GIANT'S CAUSEWAY AND CARRICK A REDE SUSPENSION BRIDGE

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Day 3: BELFAST - CARRICK A REDE HANGING BRIDGE - CALZADA DE LOS GIGANTES - DUNLUCE CASTLE - DERRY

September 04, 2011

Today we have a fairly complete day in our journey through Northern Ireland we have to visit among others the carrick a rede suspension bridge and the Giant's Causeway, so last night we set the alarm at 7 in the morning.
We went down to breakfast at 8 to the lounge of the Dukes at Queens and luckily we have not risen early, because being Sunday breakfast started at that time.
Between one thing and another, breakfast and review of planning, we have taken the rental car in Ireland at 9 in the morning and without thinking much and seeing that the day was presented with little sun, we have set off towards the suspension bridge of Carrick to Rede.

It has taken us an hour and a quarter to arrive, via the motorway and main roads, so we have seen little coastline until we have reached our first destination today the carrick a rede suspension bridge. Of course, green landscapes throughout the journey.
We leave the car in the parking lot and start down the road indicated by the signs.
While we are walking, we do not stop thinking about the similarity that this land has to the Scottish lands in which we were some years ago.

We begin our adventure ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

After walking for 5 minutes, we arrive at an information stand where tickets are also taken to cross the bridge.

At first we doubt whether we will cross or not, because after seeing some photos and some comments, we are not convinced at all. But in an "act of bravery" we decided yes ... :)
And we pay the 5.60 pounds that each ticket for the carrick to rede costs.
The descent is just over 1 km., But you have to remember that everything that goes down ... then you have to climb ... so from time to time, apart from admiring the impressive landscapes we see, we look back to make us a Idea of what will be around.
(This act I usually do in all the sites we visit of these features and although it is not quite normal, I do not know why, I still do it… :))

Landscapes of heart attack. Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Landscapes. Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Once we reach what will be more or less halfway, we see the bridge in the distance.

First views of the bridge ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

It is shorter than we thought and that makes us "brave" a little!
After traveling one more section of the road, with spectacular landscapes, we arrive at the point where the the carrick a rede suspension bridge, we deliver our tickets and there we go.
We do not want to think about it much more and we decide that we cannot heed the comments of the forums, in which they say it gives a lot of impression and we decided to check it out for ourselves.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Ireland
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First cross Roger and I take pictures ... until it's my turn and I cross as fast as I can, I don't even look down once.
But although it does give an impression, I loved the experience.

Vanessa crossing the bridge ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Now it's Roger's turn ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Once on the island that is accessed by the bridge, we have much more impressive views if possible from the cliffs that surround it.
We are lucky to have a sunny and very clear day.

Views after crossing the Carrick A Rede bridge. Travel to Northern Ireland

Landscapes. Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Enjoying the views. Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

We are here for more than an hour and when we cross the bridge again, we do it with a little more ease and quieter.

Back ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Oops ... that this moves !! Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

The truth is that now that we have verified it, we have to say that what we have read in the forums about how difficult it is to cross it, we have to say that it is not so much and that I have enough vertigo.
We start the way back, but first we stop at one of the viewpoints to see the bridge from another perspective.

Views from a distance. Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

And we began to undo the path walked ... and as it usually happens, at the moment I can hardly speak. How little I like the climbs ...

Back ... Carrick A Rede. Travel to Northern Ireland

Once we arrive at the parking lot, we rest for a while and go straight to The Giants Causeway.
We arrive in just over 15 minutes and they make us park in parking 2, where we pay the mandatory 6 pounds, which come to be as an entry, but it is mandatory to pay in the parking lot.
We return on our steps, to take the path that leads directly to The Giants Causeway.
If you do not have a car, a good option is to book a trip to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway by bus and with a guide in Spanish from Dublin or this tour from Belfast.
There is a bus that takes you for a pound, we think about it several times, but at least one way we prefer to do it walking.
There is a distance of 1 kilometer and a half or so, but it makes a pleasant walk through the magnificent views it has and more knowing what awaits you. Because a lot or a little, everyone who is there, we have seen some image of what awaits us.
At the end of the road you can see the first basalt columns and at this sight we begin to open our mouth in amazement. We still don't know what awaits us.
We arrived and from here we go crazy like taking pictures of the The Giants Causeway, jumping like goats through the columns ... we look like children with new shoes.
Impressive, years ago we had seen photos of this natural phenomenon, but until you see it live, you have no idea what it is.
Here we spend more than 2 and a half hours, touring every corner and approaching everything we can at sea level.
And from here, all we can do is show some of the photos we took, to try to show a little the greatness of the site.

On the Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Details of the Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Photos in The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Impressed in The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish in Dublin by travelers:
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The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Posing in The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Roger on the Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

Happy in the Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway. Travel to Northern Ireland

We see that it is just after 1 pm and we decided to take the bus to take us to the parking area 1 of The Giants Causeway.
We pay one pound per person and in less than 5 minutes we are up again. This time we preferred to skip the climb.
We are going to look for the car and seeing that we do not have any restaurant or bar where to eat, we use what we bought yesterday in the supermarket for cases of “emergency”.
Before 3 in the afternoon we set off for Dunluce Castle. It takes us a little less than 15 minutes to arrive and when we arrive the first thing we do is take a walk around the surroundings to take some photos with spectacular views.

Dunluse Castle Travel to Northern Ireland

Just when we are going to enter, we find that it starts to rain, so we stopped not entering, since they are ruins and we are going to get soaked in the visit.
From outside we have a perfect panorama of Dunluce Castle, which is what we are going to take with us today.

Dunluse Castle from a distance. Travel to Northern Ireland

Now it's time to get on our way to Derry, which will be our last stop of the day.
During the hour and a half of the trip it does not stop raining, so we decided to go first to Knockranny Lodge Guesthouse to leave our bags and rest for a while, making time to wait for it to stop raining.
Seeing that it does not stop raining, at 6 pm we set off in search of the 12 murals that “decorate” some houses.
Although it is raining, something that saddens the afternoon, we take a walk in the area, which we find very interesting.

Free Derry ... Images of Derry. Travel to Northern Ireland

Murals in Derry. Travel to Northern Ireland

Derry images. Travel to Northern Ireland

Civil Rights Derry images. Travel to Northern Ireland

After this tour we go to the center, where we begin to walk without meeting too many people.
We expected to find more atmosphere, so we did not think about it too much and we began to tour a circuit marked in the guide that runs inside the walls.

Arriving at The Diamond. Derry Travel to Northern Ireland

We take this tour a little more than an hour and seeing that we still have enough time, we decided to return to the murals, to see them more calmly now that it does not rain.

Views of the walled city. Derry Travel to Northern Ireland

Murals Derry Travel to Northern Ireland

After walking for a long time, this time without an umbrella, we look at the clock and it's a little after 8 in the afternoon.
We decided that for today we have had enough and we will have dinner.
Then we return to the Knockranny Lodge Guesthouse with the intention of resting for tomorrow, which awaits us another day of many surprises in our travel through Ireland!!
Good night Derry.

Day 4
DERRY - GLENVEAGH CASTLE - ASSARANCAGH CASCADE - GLEN GESH PASS - SLIEVE LEAGUE - SLIGO ABBEY - WESTPORT

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