Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th September 2019

So here starts one of my absolute favourite days of the year! Being a massive Game of Thrones nerd, and Kyles being one too but in way cooler fashion, we decided to do the GoT (Game of Thrones as hence will be known) tour around Northern Ireland. For the GoT nerds playing at home, you’ll recognize some iconic locations, for everyone else, it’s just real pretty so stay tuned!!

At some stage in the previous days, possibly over a gin or two, we got our Google on, found all the locations and Kyles worked her magic with Google maps and all of a sudden we had an itinerary for the trek. Looked a little something like this:

I know, laugh to yourself, there’s no way to possibly do all that in one day! Or is there??? After nearly paying £1,600 to hire a car due to dodgy fine print, thank god for Aussie charm, we were on the road, with me at the wheel as I was the only one with an international drivers license. I was a little confused at first, the towns had speed limit signs but once you hit the highway, there was nothing. Then I realized what the circle with the black line through it meant, no speed limit!!! Kyles I think felt my moment of realization as I put pedal to metal and an evil smile crept over my face. It didn’t go unnoticed that her hand coyly made it up to the handle to hold on for dear life!! Unfortunately we were only in a Ford Fiesta so hitting 80 mph hour was a groan, that’s around 130kmph. Stop freaking out Mum! I slowed down for the corners…

So apparently about 75 per cent of GoT is filmed in Northern Ireland, I think we saw maybe 5% of it, had we hired a mustang I could have really put my foot down and seen at least 25%, but here goes…

Stop 1: Downhill Beach & Mussenden Temple in Londonderry

GoT: Remember the first inkling that maybe Melisandre was a looney when she burnt a heap of people on the beach in season 2 as an offering to the Lord of Light? Ugh, the things people do for religion… The cliffs were also transformed into Dragonstone, ancestral home of House Targaryen and stronghold of the Baratheons.

K&H: We had a more delightful time on the beach doing cartwheels, dorky photos, leaving our mark in the sand and doing normal things, like enjoy the scenery as opposed to burning people, although I did do a good impression of a burning man…

We also ventured up to the temple itself and the castle, cos by god so we love a castle!!! Tip for travelers, get through the gate before it officially opens and you don’t pay entry fees, and have time to chat to the lovely Irish dude making coffee before the crowds swarm… Views from the temple were unbelievable, and the castle, even though it’s heritage listed, you’re free to climb all over it?!? Would not happen in AUS…

Stop 2: Dunluce Castle – Bushmills

GoT: Castle Greyjoy, appears in lots of seasons!!! Although I’m thinking the CGI involved was epic cos it’s not looking too much like the original!!

K&H: It might not look like it, but the castle is on a highway so scooting along and there it is, the buses lined up should have been a dead giveaway… a U-bolt later and we’re tucked in front of a bus, parks are harder to come by than castles in Ireland! Would have loved to explore but unfortunately this is as close as you can get! Pics don’t do it justice in terms of magnificence perched on the edge of a cliff, get why it was the perfect place to be the Iron Islands!!!

Stop 3: Giants Causeway – Bushmills

GoT: Giants Causeway isn’t in GoT but not sure why the hell not?? Would have been the perfect place for Drogon to BBQ Varys, or for Jon to mope…

K&H: Once again a locals tip proved useful, park down the hill so you don’t have to pay and detour around the outside of the visitor Centre not through it so once again, you don’t have to pay. No wonder leprechauns have a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, bloody need one just to visit all the sites! As far as natural wonders go, Giants Causeway is absolutely stunning, well, would be when not covered with tourists. Once again, people are free to wonder all over, wet rocks, crashing waves and tourists in search of the ultimate selfie, what could go wrong?? In all seriousness, beautiful hexagon shaped stones jutting up and down creating staircase like trails with pools of water and waves crashing. So stunning. Quite a few moments of contemplation were had just taking it all in, and also wondering how the hell we get back down off the rocks… this place alone is worth a trip to Ireland!! My pics don’t do it justice so have stolen a good one from Google, obvs which one it is…

Stop 4: Bushmills Distillery – Bushmills

GoT: So obvs they don’t film at any distilleries in GoT but they sure do down a lot of grog so surely this is worthy of the GoT tour??? Pretty sure Cersei would have had to down a few before her wifey duties with the boar of a man King Robert…

K&H: Being designated Dave I couldn’t partake in a full whiskey tasting of my own but sharing is caring so had a swig of Kylie’s and by gosh, I’m turning into a whiskey convert… the fire in your throat, felt like a dragon! The bar man was kind enough, or we paid enough, to give us a run down on what we were tasting, dates and raisins in the 12 yo, toffee and dark chocolate in the 16 yo and citrus in the 21 yo… I just tasted whiskey… I think the good stuff is lost on me! The distillery itself was pretty, and one gentleman in particular was too, made me walk into Kylie while he was giving her one hell of an Irish smile!!

Stop 5: Dark Hedges – Stranocum, Antrim

GoT: Season 2 this site doubled as the Kingsroad in which a young and not yet faceless Arya Stark travelled in the back of a cart along with Yoren, Gendry and Hot Pie heading to The Wall. Apparently also the road that led Ned Stark to his death… let’s just call it the road to death…

K&H: So the Dark Hedges aren’t actually the Kingsroad. As you’re driving to the visitor center for the Dark Hedges, you literally drive through the Dark Hedges, we realized this about half way through!! But thought, nah, that couldn’t be it!! The Dark Hedges themselves aren’t in GoT, just really pretty trees that create a canopy over the road and block out sunlight… as the name would suggest… somehow we still weren’t convinced we’d seen them or the GoT site so paid to enter only to soon learn that yup, we’d driven through them already and past the “free to see” GoT road… only found that due to the hoards of people on the road, dead giveaway. Too bad for anyone wanting to actually drive on the road! Still an awesome walk through a forest and up the Kingsroad, beautiful place and not surprised it was used so much in GoT, the first place to look just like a scene from the show, the others have needed a stretch of the imagination somewhat!!

Stop 6: Ballintoy Harbour – Ballintoy

GoT: Lordsport Harbour in the Iron Islands where Theon Greyjoy returns home expecting a tic tac parade but instead hears crickets… also where he first meets his sister Yara, we all remember what happened on that horse ride. Spots around this area were also used for the funeral of Balon Greyjoy, the old mean dude and for the drowning of Euron to crown him King.

K&H: The pedal came off the metal for the descent down into the harbour, Kyles was still holding on for dear life but more so due to the multiple 180 turns rather than my driving, possibly a bit of both! Once there, it’s was obvious everyone was there for GoT. The crowd around the GoT plaque was a give away, as was the fact that while pretty, this small harbour hardly saw any action before GoT and probs only had about 5 visitors a year, who were probs just lost… still worth a visit, everywhere in Northern Island is gorgeous and this was no exception!

Stop 7a: Larrybane Quarry – North Antrim

GoT: The location where we were introduced to one of my favourite characters, Brienne of Tarth, when she kicked the arse of all the other Knights, including Loras Tyrell to earn her service under Renley Baratheon, one of my least favorite characters, lacked balls, and not in the way Varys did. Catelyn Stark also makes an appearance here, another kick ass female in the GoT universe, as does the shadow baby, did we ever work out what that was all about?!? Thought he was the Lord of Light, not shadows…

K&H: Kinda weird going to this location because it’s actually the car park for the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. So yeah, parking on the set location. Unless you’re a GoT nerd, probs would have no idea and just write it off as the pain in the arse car park further away from the main car park. Regardless, could see how the scene would come to life and probs deserves to be more recognised as it was quite pretty in its own right.

Stop 7b: Carrick-A-Rede Rope bridge – North Antrim

GoT: In season 6 the egotistical Euron Greyjoy pushes his older bro Balon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands off this bridge. Oh what brotherly love!!!

K&H: I’d been a teensy weensy, or a hell of a lot nervous all day leading up to this. Walking across a rope bridge some 100ft (30m) above the ocean is something of a challenge for someone scared of heights! But I’ve never let fear stop me do anything – jump out of a plane, walk the roof of Adelaide Oval, parasail… I know fear is all in my head and it’s something I can talk myself through, if only my legs would of stopped shaking and my palms not been so sweaty…. on the walk over I held on both sides tightly, pretty sure I also held my breathe as tightly too. Luckily Kyles was first to cross with me close behind so not heaps of people making the bridge bounce. Wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, and the views on the little island we crossed to made it worth it. The views walking down to the bridge were also bloody beautiful. The whole place is stunning, even without any intentions of crossing the bridge, it’s still worth a visit! For the crossing on the way back I’d built up my courage and decided I’d film it. Strangely my fear of dropping my phone was worse than the fear of falling off, good distraction tactic or a sign of a phone addiction??? Anyhoo, the adrenalin of being scared shitless is always worth it!

Stop 8: Cushenden caves – Antrim

GoT: Who could forget Melisandre giving birth to a murderous shadow baby?!? Definitely didn’t see that one coming! The caves are where said birth took place in season 2. If I was Davos, after seeing that I would have just left her there!

K&H: The little town where the caves are is cute and quaint, actually felt bad for the locals parking so illegally… the caves are literally around the corner from a pub and you really did feel like you were in Westeros. With not much else in the scene, you could almost imagine a row boat rocking up at any moment and Davos jumping out, and me drowning Melisandre. Joking, she was good in the end, wasn’t she?? Still not sure about that. Anyhoo, the caves were pretty damn cool for a wander around. Not as cavey as I thought they’d be.

Stop 9: Carrickfergus Castle – Carrickfergus

GoT: Once again, not actually used in GoT but there are so many epic castles in the show, this may as well have been one of them. I suppose considering Sainsbury’s was next door, probs would have been hard to shut down the entire area just for the show!

K&H: We were finally Belfast bound after an epic day of adventure and when there’s an option of seeing one more castle, you see the one more castle!!! Big gorgeous castle but was smack bang in the middle of town so kinda lost its magic on account of it’s suburbia location, a bank and Indian takeaway across the road just didn’t sell it to me! The sunset sure as hell made up for it!!!

GoT tour break: Back in Belfast still with the hire car, we hit the town but made a pact that we’d be home by midnight so we could get up at 8am and head to Winterfell. Should NOT have gone to the Thirsty Goat for round two… needless to say we staggered in at around 2am, somewhere during the night I stole this dude Kevin’s glasses, I gave em back though!! Another brilliant night with Kyles, have missed her so much!!!

Stop 10: Inch Abbey – Down

GoT: This place was used as Robb Stark’s Camp near Riverrun in season 1, long live the young wolf, really had hoped he’d last longer. Surely he would have made a better King than Bran the Broken, oops, spoiler… Catelyn Stark also rocked up here, still haunted by her death in the Red Wedding, surely Cersei deserved that not her!!

K&H: Believe it or not, we did actually get up at 8 and hit the road. Yes there was a lot of bacon and huge coffees involved but neither of us were giving up the chance to see Winterfell, no matter how sore our heads were!! Our stop on the way at Inch Abbey was the tranquility needed to soothe our heads, the beautiful ruins with no one around, well not tourists anyway, just a man walking his dog. Really beautiful, can imagine how stunning the Abbey would have been in its day. Shame that so many castles and abbeys have gone to ruin.

Stop 11: Castle Ward – Strangford, Co. Down

GoT: WINTERFELL!!! Home of the only family left intact, well they did lose the young wolf and the kid that couldn’t zig zag… almost intact!! One of the most iconic locations throughout the show from the very first episode to the last. Long live Queen Sansa, oops, another spoiler…

K&A: Well we made it. The number one place on our must see was Winterfell!! Honestly, wee bit disappointed… could see how the courtyard would be set up, one of the tower and gates looked like Winterfell but defs lots of CGI on this one. That aside, always awesome to see a castle, the lake near by was stunning and it was a sweet walk through the forest to the castle. And hey, I’ve been to Winterfell, tick that one off the bucket list!!

And so here ends our GoT tour of Northern Ireland, not only did we get our kicks seeing where they filmed, we also saw some of the most beautiful sites of the country, Ireland is absolutely stunning and the people are just as lovely. What a great time us two besties had, but back to Belfast then London to enjoy the last of summer as winter is coming…

P.S. My Geordie mate was nice enough to tell me two weeks later that the sign I thought meant no speed limit actually means ‘national speed limit’ which is 70mph… ooops, guess the speeding fines are in the mail 😬