Northern Ireland: A Land of Legends and Beauty

Welcome to Northern Ireland. Over the next few days we're going to be driving the Causeway Coastal Route, one of the most beautiful and scenic road trips in the entirety of Europe. Most people only opt to come to this area for a single day, but to be honest you need at least several days in order to soak in the beauty of the place. From abandoned villages, to crumbling cliff tops, to UNESCO sites, and even visiting the most northerly inhabited island on the island of Ireland. In this travel guide we're going to show you the best of the Causeway Coastal Route, including top attractions and hidden gems. There are countless places to explore along the Causeway Route, but today we're going to be enjoying a very specific area. We'll start the day by visiting the most famous glen of the Causeway Route, before exploring some hidden and abandoned villages. We're beginning the day at Glen Arif, a forested area known for its mossy trees, its red squirrel population, and its abundance of waterfalls. There are a few different ways to start your hike around this area, but we opted to park at Lara Lodge, where you can also get food and drinks. There are nine glens on the Antrim coastline, but this one that we're in now is often referred to as the Queen of the Glens, as it covers an area of 1182 hectares. It's been used as a recreational area by humans since at least 1889, and now is popular among dog walkers, hikers, and nature enthusiasts. Glen Arif was formed during the last ice age, when slow moving glaciers moved throughout the countryside, leaving a deep u-shaped valley, which is incredibly steep. I don't know if you can make this out from the camera, but over there we can see the sheer cliff face that was left behind by these glaciers thousands of years ago, and what's most impressive of all is that there's little sheep grazing on the side of the cliff. While you're in the forested area of the valley, it's really easy to forget that you're also very close to the coastline, but as you go farther up on a clear day like today, you'll see all the way to the sea, and I think the sun is even starting to come out. We've made it halfway through the trail that we're going to cover today. So there's a one kilometre trail, a three kilometre trail, and then a nine kilometre one, and so we're opting to do the middle one to save a bit of time. We're now at the visitor centre, which also has a car park, and has this wonderful picnic area full of birds. This is probably the wildest and nicest part of the trail so far. We're making our way to the second waterfall, and the humidity here is really high, so the plants are incredibly green. Even during the summer, the falls are spectacular, and if you're a plant lover, then you'll be dazzled by the array of water-loving greenery, including rare ferns. We've driven around 15 minutes along the stunning coastline, where we have been rewarded with views all the way to Scotland, because it's such a clear day today, and we stopped off in a little car park in order to see a bit of a hidden gem. The walk up here is just around a kilometre, but we saw something very exciting en route. We managed to spot what I think are probably porpoises or dolphins, but may very well have been orcas, because we were so far away it was hard to tell. This is the abandoned village of Galbally. Once upon a time, it was home to 60 residents. Eventually, amongst dwindling job prospects, they all ended up leaving, apart from one solitary monk who died in 2013. Today, the village lies in ruin, but you might recognise it because it was actually used as a filming location in Game of Thrones, and so the house just behind me is actually fake. It's fibreglass. A few minutes' drive away from the abandoned village we just saw, you'll find the haunting ruins of Ardclinnes Church. This church was probably founded before the 14th century, because that's when the first records began of it, but no one is quite sure. What we do know is that it was originally probably thatched and abandoned by the 16th century. Today, you can still visit the ruins, and most interestingly of all, this churchyard is also home to a fairy tree. Now, hawthorn trees are really important in Irish folklore, and legends have it that if you remove them or damage them, you'll be cursed with bad luck by the fairies. This one is obviously still in use in local folklore. Because many people believe that the fairies live in these hawthorn trees, you'll find them all over the place in the most unexpected of places. Some are dedicated to saints, others are associated with holy wells, and some people even believe that the crown of thorns worn by Christ was made out of a hawthorn tree. Many of these trees can live to over 400 years old. Because I feel like people always ask us where we're staying, I would recommend that if you're doing part of the Causeway coastal route, you base yourself in Cushenden at least for part of your time. There's not a great deal of things to do here, but there is a pub, some nice coastal trails, and of course, beautiful sea views. Because it's currently the height of summer, this is a time when the days are longest. Sorry, I'm being quite distracted by the sheep barring. Anyway, we've decided to do the Torhead Scenic Drive. This is meant to be one of the most remote, as well as one of the most beautiful drives in the entirety of Northern Ireland. The views are just incredible. We've made it to Torhead. We parked up the car, walked a little up the hill, and actually Torhead means the mound, because this is a mound jutting out of the Irish Sea. We can see all the way to Scotland, and not just that, but the clouds are currently rolling in on the hill behind me. I think this is one of the most stunning places we've ever been. This Coast Guard station is now abandoned, but it is deeply associated with the legend of Deirdre of the Sorrows. This dates back hundreds of years, and in times gone by, this structure was actually a fort, which was run by the Gaelic warrior Barak. I should also point out that we're just 12 miles away from the coast of Scotland, so this is the closest point on the island of Ireland to Scotland. From here, you can even see our next destination, Rathlin Island, which we're going to head to early tomorrow. We're going to head on back now before resting up and getting a boat tomorrow morning. Today, we're going to be exploring Rathlin Island, which is the most northerly inhabited island on the island of Ireland. It's pretty windy, as you can see, but what this island is best known for is puffins, so hopefully we'll see some. The first thing we're doing on the island is visiting the RSPB Wildlife Centre. Here is one of the best spots on the island to see seabirds. You have to pay a small entrance fee, but once you do, you get access not only to a viewing platform around 100 steps down, but also to see one of the most unique lighthouses in the UK. Once down at the observatory, you'll be greeted by friendly staff members who will point out the different seabirds, including razorbills, gillmoths, and fulmars. You can borrow binoculars for free, which comes in pretty handy because although the draw for many is the puffins, they are all pretty far away and can't easily be spied with the naked eye. Do I recommend coming here to see the seabirds? Well, if you're a nature lover, most definitely. We've been to a few different islands across the British Isles now, which boast puffins, including Skoma and Lundy, and you can see videos about those on our channel, but here, the real draw are the other nesting seabirds. The only thing I would say, though, is that this whole area smells of rotting fish. This lighthouse is unique in that rather than having the light at the top of the lighthouse, it's actually at the bottom, meaning it's an inverted lighthouse, and this design was made so that the light could penetrate underneath the Irish fog, which often covers the coastline here, keeping ships safe. I like the fact that after you've seen the seabirds, you can come inside the lighthouse and warm up a bit because it is very chilly and windy outside, and here, we can learn more about what it would have been like to have lived as a lighthouse keeper back in the day. Although the puffin bus is a two-way bus, which means that the same ticket you get there, you can get back, you're only allowed to stay at the centre for one hour, and so if you want to stay longer, sometimes you can get a spot on the next bus, but oftentimes, it's completely full, and so you'll have to walk back. We wanted to do that anyway because we're probably going to get to see more wildlife on the way back. There are lots of other birds apart from seabirds on the island, and maybe we'll even manage to see something like a hare. What a wonderful place to sit and take in the view. We can see miles and miles of the Irish coastline from here, and of course, we can have a great view onto Rathlin. We're doing a quick detour whereby we're going to pass via the coastal path before we make our way back to the harbour. We've made it back to the road, in fact, the only road that traverses across the island. Just behind me is Kebble Cottage, and this is said to be the most haunted place on all of Rathlin. It's probably not helped by the fact that this area is full of Manx shearwater, which, if you've ever heard their calls at night, you'll know they're pretty scary. There are also legends of a banshee here. It's funny how many microclimates there are on this island, so when we were at the lighthouse, it was quite rainy, and then in the middle, when we saw the cows, it was really warm. Once more, it is quite windy, but we have a view all the way onto the port, which is around three miles away, and then farther back, you can see Scotland. My one real goal when walking back towards the harbour was to spot a hare, and we managed to spy one hidden amongst the tall grass and wildflowers. While this might be the most northerly inhabited island, that's not to say that the population is huge. In fact, it's estimated that only around 140 people live here, and most of the action on the island centres around the harbour. This is where you'll get the boat to, and so where you'll arrive to, and where you'll depart from. There's a few churches here and one pub. Overall, I've really enjoyed this island, and I think it's perfect for nature lovers, especially if you do what we did and take the bus to the centre, hopefully see some puffins because there are around 1,200 on the island, and then walk back so that you can see even more of the inner island wildlife. You only really need a full day here. You can stay overnight if you're looking for a more slow-paced adventure, but I think one day was sufficient. If you only have a day or two on the Causeway coastal route, then there are several attractions that you'll probably visit, and so today and tomorrow we're going to show you the best of these. We'll also take you to some nearby hidden gems that many tourists miss. Kinbane Castle is a bit of a hidden gem on this stretch of coastline because hardly any tourists come here. It's also free to park in the car park and free to access the site. It's a 16th century ruin which sits on a promontory overlooking the rest of the sea. We can even see where we visited yesterday, Rathlin Island. The walk down to the castle is quite steep, narrow, and slippery, and I think while it's going to be worth going down there, it's quite tiring to think of the fact that we have to walk hundreds of steps back up the cliff again. Kinbane Castle takes its name from the Irish meaning white headland, and it's pretty easy to see how it got its name because this headland is chalky. Built in the 1540s by Colin Macdonald, originally the castle would have stretched quite far over this peninsula, but today the main standing structure still remaining is the tower we find ourselves in. This would have been really useful to the guards around 500 years ago as they would have been able to see enemies approaching. One of the most picturesque harbours in this area has to be Ballintoy Harbour. This historic fishing port is home to a beach, some really beautiful vistas, and is probably best known as being a filming location in Game of Thrones. In the series it represented Iron Islands. We've come to yet another unique headland along the Causeway Coastal Route. This is Carrick-a-Reid. It's currently managed by the National Trust and so you do have to book tickets well in advance because they want to preserve this site for generations to come, so there's a limited number of visitors. Here you'll find one of the most unique bridges anywhere in Northern Ireland because it's a rope bridge. I don't know if it's going to scary to cross but already it's very beautiful here and this area is full of nesting seabirds. So we picked up our tickets at the visitor centre and then it's been around a kilometre walk down to the rope bridge itself. The Carrick-a-Reid rope bridge sits at over 100 feet above the sea and it crosses a 60-foot chasm in order to reach the Carrick-a-Reid island. It was originally erected by fishermen so that they could easily come and check on their salmon nets and today what you see is way more secure than what would have been used decades ago. In fact I was speaking to someone yesterday who visited even 30 years ago and they have secured the rope bridge enormously even since that time. In any case it does still swing a lot and it's a fun experience especially because when you get to this island you can see loads of seabirds. Is the Carrick-a-Reid rope bridge worth it? Well yes but with some caveats. I would recommend coming here if you're already a National Trust member but I probably wouldn't fork out the almost £20 per person just to visit the rope bridge when there's a lot of other beautiful walks along the Antrim coastline. With that being said the fact that you get to cross the bridge and then get so close to nesting seabirds makes it worth a stop off for me. Dunseveret castle or what's left of it sits proudly overlooking the sea and this spot has been fortified since at least the 5th century. It's also said that Saint Patrick once visited here and he baptised a local man called Alkan who ended up being a bishop of Ireland. There's obviously not much left of the fortified structure but it is very beautiful. We're on the most beautiful hike to reach somewhere incredibly special. Here's a taster of what's coming next. Of course you can't come to the Causeway coastal route without visiting its most famous attraction the Giant's Causeway. Formed of approximately 40,000 basalt columns this place is really old and I mean it dates back to around 50 to 60 million years. Today it's UNESCO listed for obvious reasons and it's widely considered to be one of the greatest wonders of Europe. I think what the most incredible thing of all is is that all of this is totally natural and so what happened is that over time eruptions caused layers of basalt to form. After that erosion caused rivers to form and following that there were more layers of lava. Over time the layers on the bottom cooled forming these cracks which are hexagonal in shape. Obviously you can tell I'm not a geologist but the basic long and short of it is that it was formed by lava cooling. However because we're in a land of myth and legend there is also a legend associated with the Giant's Causeway. The story goes that these stepping stones were created by a giant called Finn McCool so that he could go all the way to Scotland to fight a giant over there. Maybe that's not true but the legend is pretty cool as is being in this place. From here we can even see all the way to one of the most unique basalt columns in this area which is also referred to as the Devil's Middle Finger. So you might be thinking is the Giant's Causeway worth visiting? I would say definitely yes because it's just such an incredible landscape. However I recommend coming after the visitor centre is actually closed so you can visit the visitor centre for free if you're a National Trust member. Otherwise it's almost £20 per person and the causeway itself is actually free so I don't really think it's worth paying to go there. There are several parking options including at hotels or parking at one of the National Trust car parks and of course again members are free otherwise I think it's £15 per car so you might want to plan your day so that you can actually just walk here for free rather than parking at one of the nearby car parks. This stretch of coastline is incredibly beautiful and so it's not hard to see why so many creative people have been inspired by it but I've been wondering what's it actually like to live here as an artist and so today we've come to Island Magee, a six mile long narrow peninsula just off the Causeway coastal route in order to meet a local artist. Have you always been an artist? Yes from probably this size. I've always been interested in painting and I went to university to study art so it's always been around but then it was always a clash with lecturers and teachers so I was actually I think three times I was chucked out. I actually didn't finish any of my degrees. Oh my gosh but you are now a professional artist so obviously it was not necessary. I think if you have a passion for something and you stick to it then things will work out. And when did the first landscape come about in the kind of way that you do it today? Probably in my younger days because I actually painted more the female form the likes of mermaids because I've always had a fascination with water anyway that's always stuck with me and the fact that I can't swim and I'm scared of the water but I'm drawn to the water and then when I started trading at St George's market I needed something that was a bit more commercial. And if someone were to learn about your art today what would you want them to know about it? Well I'm hoping when they see the artwork they find even that the place is familiar to them it kind of reminds them of their travels here in Ireland or maybe they were from Ireland. I mean with so many artists all around the world so hopefully when they see a painting like this here it kind of gives them that calling to come back and visit. I'm quite known for my moody skylines so the deep reds so the bit of light coming over the horizon and then a bit of darkness. I don't want to be that typical light at the end of the tunnel kind of thing but you still have the cottages and everything's still safe. And then I'm also known for the wee cottage then sitting there like a sense of isolation that draws the attention into the painting but it is you know home is where family for me is very important as well so that's why probably I have it a lot in the paintings. Can you tell me more about your creative process so what does it take to get the paint on the canvas? Sometimes I just start with the blank canvas and don't really know what I'm going to paint. I pour the paint on and see where it takes me. That there I started it I wanted to do like a cliff tops already had that in the head but then the puffins started coming into it because then I remembered the Bacchanal and McGee. Enamel paint can you explain the process of that because I don't think I've ever heard of that before I've heard of more oil or acrylic. Because of the turnover of the paintings I need to find a new medium that I could just basically paint more and it would be dry so I was reading up about Picasso and he used enamel paint basically because of the strong hue colours whatever way you look at it whatever way the light is shining on it this should change so that you have shifting light that's what I've been using now for a good 15 odd years. Do you have a colour that you particularly like working with? I love working with these kind of the blues and the greys because it's just typical of our weather here in Ireland and then obviously the greens we're all known as the Emerald Isles so they work well with what I'm doing. Is there a place on Island McGee or in Northern Ireland that you find particularly inspiring? Oh that's a hard one quite a lot I do love Strand Beach and Benone Beach, Miston Temple and then Blackhead Lighthouse I do like a lighthouse. Have you always lived in the countryside of Northern Ireland or have you lived well you lived in Belfast during your student years? Yes I was born in Singapore and came here in early 1970s. I was brought up just outside Lawns so I ended up coming back here now even though people find art as a therapy because they do it as a business it can also be quite stressful I find that the gardens kind of my happy place. And do you feel like growing up in Northern Ireland has shaped your artwork? Oh yes obviously I've been brought up during the dark times in Northern Ireland with the troubles and as a teenager as well you were kind of wary where you could go for a drink who you were allowed to mix with that was probably why in all the paintings the skies would be quite dark and quite turbulent kind of representing you know how life was here in Northern Ireland but then the light coming in because then I look at Northern Ireland now still has that element of badness but it's in all countries and you know things are moving on so to me like the ever-changing seasons the rolling clouds the movement of water hopefully people will see the beauty of Northern Ireland and the whole of Ireland actually through the likes of paintings. Port Rush is today one of the biggest towns in this region however it wasn't always this way and the town actually began life as a small fishing village all of this changed in 1827 when the harbour was constructed and then further grew in 1855 with the arrival of the railway and you can still come to the Causeway coastal route via that train today. Port Rush ended up being really popular as a seaside resort during Victorian times and remains so to this day with souvenir shops cafes and beaches. If it's safe to do so while you're here you can come down to the nature reserve the rocks here have actually been studied since at least 1799 because they're full of Jurassic fossils there are also a number of rock pools here. We've come to an 18th century estate which was closely associated with an eccentric bishop earl and is now home to a folly, a mausoleum, a ruined house and some beautiful gardens. The real star of the show here is Mussenden Temple which was actually named for the bishop's cousin Friedrichsweide Mussenden. It was his personal library and it constantly had a fire burning underneath. Today it overlooks the sea although as you can see the sea mist has started to come in so we don't have great visibility. Construction of this mansion began in 1775 although it's unclear exactly who the architect was because the bishop had a habit of firing architects and finding new ones. It was lived in right up until 1922 and during the second world war it was used by the RAF. It then fell into disrepair and today you can see there is little left of it but in this kind of weather it's hauntingly beautiful. We've come to a viewing platform where normally you can see a stone archway known as the wishing arch but it seems like the sea mist that we spotted earlier in the day has finally caught up with us so we won't be able to spy as easily the final spots of today. Nevertheless this just gives us a great excuse to come back. Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe for more Europe travel content. See you next time!