the North Antrim Coast is one of the brightest and best attractions on the whole island of Ireland. The Causeway itself has plenty of Irish myths for your guide to tell while your visit to the attraction is under way. To see the Giants Causeway is certainly breath-taking but to experience it with the beliefs of a giant actually building it, is another. The hexagonal patterns that create the different structure like formations through the rocks can be verified by none other than yourself with things like 'The Wishing Chair', 'The Camel', 'The Giants Foot' and the Cliff-Top Path, all of which you will be shown during your experience! Admission to the Giants Causeway is free although there are operational shuttle buses that cost £1 for transport to the Causeway from the carpark, alternatively you can walk the route with no cost at all.

Admission to the Giant's Causeway is free, there is a separate fee into the visitors centre.

Dunluce Castle is a medieval castle ruin that has been persevered and kept to display the history off the North Coast and the territorial war that happened between the 15th and 16th Century. The castle in itself has been documented to be in existence from the 13th century making it nearly 800 years old! To still be standing and preserved to experience and appreciate is a special feeling whilst on the grounds. We make a stop over for a walk around the castle site that has some fantastic photo opportunities.

**Tasting only for cruise ship tourists due to the duration of the tour**

Join one of the Bushmills whiskey educators to see first-hand how the craft of whiskey- making is carried out at the Distillery. Walk with them through the living history of the Bushmills grain-to-glass processes, experiencing the impressive sights and rich scents of each stage from mash tun to pot still to barrel. Then complete your tour in the 1608 bar to taste for yourself the culmination of more than 400 years of expertise and innovation.
This tour will last approximately 90 minutes.

History of Dunseverick Castle

Recorded in the Irish Annals as Dun Sobhairce, Dunseverick Castle was first fortified by an ancient chieftain, Sobhairce, from around the 5th century AD, possibly earlier and, from around the 7th century AD, was then occupied by the Dál Riada, an extended tribal group with strong maritime connections between north-east Ireland and western Scotland. It later became a centre of the Earls of Ulster around 1250–1350 AD, and then a stronghold of the O’Cahan’s and later the MacDonnells from 1560 AD.

Saint Patrick and Dunseverick

It was said that Saint Patrick once visited Dunseverick Castle where he baptized Olcán, a local man, who later became a Bishop of Ireland. The northern area of the site contains an oval depression of wet ground which is thought to be a holy well and has, unsurprisingly, become known as St Patrick’s Well.

The stunning, sweeping sandy beach of White Park Bay is located in the small village of Ballintoy, County Antrim. The spectacular sandy beach forms a white arc between two headlands on the North Antrim Coast.

Its secluded location means that even on a busy day there is plenty of room for quiet relaxation. The beach is also backed by ancient sand dunes which provide a range of rich habitats for bird and animal life.

The landscape in and around the bay took shape between 200 million and 50 million years ago. Through faults, landslips and raised beaches, fossils like Belemnites, Ammonites and Gryphaea have been revealed. Look out for Elephant Rock - legend claims that this in fact is a woolly mammoth that tried to escape a volcanic eruption.