I recently travelled to Northern Ireland with the sole purpose of tracking down 24 unique
moments travellers can experience - one for each hour of the day.
From food tours to Game of Thrones experiences, and coastal walks to haunted castle visits,
here’s a little taste of what I experienced in Northern Ireland.
So we've arrived at Giant's Causeway and I have to say that was a brilliant drive over.
We saw more sheep than people and that is always a cool thing.
Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO Heritage Site that features no less than 40,000+ interlocking
basalt columns.
Legend has it that Irish giant, Finn MacCool, built the causeway across the North Channel
to accept a fight from Scottish giant Benandonner.
When you visit this place for sunrise, it’s easy to imagine these tales to be true.
Formed by giants, formed by God or formed by molten lava over 60 million years ago.
I'll let you guys decide.
The reward of coming out here this early in the morning is that you beat all of tourist
hordes and you kind of just have the whole place to yourself.
It is 6 am in the morning and we are going on a catch and sea tour along the Causeway
Coast.
Can't wait to get started.
Alright guys so we're back from the trip.
That was quite the adventure.
It was a little bit choppy out there.
Actually what was really cool is that we were able to catch a lot of fish.
I think we got 26 in total and yeah now we're going to have breakfast and everything is
just being cooked up and I can't wait to tuck into it.
A hard earned breakfast.
Hahaha!
It is now 07:00 am and I am now visiting the Dark Hedges and this place is probably one
of the most iconic spots you can visit in Northern Ireland for Game of Thrones fans.
I think the plan here is that I'm going to suit up and then ride a horse so that sounds
absolutely fabulous.
So we're here at the Dark Hedges at Gray's Helm and thankfully the sun is out for us.
Um of course the Dark Hedges was made famous by Game Of Thrones.
We are now standing on the Kings road where Arya Stark escaped after the Kings landing
on her way to the Knights Watch.
It is 08:00 am in the morning and it is time go along The Gobbins Coastal path walk.
It is supposed to be like absolutely dramatic scenery and we're also going to be I think
having to put on some helmets because of just the type of experience and walk that it is.
So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it and let's get going.
The Gobbins is a modern cliff path that only recently reopened to the public.
It is located in County Antrim, just a short drive outside of Belfast.
The walk takes you across bridges, past caves and through a tunnel, all the while you’re
feeling the sea breeze and sea spray in your hair.
Well, I have to say that was an absolutely brilliant experience.
It is just one of those things that you want to take in slowly because you kind of need
your head to be on a swivel.
You're looking up at the dramatic cliffs and then you look out to the crashing waves in
the ocean and there is interesting flowers and there is wildlife and nature.
For my 9:00 am activity, I visited the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which links the mainland to the
small island (Carraig a’ Ráid).
The suspension bridge, made of Douglas fir and wire, offers some of the best vantage
points for landscape photos.
Be warned that this is not for the faint-heart.
My one tip: keep your eyes fixed straight ahead!
It is 10:00 am here in Belfast and it is time to check out the Titanic Belfast which is
easily one of the most iconic attractions here in the city.
This museum offers visitors a chance to learn about the lives of the workers who built the
Titanic, along with the passengers and crew who made the fateful voyage.
So that was an absolutely amazing experience.
That is easily one of the coolest museums I've ever been to.
There is so many interactive exhibits and just oh my gosh it was phenomenal.
Like you really need to budget yourself at least a couple hours maybe even more to really
see the museum properly.
It is 11:00 am here in Belfast and I'm at St. George's Market.
And gosh I'm feeling hungry.
Time for a late breakfast.
I'm going to have an Ulster Fry.
For all the foodies out there, an Ulster Fry features soda bread, potato bread, back bacon,
fried eggs, fried mushrooms, sausages, baked beans, hash browns and toast.
So the Ulster Fry was delicious.
We just had little bit sized skewers because we're doing a food tour now but yeah it was
nice to have a sample and I actually snuck in a second one.
So it is 12:00 pm noon now in Belfast and I am with Belfast Food Tour and I'm just going
to be wandering around all over Belfast sampling lots of tasty bites and checking out some
of the coolest places you can eat in the city.
With a burgeoning food scene that is impossible to conquer in mere days, the Belfast Food
Tour is a great way to sample some of the best bites and drinks the city has to offer.
The 4-hour guided walk takes you to some top food and drink spots around Belfast while
giving you a chance to get better acquainted with the city!
It is 13:00 pm o'clock here at Portstewart and we are going to have lunch at Harry's
Shack.
And I've heard they have excellent seafood and fish and that is right up my alley so
I am ready to demolish some.
This is Harry's Shack right on the beach of Portstewart Strand where the sand literally
blows in through the doors.
And we work really closely with the local fishermen so our lobster comes from the Bay
right here and the rest of the fish comes from Green Castle which you can see just over
there.
I had a hankering for fish and chips and it was the best I’ve had in Northern Ireland.
Come for the food but consider the views, atmosphere and friendly service the cherry
on top.
Slainte!
We are at Castle Ward and that can only mean one thing.
It is time for a Game of Thrones experience.
The Dark Hedges wasn’t the only Game Of Thrones destination I visited.
Fans will be glad to know that you can visit Castle Ward to experience Winterfell by dressing
up in costume and putting those archery skills to the test.
And here is the part I've been waiting for I finally get to shoot.
Overall, that was such a cool experience.
I think my favorite part was actually getting to put on the costume.
So it is 3 pm right now in Belfast and I'm going to be taking a street art tour to learn
about its significance and history in this city.
The street art scene in Belfast came out of a very vibrant punk rock movement.
Um punk rock was particularly popular in Belfast because it was a way of giving young people
a voice through music traditionally here young people didn't have a voice.
They weren't heard because they had green and orange politics with young people in the
middle and no one would listen to them.
So kids get angry and started picking up guitars and um singing about disenfranchising and
how they weren't listened to or heard by the establishment and the street art scene is
no different.
It is kind of a young person's way of saying who they are, what they hope from life and
where they want to go and where they've come from and they are doing it all through spray
cans.
It is 4 pm here in Belfast and I have to admit I'm very excited to be doing this Gin Jaunt
Tour.
It is going to be all about the gin and I love gin so let's get right into it.
My name is Phil and I'm from Taste and Tour.
We specialize in food and drink tours in Northern Ireland.
Um the gin jaunt that we're doing today is basically a walking tour where we visit five
different bars and try seven different gins.
Learning about the bars that serve the gins and most importantly the gins themselves.
Well so far this gin tour has been awesome.
The first place we started off with a London Dry and now we've moved on to a Plymouth.
And I had a choice between lemon and orange and I went with orange so time for the first
sip here.
So we've arrived in Derry.
The walled city.
As you can see and we've got two really cool activities that we're going to do right now.
And we're going to go check out the Walled City Brewery and then do a boom board tour.
So we're here at the Walled City Brewery and I'm trying one of the local stouts which is
the Derry Milk.
I can't wait to try this.
This is a chocolate milk stout.
Alright guys the main has arrived and it is a thing of beauty.
This is a behemoth.
This is the Walled City Burger and what makes this burger special is it comes emmental cheese
and also chipotle sauce.
So I can't wait to try my first bite.
This looks delicious.
It is is big in the hands.
I can barely contain it.
That is delicious.
The burger is so juicy and then just having that chipotle sauce and high quality cheese
just makes it so tasty.
Just loving it.
So after stuffing my beak and I must say that burger was delicious it is time to do a little
movement so it is time for me to try boom boarding and this is something I've never
done before.
Honestly have no idea what it is all about and yeah let's give it a shot.
You're on and how do you feel right now?
I'm ready to do this.
Hahaha.
And this is the same gear that I used to put on to inline skating in Canada so it feels
very familiar I just don't have my inline skates I've got this board instead.
So Sam how are you feeling?
I'm feeling ready.
As ready as I'll ever be.
Good.
So let's look at the white sign.
Okay look at the white sign let's do this.
Feel it.
Hahaha.
I was anything but a natural, but my guide was a pro and made it look easy, so I’ll
leave you with shots of him instead.
Okay guys it is 7 pm and we are at Lough Navar Viewpoint.
And I'm just going to be going and having a nice little walk in the woods and I think
we're going to have some really nice scenery along the way.
It is 8 pm and it is time for an outdoor spa experience here in Fermanagh and I absolutely
love going to spas and saunas so this is right up my alley.
A perfect way to relax and it is like it just a beautiful gorgeous setting.
Like we're out here in the wilderness overlooking a lake.
After all that pampering, I made it down to Lough Erne for sunset with a side of roasted
marshmallows.
It is 10 pm here in Belfast.
It is time to go visit Cathedral Quarter which is basically like the arts, cultural and basically
entertainment and nightlife headquarters here in Belfast.
So it should be very lively.
It should be a lot of fun.
It is eleven o'clock at night here in Belfast and we're at Deanes Love Fish and they have
a late menu and so that means we're going to be able to eat something really good here
at 11 pm.
They had an amazing seafood platter and I indulged to the max!
Okay so we're about to go kayaking.
Is it the moonlight kayaking tour basically?
Um it is supposed to be the intermittent weather we have this evening I think we're going to
be rather fortuitous if we see the moon.
Haha.
It is a bit more atmospheric.
Uh, yeah.
A bit more Irish.
Yeah, that is true.
So, a storm rolled in and we went out anyways minus my camera, so you’ll have to use your
imagination for this one.
If you’re looking for something to do at 1 am, be it ending the evening or kickstarting
the night, the Merchant Hotel is a great spot for a cocktail and conversation.
Alright so it is cocktail time now and I've ordered the pisco sour which is one of my
all-time favorites.
It is a Peruvian cocktail and it comes with uh made with a grape brandy and then on top
you have like kind of a frothy egg white and it also has lime juice and sugar so it should
be delicious.
I'm going to try it right now.
This is really fancy.
They've got a cherry and everything.
I finished the night at Bullitt Hotel, where there was a live DJ set and party atmosphere.
Good morning.
It is 03:00 am in BallyCastle and I am up bright and early to learn how to make sourdough
bread.
Hoo!
It is 04:00 am in the morning.
I'm going to visit the Ghost of Lady Isabella in BallyGally Castle.
The story goes that after being locked in her room and starved by her husband, she fell
to her death from the window.
Mediums have been invited to spend the night at the castle and they’ve reported that
there are numerous guests.
And that’s a wrap for my solo adventure in Northern Ireland.
I hope this 24 hour travel guide gave you some ideas of cool things you see, do, and
eat when you visit.
In the meantime, wishing you happy travels and until next time!