FAST FACTS:
1. The urban city of Belfast is renowned for its charming atmosphere and friendly people, but its maritime heritage can bring you on a fascinating journey into the city’s shipbuilding past. Head to the city’s Titanic Quarter, the location for Titanic Belfast: Expect gantry rides, an underwater cinema show and stunning cabin recreations. No wonder it has been named the World's Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards.
2. The prestigious travel bible Lonely Planet voted Belfast and the Causeway Coast Best in Travel 2018. Deemed to be one of the world’s most “geographically diverse regions”, the Causeway Coast is home to amazing sights, including the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Mussenden Temple, as well as the jewel in its crown: the legend-laden Giant’s Causeway.
3. HBO’s hit tv series Game of Thrones® brought the natural beauty of Northern Ireland to the small screen. Impressed with the landscapes? Well, did you know the show was filmed at multiple Northern Ireland locations, including the Dark Hedges in County Antrim and Castle Ward in County Down. Grab your broadsword and enjoy.
4. Suitably nicknamed ‘Stairway to Heaven’, the boardwalk around the Cuilcagh Mountains in the Marble Arch Global Geopark is actually part of the Cuilcagh Legnabrocky Trail. The boardwalk is 1.6 km in length and is located at the end of a 5.8km limestone gravel track. The Cuilcagh Legnabrocky Trail is a linear route which will appeal to walkers with some experience walking in the hills. According to NIExplorer: “Cuilcagh, from the Irish meaning ‘chalky peak’, is Fermanagh’s highest mountain and sits right on the border of County Fermanagh in the north and County Cavan in the south of Ireland. Legnabrocky is the rural townland just to the north of the mountain’s summit and is where this walking trail begins.” Discover more of it with NI Explorer’s wonderful video.
5. With the Irish Sea tracing around the course perimeter and the Mourne Mountains as a striking backdrop, Golf Digest has listed Royal County Down Golf Club as number one in its ranking of the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses outside the US.
6. Don’t just sweep in to Derry~Londonderry on a flying visit, stroll the walls – they’ve been standing tall for some 400 years, after all! Take a tour and meet the locals, enjoy tastes galore in the Walled City Brewery, and follow your ear to traditional music sessions across town. Northern Ireland’s Walled City is spectacular in every way, but for one week during the year, it turns ‘spook-tacular’ as it transforms into what USA Today has said is the world’s best spot to celebrate Halloween!
7. Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, can be remembered fondly in Counties Down and Armagh. Said to have begun his mission to spread Christianity in County Down, Saint Patrick went on to found his main church in County Armagh in 445AD.
8. The wild and wonderful Mourne Mountains are a nature lover’s paradise. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it has numerous trails for walking, hiking and mountain biking as its peaks sweep down to the sea. But did you know they were also inspiration for one of the world’s best-loved authors: “I have seen landscapes which, under a particular light, made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge,” wrote CS Lewis, the Belfast-born author of the Chronicles of Narnia.
9. Rediscover the stories of your ancestors at the intriguing Ulster American Folk Park. This unique experience is home to authentic thatched cottages, a full scale emigrant ship and American Frontier log cabins.