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

But then again, that can be said of so much of this coastline. The drive from Belfast to Portrush is said to be one of the most spectacular in the world, and I would find it hard to disagree with that boast.

Winding around clifftops, sweeping down into picture postcard villages and past unspoiled white sand beaches, all the time with views across to the Scottish islands, it certainly would take some beating.

Then you have the nine glens to explore along the way, each of them with their own history and folklore.

Of the towns you encounter as you travel along the north coast, Ballycastle was our favourite as it was unspoiled by British holiday resort standards.

Portrush and Portstewart were a bit too much in the Blackpool mould for our liking, although holidaymakers flock to them every summer.

For the more adventurous, you can take a trip to Derry, a walled city which has figured so prominently in the troubled history of Northern Ireland.

Our whistle-stop visit wasn’t long enough to delve as deeply into Derry’s history as we would have liked.

No visit to this part of Ireland would be complete without a trip to the Bushmills whiskey distillery, in the town of Bushmills.

While enjoying lunch in a little bistro, I was intrigued by the name of the restaurant, the 1608. We were told that this was the year when whiskey was first produced – legally at least – in Bushmills. Having celebrated their 400th anniversary last year, Bushmills’ proud boast is that theirs is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.

Highlight of the holiday? Undoubtedly that magnificent, meandering coastal drive . . . so enjoyable we made the trip twice!

5 things to do

1 - VISIT The Bushmills Distillery and Inn, said to be the world’s oldest.

2 - TAKE a look at Mussenden Temple, an 18th-century folly standing in splendid isolation over Lough Foyle.

3 - GO to Dunluce Castle, dating back to the 14th century. It is so precariously perched that, while it was still inhabited, the kitchen quarters disappeared into the sea!

4 - QUITE literally off the beaten track – and highly recommended – is the beautifully isolated Murlough Bay.

5 - NOT for the faint-hearted, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, sways 24 metres above the churning sea, giving access to a rocky headland.

Fact file

:: FERRY fares from Stranraer to Belfast with StenaLine for a car with driver start from £69. Additional passengers cost from £20 for adults, of £10 for children aged four to 15. Children under three travel free. Visit www.stenaline.co.uk

:: FOR more information about Ireland, go to www.discoverireland.com, or call the consumer information line on 0800-039 7000.