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Today was a day when we didn’t have much of a plan. The weather wasn’t that great so we decided to go with the flow. We donned wet weather gear and headed to Carrick-a-Rede, which is about eight miles from Bushmills, along the Causeway Coastal Route.

When we arrived at the car park, there were no other cars, except for the one that belonged to the car park attendant. He explained that the rope bridge was closed, but we already knew this from previous research. He said that the car park payment was all paid via an app, but he said that we couldn’t use it there as you can’t get a mobile phone signal. So there is an honesty box which we put some money in instead.

We started our walk down towards Larry Bane Quarry, which used to be the workplace for hundreds of men who quarried for limestone. More recently, it was the location where some of the scenes from “Game of Thrones” were filmed. The area is rugged, wild and beautiful, and you can see why this area has been chosen for the series.

Along the cliff edge, we saw a solitary seal that kept an eye on us, and kept diving into the depths of the water for fish.

Turning in a southerly direction, you can see Carrick-a-Rede and it’s rope bridge, which is about a half kilometre walk from Larry Bane quarry. You walk along the cliff edge which is fenced off, and you have to negotiate some steps too. Carrick-a-Rede, or “rock on the road”, is a pillar of basalt (cooled lava) and is joined to the mainland by a rope bridge. The pillar was formed by a volcanic eruption some 60 million years ago. The rope bridge to the pillar was made by fisherman who wanted to gain easy access for checking on their salmon nets. The rope bridge is usually open to the general public but Covid 19 has stopped this, mainly due to the fact that the rope bridge can’t be checked for safety.

Looking towards the sea on a good day, you can see Rathlin, Sheep Island and some of the Scottish islands such as Jura and Islay. Today it was low cloud so we could just make out Rathlin. Other rock formations jut out into the sea and you can take some great photographic shots.

After spending a couple of hours there, and escaping most of the rain, we headed to The Dark Hedges, another place where “Game of Thrones” was filmed. The 150 beech trees are located on Bregagh Road, which is situated between Stranocum and Armoy. The trees were planted in about 1775, along the entrance road to an estate where James Stuart built a new house, named Gracehill House after his wife Grace Lynd. They were planted to give an imposing feeling to anyone who approached the house. Definitely something that is worth stopping for if you want a nice stroll.

After this short walk, we then jumped back in the car and headed to Portrush. En Route we saw Dunluce Castle, a medieval castle which is now in ruins.

We didn’t spend any time in Portrush, it was just too busy a place on a Sunday, brimming with day trippers I expect. We headed back to Bushmills and had a walk around. We didn’t realise, until we walked around the town, how many former businesses were now closed for good. We went to look at the Old Bushmills Distillery which is not accepting visitors at the moment, which is likely to affect the town even more.

We spent the rest of the day chilling in the hotel before heading once again to the restaurant. Another great night of food, wine, great service and Bushmills coffee.