One of the particular attractions is Port Cuan (or Coon) which is a huge cave accessed by boat. Once upon a time the tourist guides would blow bugles so visitors could experience the dramatic echo inside the cave’s Gothic proportions.

Despite somewhat choleric view of Dr Samuel Johnston that the Giant’s Causeway was worth seeing “but not worth going to see”, it remains a major tourist attraction, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is much geological history here, as well as outstanding sea views and challenging cliff-path walks which are rewarding but worthy of caution.

The area is also in the care of the National Trust, which also owns the period Causeway Hotel nearby. It is well-known for serving some of the heartiest food and drink in all of Ireland, including a “mixed-grill” of gargantuan proportions which almost requires two plates per person!

Nearby Bushmills was also the focus of a hitherto little known story whereby a former revolutionary new navigational code developed by the German Luftwaffe and named “Consol” was captured by the British during the Second World War. It was later adapted as a key navigational aid for European aircraft in peace-time. The Consol system was installed in a small building three miles outside Bushmills. It was opened in 1946 with the appropriate call signal “MWN-Mike-Whiskey-November”, and for many years its 310 feet  masts were a feature on the Causeway Coast landscape until it was overtaken by new technology and closed down on 30 September 1976.

The system was switched off some 90 minutes before the official time of midnight – so that the “farewell party” would reach the bar at the Bay View Hotel in Portballintrae before closing time.

The Bay View, a hostelry of character and popular hotel still entertains the weary or thirsty although the coastal village of Portballintrae has now been transformed by modern developments.

Any Ireland tours should include this coastline and in particular the Giants Causeway.

At Ireland Luxury Tours we spend a day on this coast on our tours of Ireland.

It is also worth a day tour out of Belfast if you are staying in a hotel or visiting on a cruise ship.

Geologists believe that they were formed when an ancient lava flow cooled and solidified approximatley sixty million years ago during the early Tertiary period.

Its name stems from a local legend that the columns were built by giants as part of a roadway to Scotland.

Check out the legent of “Finn McCool”

Dont miss this on any Ireland tours !!!

Ireland Luxury Tours have Belfast tours that expand to the Giants Causeway. If you are on a cruise ship in Belfast check our private day tours.

Just ask and we can create a tour that suits you.

14th May 2010   MEIN SCHIFF

24th May 2010   BRAEMAR

31st May 2010  SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER

1st June 2010   DEUTSCHLAND

2nd June 2010   VISTIMAR

11th June 2010  SAGA PEARL 11

18th June 2010   CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

27th June 2010    MV DISCOVERY

28th June 2010   CROWN PRINCESS

Arrive in either Dublin or Belfast and meet your driver/guide. Travel in your luxury chauffeur driven vehicle to Belfast’s four star Europa Hotel , or the new five star Fitzwilliam hotel. Enjoy an overview of Belfast visiting the Titanic Dry Dock and Pump-House, see the City Hall, Grand Opera House, Queen’s University, and the famous murals. Enjoy a pint of Guinness that evening in the famous Crown Liquor Saloon which is across the road from your hotel.

Day Two

Travel the spectacular North Coast road, perhaps stopping for coffee at the beautiful Londonderry Arms Hotel (once owned by Winston Churchill) in the village of Carnlough. Visit the world famous Giants Causeway and the spectacular Dunluce Castle. Take in the oldest distillery in the world at Bushmills and even try a wee tipple. Lunch could be enjoyed at the quaint Ballintoy Harbour where catch of the day leaps from the Harbour straight on to your plate. Return to the hotel that night.

Day Three

Travel along the Ards Peninsula and cross Strangford Lough on the local ferry. Visit the fantastically quirky Castleward House before standing at Saint Patrick’s grave. Then travel through the little town of Newcastle to see the magnificent Mourne Mountains sweeping down to the sea.

The Girona had anchored in Killybegs harbour, Donegal, for repairs to her rudder while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. About 800 survivors from two other Spanish shipwrecks were taken aboard at Killybegs, from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada, which ran aground off the coast of County Mayo, and the Duquesa Santa Ana, which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay, Donegal.

With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, the Girona was repaired and set sail for Catholic Scotland on 25 October, with 1,300 men on board, including Alonso Martinez de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and the Girona was driven ashore at Lacada Point, near Dunluce in County Antrim on the night of 26 October 1588. Of the estimated 1300 people on board, there were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore. Some of these sailors are buried at the nearby Saint Cuthberts church.

 The first salvage attempts of the Girona were made within months by Sir George Carew , who complained at the expense of “sustaining the divers with copious draughts of whiskey.

Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered 3 brass cannon and 2 chests of treasure from the wreck.

In 1967 and 1968, off the coast of Portballintrae a team of Belgian divers brought up the greatest find of Spanish Armada treasure ever recovered from a wrecked ship.  The Girona’s recovered gold jewellery is on show in the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

An intersting piece of history to be aware of on your trip up the North coast with Ireland Luxury Tours.

Tours of Ireland should always include a visit to this part of the island…..

A day tour or Belfast tour can also include this part of the world…

If you are in Belfast in 2010 contact Ireland Luxury Tours…..we can make it happen…..

Carrick-a-rede means ‘rock in the road’. It is thought salmon fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 350 years. It has taken many forms over the years. In the 1970s it featured only a single handrail and large gaps between the slats. A version of the bridge, tested up to ten tonnes , was built with the help of local climbers and abseilers in 2000. The previous design was engineered in 2004 and offers visitors and fishermen alike a much safer passage to the island. The current wire rope and Douglas fir bridge was made by Heyn Construction in Belfast and erected early in 2008 at a cost of over £16,000. Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat.

It is no longer used by fishermen during the salmon season, which used to last from June until September, as there are now very few salmon left. In the 1960s, almost three hundred fish were caught per day, but by 2002, only three hundred were caught over the entire season. The salmon return via the area to spawn in the River Bann and the River Bush.

The area is exceptional in natural beauty with stunning views of Rathlin Island and Scotland. The site and surrounding area is an Area of Special Scientific Interest, with unique geology, flora  and fauna. Underneath large caves are visible, which once served as home for boat builders and as shelter during stormy weather.

There can sometimes be long queques to cross the bridge and if you are taking a tour of Ireland the visit has to be carefully planned due to the queques and the weather.

If you are on a cruise ship ….. and on a Belfast tour with Ireland Luxury Tours taking in the North coast then a balance has to be struck between visiting the bridge and the time it takes….and the many other attractions on the North coast such as the Giants causeway and Dunluce Castle