The Dark Hedges of Northern Ireland is the most photographed place in Northern Ireland according to Google. Before I arrived in Belfast I didn’t know the place existed but after a quick google when researching tour groups it jumped to the top of my to see list! These beautiful Beech Trees were planted in the 18th Century by the Stuart Family who owned the manor across the road. This Street was made famous on Game of Thrones, and as a result there are a lot of people at the site. However if you haven’t seen the episodes or interested in going on a tour there is still a lot of history in the area. The trees are huge and it is easy to believe they are above 200 years old, unfortunately during some of the huge storms Ireland have had this year a couple of trees did fall down however, it is still in my opinion one of the most amazing sight to see in Ireland.
Another site I visited on the same day was the Giants Causeway. The impressive formation of rocks close to the town of Bushmills. The weather was not as kind by the time we got to the coast and as a result cut my trip short due to hail and winds. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge was unfortunately closed as well due to bad weather but will be on my list when I return. The plus side to the weather were the incredible waves that were crashing in from the Irish Sea. The were security on the rocks at the bottom discouraging tourists from going too far down onto the plains. As is always the case there were many people still taking the risk, however I know my coordination skills and was not going to risk a face plant for an up close photo and kept my feet firmly on dry land. On a clear, sunny day the rocks would be more easily accessible and not as dangerous but the catch 22 would be not seeing how impressive the waves were.
The hail storm that cut the trip short was also another adventure I got to experience. As I have never experienced a winter before and never seen snow, hail is also a new experience. Starting the walk back up to the visitors centre and bus I stopped to admire the hail. That was until the wind picked up and the hail started to come down hard. Apparently hail hurts a lot more than I thought it would. Even though it wasn’t my most favourite experience this trip it was still something I could tick off the bucketlist and have a laugh about once I was dry and warm. It has made me think about investing in some warmer clothes for Croatia next week!
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