Derry-Londonderry Northern Ireland

Day 65/Northern Ireland 6

Travelled:38km

Stay:Londonderry - mixed carpark N55.0000 W7.3122

Visited: Derry-Londonderry 

We decided this morning that we may as well head straight to Londonderry and we were lucky to get a spot in the carpark we had chosen from P4N.

 It was only a short walk from here to the Peace Bridge built in 2011 over the Foyle River leading us straight into the heart of the walled city.

 The town that began from a monastery in 546 and was known as Derry until 1613, when it was changed to Londonderry after it was selected as a major Plantation project. This resulted in much unrest as the Irish people were displaced by the English and Scottish who had been given their land. It was at this time that the city walls were built to protect the new settlers. Unfortunately the unrest continued on manifesting itself during the Troubles (1968-1998) although there are still rumbles between them. So with this of bit of history about the city we ventured forth. Our first stop was The Guildhall built 1890 and having suffered fires and bombings, it still stands proudly between the city walls and the river. 

It has many beautiful stained glass windows that depicts the history of the town including the many guilds that came here from Britain. 

There was a room dedicated to explaining the Plantation Project.

 We also ventured up the lovely oak staircase to the have a look at the Grand Hall.

 We then popped into the Tower Museum and learnt about the the 1.5km walls in greater detail. They are amongst the best preserved in Europe. They have famously never been breached and the biggest test came during the 1689 siege that lasted 105 days and resulted in nearly half the population dieing from starvation or disease.

 So we then began our tour on the walls. There were plenty of information boards explaining the different buildings and gateways along the route. 

We went through Butchers Gate down into the Bogside, a catholic area that have many murals about the Troubles.

 We then continued along the wall and stopped St.Columbs Cathedral which had some great information. 

We ventured on and finished our lap and then went to find a good pub for a chilled Guinness and a bite to eat. 

We then had a walk around inside  and outside of the walls and did a bit of tourist shopping before making it back to Bluey. 

Giants Causeway Northern Ireland

Day 64/Northern Ireland 5

Travelled:90km

Stay: lookout carpark, Bishops Road, Castlerock N55.1494 W6.8776

Visited: Ballintoy Harbour, Giants Causeway free but paid parking (National Trust nonmembers £12.50pp incl parking, audio guide and visitors experience), Bushmills, Downhill Demense & Hezlett House (National Trust nonmembers £6.20pp) 

The rain was very discouraging this morning. We had our coffee and drove a short distance to Ballintoy Harbour. Also a GoT film location. Unfortunately as the road sign warned us that it was unsuitable for motorhomes etc we felt we couldn’t linger. So we took some photos and doubled back while it was early and no one else was on the road. 

We arrived just after 8am at the Giants Causeway visitors centre parking area. There was no one there except 2 campers who must have stayed overnight. As the centre didn’t open until 9am, we had breakfast, although it is free 24 hrs to walk along the track, the parking is not, unless you are National Trust members. We wasted no time getting our audio guides and made our way along to the Giants Causeway. 60 million years ago, volcanic eruptions created 40,000 vertical basalt columns making it a remarkable natural phenomenon that has attracted visitors for many centuries. The name derives from a myth involving Finn McCool, a famous Irish giant who laid a pathway to Scotland to do battle with a Scottish giant, Benandonner.

 We explored a little further enjoying the beautiful coastline and the unique features in the area. 

We then took our time to look at the different exhibits in the visitors centre. As we drove out towards Bushmill, we were confronted with the traffic chaos of cars and buses trying to find a parking spot all the way to the town. Not being whiskey lovers (and having previously been to Glenfiddich) we opted to not visit the world’s oldest distillery, apparently starting before the Scots! 

Dunluce Castle 

We continued on and stopped near Castlerock to visit another National Trust property- Mussenden Temple, Downhill Demense and Hezlett House.We began with Hezlett house, a 17th Century thatched cottage, one of Ireland’s oldest surviving buildings. The family lived here for over 200 years. 

A feature we have not seen before was an upstairs room where 15 farmhands would sleep. Their ages started from 9 years old and they would have one day off a year to see their mothers...called Mothers Day! 

We then drove a little further to visit the temple and remains of the mansion. The Earl Bishop of Derry developed the site in the late 1700’s. We walked through the walled garden and to the Dovecote.

 We then went to the iconic Mussenden Temple standing on the edge of the cliff which once held the Earls library. 

He also built the Downhill Demesne which unfortunately was destroyed by a fire after 1944 and never rebuilt. 

After our visit we picked out a P4N spot, a lookout on Bishop Road. The weather was changeable and we hoped we would eventually manage to see the view.