Be it culture, landscapes, legends, food and drink, vibrant cities, a stunning coastline and much more, you will encounter giant-spirited experiences everywhere you go in Northern Ireland. Here are six to start you off.
Soak up Belfast’s trad music scene
Treat your ears to an in-depth Belfast Traditional Music Trail experience, which takes you through the city’s thriving Cathedral Quarter in the company of skilled musicians. Listen as they tell tales, share songs and play traditional pieces on a variety of instruments. Learn the difference between a reel and a jig, and the language, customs and history that make up some of Belfast’s rich musical heritage.
Toast the Causeway Coast
Savour a guided food tour along the Causeway Coastal Route from the comfort of a luxury coach. Arrive hungry, for the Toast the Coast tour guides will bring you to numerous foodie hotspots, each featuring the best of local produce. Get ready to experience the likes of Glenarm organic smoked salmon, local gin and Armagh apple juice, tapas, an artisan bakery and handmade fudge. Make a final toast to the coast in one of Ireland’s smallest pubs.
Go on an island discovery
Create a lifetime of memories with a personalised island-hop around the beautiful Fermanagh lakelands. Relax on board the Erne Water Taxi and experience a landscape full of hidden history and islands rich in heritage. Hear stories from your passionate and engaging host, then listen to the silence of the tranquil waterways once the boat’s engines are turned off. Make sure to hop into one of the many lakeside venues for some great food, hospitality and entertainment.
Step into the Heaney HomePlace
Take a literary journey through the life and works of world-famous poet Seamus Heaney. Set in his hometown of Bellaghy, County Londonderry, the Heaney HomePlace features a series of interactive exhibitions, including recordings of the man himself reciting his own work. Discover the rhythms and rhymes that made Heaney the most widely published poet in the English language and browse personal artefacts such as his beloved leather school satchel.
Hike along a clifftop
See the Giant’s Causeway from a new angle with the help of an Away a Wee Walk expert guide. Their Giant’s Causeway Cliff Path Walk offers a stunning experience of some of the best views in Europe. With plenty of photo and commentary stops along the way, the hike begins at Dunseverick Castle before traversing an extremely scenic cliff path maintained by the National Trust. The views of Rathlin Island, coastal bays, high cliffs and the Giant’s Causeway are simply breathtaking.
Discover a royal residence
Experience the beautiful Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, still in use as a royal residence, in all its restored and reimagined glory. The Georgian castle’s stories of celebration, diplomacy and negotiation are encapsulated in a fascinating guided tour that takes in the grand Throne Room, as well as the State Drawing Room, Lady Grey’s Study, the State Dining Room, Red Room and Stair Hall. Then meander around 100 acres of outdoor enchantment in the stunning gardens.
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