44 wanderlust.co.ukSeptember 2019
L
ong, openroads
fl ankedbygreenfields
and mountains.
Dramaticcoastlines
rife with wildlife. Alegendarily
warm welcome twinnedwith
a winning-yet-unheraldedlocal
cuisine. A short breakroadtrip
in Ireland is to experienceculture,
history and rollingcountryside,justashortdistancefromDublin
orBelfast,andjustoveranhour
byplanefromLondon.
AroadtripinIrelandwillhardly
breakthebankeither:threedays
ofcarhireplusreturnflightsstart
fromjust£129ppwithBritish
Airways–greatvalueformoney,
andthebestwaytoexplorethe
country’scharmingtownsandbigJust drive
Ireland’s winding roads loop
past mirror-smooth lakes,
over steep cli s and through
the heart of the countrysideIRELAND’S
OPEN ROAD
Introducing four of the best road trips in Ireland
scenery. Here are four drives
to get you started...1
THE CAUSEWAY
COASTAL
ROUTE
This 154-mile stretch of coastline
boasts cliffs, beaches and one
of world’s most iconic UNESCO-
listed sites, the Giant’s Causeway.
DAY ONE:Fly into Belfast, then
drive to 800-year-old
Carrickfergus Castle, stopping
at the Titanic Belfast Visitor
Experience. Next, weave towards
the Gobbins Cliff Path – an epic
trail leading you through bridges,
tunnels and smugglers’ caves.
From late April, the cliffs are home
to a puffi n colony, best spotted
on a sea tour from Ballylumford.
DAY TWO:Wind past fairytale
Glenarm Castle, through Game of
Thrones’ ® scenery (the ‘shadow
baby’ caves of Cushendun) and
the wild trails and waterfalls
of Glenariff Forest Park. On a clearday, from remote Murlough Bay,
you might even glimpse Scotland.
DAY THREE:Plant a foot onto two
of Northern Ireland’s most famous
steps: the Carrick-a-Rede Rope
Bridge that swings precariously
above the sea, and then the basalt
geology of the Giant’s Causeway,
which is great for walking.
TOP TIP:Once you’ve fi nished
driving, call into the world’s
oldest whiskey distillery
in Bushmills – built in 1608.2
THE WILD
ATLANTIC WAY
The west coast of Ireland
is swathed with hundreds of miles
of clifftops, islands and hidden
coves. This northern stretch
of the Wild Atlantic Way tackles
County Donegal’s Northern
Headlands, covering some
of Ireland’s most rugged, wild
and little-visited scenery.
DAY ONE: Fly early into Belfast soDock of the bay
The Titanic Belfast
Visitor Experience looms
over the Belfast docks
as its subject once did
a century ago