Holiday at Home?
What do you usually picture when someone says they’re going on holiday? Maybe sunny Spain or the south of France, skiing in the alps, or maybe even Miami or Thailand… Personally, I normally don’t associate “going on holiday” with staying in my own country, especially when that country has as bad weather as Northern Ireland does pretty much all year round. Indeed, every chance I got back home, I would book flights somewhere, anywhere else and it never really crossed my mind to explore the UK or Ireland until I realised that my Luxembourgish boyfriend Mich and several non-British/non-Irish friends had seen more of my homeland than I ever had!
So this summer, ashamed of considering myself a travel fanatic without having seen much of my own country, Mich and I did a one-month road trip around the UK and Ireland, stopping off along the way to see my family in Northern Ireland. Whilst we didn’t see everywhere in the British Isles, we did manage to explore a fair bit of both Britain, NI and Ireland, with Mich driving a total of over 8,000km- and all the while having to adjust to the opposite side of the road, some signs exclusively in Gaelic, some very, very heavy rain and a burnt fuse…
Also, despite the title poking humour at the current Brexit situation and me bringing a Luxembourger back home with me, you’ve probably realised by now that this post is more about the beauty of the UK and, of course, Ireland, rather than about bashing Britain- sorry to disappoint.
Anyway, below I’ve listed some of the top places we visited along our UK-Ireland summer 2017 roadtrip, mostly focusing on the lesser known spots and hidden gems for anyone considering either visiting the historically and culturally rich countries of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
Highlights
Imperial War Museum (IMW, London)- for two history students with a passion for military history, the IMW was heaven. Each floor had a different theme and the area on the First World War was genuinely the most impressive either of us had seen in any museum- and that’s speaking not only as history nerds but as museum tour guides! As well as other sections on WWII, espionnage and the current conflicts in which the UK is engaged, there was a section dedicated to the Trouble in Northern Ireland, which particulary interested me and was surprisingly neutral.
London’s Museums in general- IMW, British Museum, Science Museum, Museum of Natural History… There’s something for everyone.
Nottingham- As well as its links with the famous thief-hero Robin Hood, Nottingham is a beautiful, fun and perhaps underrated British city. From cat cafés and a city of caves to Robin Hood-themed trails, exhibitions and an annual family-friendly festival in Sherwood Forest- which was nice even if we were the only couple without kids there- the small but charming Nottingham should be on any UK trip itinerary, even for just one day.
Peak District- In an unplanned stop on the way from Nottingham to Liverpool, we decided to explore the “Heights of Abraham”, nestled away in England’s lovely Peak District. The detour did not disappoint. After taking in the scenery in a cute cable car up through the hills, we were greeted with even more breathtaking views in a country park reminiscent of Hobbit Land. Walking a little further, we climbed the top of Prospect Tower to take in the views of the district before exploring the caverns with a guided tour.
Beatles Museum- I’m not going to lie, I’m not even a big Beatles fan (cue shock horror), but any trip to the superstar band’s hometown would not be complete without visiting the Beatles Museum. The museum chronicles the Beatles’ iconic careers from start to finish through a series of interactive rooms, ending with an area dedicated to John Lennon. It’s well worth seeing for fans and non-fans alike.
Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge- Originally we wanted to stop in the Isle of Mann on the way from England to NI, but these plans were thwarted by a super expensive ferry ride with the car. Instead, after taking a different ferry for 8 hours, we arrived in my homeland from Liverpool. Now, as someone from NI, I could go on and on about all the cute albeit sometimes controversial little country has to offer, but I’ll stick to just a couple unmissables here. Number one on my list is the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. Of course, you have to check out the impressive Giant’s Causeway when driving along the famous touristic Causeway Coastal Route, but after that, I would definitely recommend not missing out on crossing the rope bridge or, for those scared of heights, just taking in the views the breathtaking area of blue waters and green hills has to offer. One tip is to go very early, as the bridge’s growing popularity with tourists means it can actually sell out pretty quickly!
Dark Hedges- Game of Thrones fans will recognise NI for its film locations used in the HBO series, particularly for the Winterfell settings. Perhaps the most impressive of them all are the Dark Hedges located not too far from Carrick-a-rede and the Giants Causeway although a little tricky to find at times. It’s best to go here by car but there are also numerous tour buses going here regularly, so there’s no excuse to miss it!
Slieve League- Moving along to the Republic of Ireland, or as we sometimes call it in NI the “south” of Ireland- despite the most northern part of the island belonging to the “south”!- one of the first stops, in Donegal, was arguably the highlight of the trip. Exploring the Slieve League cliffs, we were treated with genuinely breathtaking beauty, surrounded by the deep sapphire blue waters and sheep grazing the emerald green grassy hills. And all this for free! Personally, I would say a visit to Slieve League is more worthwhile than the impressive but more touristic Cliffs of Moher.
Oban- Whilst I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit the small seaside town of Oban in Western Scotland, it is certainly worth stopping if nearby. Friendly people, a lovely seaside harbour lined with boats, and super yummy seafood meant the lesser known Scottish village made this list of highlights! I would recommend stopping for a bite to eat at the Cuan Mor restaurant- great local cider, seafood and veggie burgers, plus nice staff.
Devil’s Pulpit (Finnich Glen)- Up there with Slieve League as one of the best parts of the trip was the visit to the magical jungle-like Devil’s Pulpit. Just a 30-minute drive from Glasgow makes it sound easy to get to this gem, however it is pretty hidden and requires a lot of dirt trekking when you do find the way, so bring good strong walking shoes and clothes you won’t mind getting muddy- I had to wash my trainers in a creek after stepping in a huge mud puddle and they still smell after another wash in the washing machine! The scenery was well worth it though, as well as the steep climb down the hill into the 100ft deep gorge- once you finally make it, it’s like something straight out of Tarzan or The Jungle Book! It can be quite dangerous in some parts though, so it’s worth treading carefully.
Highlands- Similarly stunning scenery to Ireland’s west coast, especially the Ring of Kerry, can be found in the impressive famous Scottish Highlands. If travelling to the UK or Scotland by car, it is a must to drive through the hilly roads which are mostly empty but for a few sheep. There’s plenty of castles along the way, although we only had time to visit the ruins of the medieval Eilean Donan and Urquhart Castles, the second of which is lovely but full of tourists. We also took the chance to go right up to the most northern point of Scotland/mainland Britain, Dunnet Head, and drove through a town called Tongue, which is part of “MacKay Country” from where my dad’s clan must have originated!
Edinburgh- Even after three trips to the Scottish capital, I would not turn down another opportunity to visit Edinburgh’s beautiful old city and castle. This time, we went during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is the biggest arts festival in the world, when the city really came to life like I’d never seen it before.
Snowdonia National Park- With not much time left but not wanting to completely miss Wales, we spent a full day in Snowdonia National Park. I would recommend taking the cute little Ffestiniog steam trains through the park’s beautiful and dramatic scenery. There’s also the Welsh Highland railway that goes through Snowdon mountain.
Bath- Having heard of the beauty of Bath, we weren’t leaving the UK without making room for a day trip to this historic English city. Whilst one day is not quite enough to see all of the architectural beauty of Bath, it was enough to visit the Roman Baths and other Roman ruins around the city before eating an ice cream outside the cathedral, going to the cinema and having our first cheeky Nandos date- Mich’s first ever Nando’s!
Full itinerary:
Luxembourg – Calais – Dover – London – Coventry Cathedral -Nottingham – Sherwood Forest – Peak District – Liverpool – Belfast – Newcastle – Causeway Coastal Route – Giant’s Causeway – Ballycastle – Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge – Dark Hedges – Malin Head (the most northern part of Ireland- funny because it’s not even part of Northern Ireland!) and Slieve League – West Coast – Glencar Waterfall – Sligo – Connemara National Park – Galway – Cliffs of Moher – Portroe Quarry (the Facebook famous one which despite how it looks in pictures, is not abandoned; it’s an actual quarry for divers, but for a small fee you can convince them to let you visit! Oh, and there’s a friendly cat on site) – Tipperary – Rock of Cashel – Dingle – Ring of Kerry – Mizen Head (the most southern point of Ireland, although there was so much fog we could see absolutely nothing) – Youghal – Clonmacnoise – Slieve Gullion Forest Park – Larne – Cairnryan – Troon (cute seaside town from where my Scottish roots stem) – Glasgow – the Devil’s Pulpit – Falkirk Wheel – Stirling Castle – Loch Lomand – Oban – Glencoe – Fortwilliam – Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter) – Eilean Donan Castle – Urquhart Castle – Loch Ness (no monster sightings unfortunately) – John O’Groats – Dunnet Head – Tongue – Edinburgh – Bastle house (Black Middens; where the Scottish and English raiders attacked border areas) – Temple of Mithras – Corbridge Roman Town – Hadrian’s Wall – Snowdonia National Park – Bath – Dover – Calais – Luxembourg
We skipped Dublin since both of us had been there before and we preferred to take the more scenic routes.
Places we didn’t go but I’d been to previously and would recommend:
Crawfordsburn Country Park, Cave Hill, Marble Arch Caves Fermanagh
Places we didn’t have time for, this time:
Manchester, Isle of Mann, Rathlin Island, Wicklow Mountains, Isle of Staffa, Isle of Skye, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stonehenge, Cornwall
Places we need to see again, with better weather:
Slieve Gullion Forest Park and Mizen Head
Useful sites and apps:
- Uber for transport
- Airbnb for accommodation. Normally I use hostels or couchsurfing, but for couples Airbnb is a nice, cheaper alternative to hotels. Ireland wins Airbnb due to its villas with huge breakfasts! However, the Republic loses points due to wifi and difficult-to-find addresses in the more rural areas.
- Groupon for super deals on food, drinks, service, etc.
Pros of a British-Irish Trip
-Beautiful nature landscapes: on a rare sunny day, you will be amazed by the glossy green grass and mountains and bright blue sky and sea, on a more common rainy day you will be intrigued by the ominous, immense grey cliffs, skies and seas. On a foggy day, you’ll probably see nothing.
-Lots of sheep, as well as cows, horses, a few donkeys…
-Diverse food- okay, so British/Irish food doesn’t always get the best rep, BUT we have some pretty damn good traditional dishes such as Irish stew, steak and kidney/guinness pies, and the hearty English/Irish Breakfast or Ulster Fry. We also have a huge range of foods from different countries; I would especially recommend England (Birmingham and Nottingham, in particular) for Indian food lovers!
-Generally friendly and helpful people, even in London… mostly!
-We have Nandos. Enough said.
-Oh, and Scotland’s incredible castles make it the King of Castles in the British Isles.
Cons
-Unpredictable weather all-year-round: always prepare for rain no matter the season, because you never know when it will hit, even if there’s a cloudless blue sky.
-GBP can be quite expensive but now with the drop in value following Brexit (*cries*) Europeans and other non-Brits will find better value for their money than before.
-Strong, diverse accents. Don’t expect everyone to speak like the Queen, because you’ll get quite a shock!
-Narrow country roads and cows and sheep getting in the way…
So if you’re up for braving the bad weather, diverse but sometimes difficult accents and a few delays caused by animals taking over the roads, you’ll be rewarded with stunning landscapes, friendly and welcoming people (mostly) and centuries of history and culture on any trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland. What are you waiting for?
