Highclere Castle and
Northern Ireland adventures!
Mom and Byron came to visit for a couple of weeks this August after their Baltic Cruise trip. They had the best time seeing all sorts of amazing countries and then came to spend some time with us and requested to visit beautiful Northern Ireland! Boy, was it ever a treat!
First stop...Highclere Castle
I have been wanting to visit this historical/ Hollywood site since I moved here and never got on top of it enough to get tickets in time when it was open. So in April, I booked tickets and planned it for when they arrived.
(Darling Anne and her sweet friend Jayden)
History: The castle stands on the site of over 5000 acres of an earlier house, which was built on the foundations of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester, who owned this estate from the 8th century. Since 1679 Highclere has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon and their forebears.
By 2009, the castle was in dire need of major repair, with only the ground and first floors remaining usable. Water damage had caused stonework to crumble and ceilings to collapse; at least 50 rooms were uninhabitable. The 8th Earl and his family were living in a "modest cottage in the grounds"; he said his ancestors were responsible for the castle's long term problems. As of 2009, repairs needed for the entire estate were estimated to cost around £12 million.
In 2012, Lord and Lady Carnarvon have stated that a dramatic increase in the number of paying visitors has allowed them to begin major repairs on both Highclere's turrets and its interior. The family attributes this increase in interest to the on-site filming of 'Downton Abbey.' The family now live in Highclere during the winter months, but return to their cottage in the summer, when the castle is open to the public.
My great new friend, Nichole Hancock
This house WAS stunning and would be SOOOO much fun to live in.
It was a riot walking through its historical halls.
They have beautiful gardens surrounding it with their own Secret Garden.
Northern Ireland
We stayed in the cutest AirB&B. This home built by Sharon and Arnie, designed to blend perfectly in with the Irish backdrop. EVERYTHING about it was charming, vintage, and just plain sweet. Sharon didn't miss a beat with the decor...in every nook and cranny the home was decorated to its peak. Built by Arnie and designed by the two of them, they used materials that were refurbished, and authentic. It was a treasure to stay there.
One of their loves is to invite traveling bands into their home, from around the world to "fill up" their extra time by playing and earning some extra money to pay for their travels. Then they invite all their friends to come over and listen and enjoy the music. All the money goes to the band. They built a barn just to host these events, and it could fit around 100 people inside. It dripped of charm. This couple's mission is to help others, and to make the world a little better place than they found it. They were truly and inspiration to meet. I really hope to get back there sometime to hear one of the bands play in their barn.
Lough Fea
Sharon told us of the beautiful walk around a lake nearby. It was so gorgeous. It started to rain very hard about 15 min into our walk, so it wasn't long, but very worth it.
Antrim Castle was built originally in 1613 by English settler.
During a grand ball on 28 October 1922, the castle caught fire and was destroyed.
An Irish folklore was that it was haunted by one of the young women who died from smoke inhalation.
The entrance to Lissan House
This was part of the drive into the home's site. This picture doesn't do it justice! It was spooky and incredible and the trees literally were thick and took your breath away driving through. SO cool!
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede
We took the website's advice and arrived an hour early (because you can't book early tickets).
Completely worth it! We were FIRST in line! and was able to see everything without the crazy crowd numbers! Literally hundreds and hundreds of people started showing up as we were leaving.
These are some of the spectacular views we got as we were walking (almost a mile) to where the rope bridge swung.
Josh pulling his "dad" pose..."hehe!!
He's seen Spencer do this many times in photos!
Josh wasn't scared at all! He took it like a champ! And the views were unbelievable from the other side.
It was so much fun traveling with one child for a few days. He was a riot.
I kept warning him to be careful so he wouldn't get too close to the side. He decided he'd be funny and pull this pose. The angle of my camera makes it look much steeper than it actually was, so he was thrilled with the results. So funny...
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. (I'm not sure which is more impressive, the fact that there are 40,000 columns, or that someone counted them all!
But the legend is really great......
According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Finn MacCool, was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he is. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn would be unable to chase him down.
These hexagonal shapes were incredible to see and walk around on. So cool and really incredible.
Buying Josh a sword at the beginning of an adventure has always proven to be a very smart purchase. (Yes, when he was 5 we did the same thing at Disneyland he just "fought" all day long. His opponents were unable to be seen by mere mortals, but he could certainly imagine them!) He continually fights off all the bad-guys and even questions the people who look a bit...questionable! ahah!
That giant rock in the "going" out to sea is the remains of the "boot" the Scottish Giant wore as it slipped off his foot when he ran back to Scotland.
The reaction of the crew as we finished our assent to the top of the causeways.
It said it was around 38 stories! haha
This is me trying again to show the beauties of the landscape
Ariel view of the causeways
Jack's Bar in Maghera
We were so hungry and tired and came upon the most quaint pub! It was built in 1760.
It was SO fantastic....I especially loved the baked cod.
The Dark Hedges
In about 1775 James Stuart built a new house, named Gracehill House after his wife Grace Lynd. Over 150 beech trees were planted along the entrance road to the estate, to create an imposing approach.
It is an iconic site for the TV series Game of Thrones.
Beetling Mill
This was the last working water-powered linen beetling mill.
Ulster American Folk Park
The Folk Park is an open-air museum, with more than 30 exhibit buildings to explore, the museum tells the story of three centuries of Irish emigration. Using costumed guides and displays of traditional crafts, the museum focuses on those who left Ulster for America in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
school room
Village Square
Printing Shop
Playing a ring toss game that the lads played with on the ship as they sailed.
Bellowing a fire in the blacksmiths shop.
The weavers mill
Josh was able to spin cotton into yarn!
PORTSTEWART
We drove back unto the northern coast to drive along the sea. It was completely worth it again. We actually drove through the Sperrin Mountains (which was so majestic) and found our way to the seaside village of Portstewart. These are just some fun pictures we took of our journey.
It was very windy, but thankfully not rainy. It just enhanced the rugged beauty of this land.
Josh "photo-bombing" Mimi and Byron! He thought he was so hilarious.
We ended up driving a lot on this trip. Josh hunkered down with his new book "Michael Vey" read 300+ pages in 3 days! He absolutely loved this book.
Portmuck
Another stunning coastal walk on the west side of the country.
We were planning on going to see the Gobbins Pass, but when we arrived (before they opened) they said they were fully booked. It was a little disappointing because the night before we called and they said to come. Oh well...but be are to get your bookings so you don't miss out.
All that being said, we went near the site and totally enjoyed our walk.
Josh found the most unique rocks with all sorts of colors and shapes on them.
Can you believe it???? I found a four-leafed clover! IN IRELAND! I thought at first it was five, but the extra little bump was completely attached to that fourth leaf! Isn't that cool??!
Whitehead Harbour
Our hostess at where we were staying (Sharon) told us about this amazing street with really colorful houses in the village of Whitehead! It's right along the pier.
Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman Irish castle built in 1177. The castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland. It was strategically useful, with 3/4 of the castle perimeter surrounded by water.
Kelly's Bar
Kelly’s Cellars is Belfast’s oldest traditional Irish pub, often described as “a hidden gem that oozes old traditional values”. It’s famous for the best pint of Guinness in Belfast, served with our homemade Irish beef stew.
Built in 1720, it is situated in the heart of the city. Kelly’s Cellars has changed very little in 200 years and still has most of its original features. We can't tell you about the pint of Guinness, but we can tell you that the Irish Beef stew was superb!
Downtown Belfast with Joshy
If we could have squeezed more time in we would have spent an afternoon in the Titanic Museum. It looked spectacular. We only had an hour, so we went through the Titanic Hotel which was next to the museum which was the original spot where the designers, architects and builders of the world's largest ships planned and worked.
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