Hidden treasures of Emerald Isle

Aug 9 2009 by Paul New, Sunday Sun

WHY not try a holiday in Northern Ireland, a colleague suggested to PAUL NEW. So he and his wife did

AS a holiday destination, it had a lot to live up to.

Having spent an idyllic week in the Republic of Ireland a few years ago, it had been our intention to return to Galway, or perhaps explore another area in the south.

On hearing we were planning another trip to the Emerald Isle, a work colleague said “Why not try Northern Ireland?”.

I have to admit that my immediate response was: “Why would anyone want to go there?” But, on being told about how beautiful the Antrim coast was, my wife and I thought we would give it a spin.

And we weren’t disappointed. To our surprise, it was indeed a part of the country which compared very favourably to our previous holiday base in Ireland.

When we were in Galway, we went prepared for wind and rain and yet ended up getting sunburned!

We couldn’t possibly as be that lucky again, could we? Well, in actual fact, we were – clear blue skies all the way. It’s true what they say . . . who would need to go abroad if you get the weather in the UK?

It’s so easy to get there as well. A drive of just over three hours to Stranraer and then a short but very pleasant trip across the Irish Sea on Stena Line’s high-speed ferry – one of the most luxurious ferries we have been on anywhere in the world, it should be said – to Belfast.

I was surprised to learn how small Northern Ireland is. From Belfast, you can get to anywhere in the country in less than an hour and a half. In less than an hour after disembarking from the ferry, we were at our holiday base just outside the little village of Armoy . . . less than 10 miles from the north coast.

Limepark Cottages consists of a handful of converted old farm buildings, tastefully renovated to retain their character and yet with all mod cons, even down to flat screen TV and DVD player. It was a wonderfully relaxing rural setting from which to explore.

And explore we did, driving a few hundred miles over the course of the week. criss-crossing Northern Ireland. Besides the regular leisure pursuits – an abundance of first-class golf courses such as Royal Portrush – there are, in effect, three major tourist attractions which sum up what Northern Ireland has to offer . . . Giants Causeway, the Antrim Coast and the nine glens of Antrim.

The causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the one attraction which most people have heard of and which brings visitors flocking in their thousands. The near-40,000 mainly hexagonal columns of stone which date back millions of years are indeed a curiosity. But the magnificence of their setting, against a backdrop of cliffs and with a view across to the Mull of Kintyre, would take your breath away, even if the causeway wasn’t there.