I don’t know if I could have geeked out any more on day four than I did. Day four was a stand-out day for all of the stops that we made at various Game of Thrones (GoT) locations. Pictures and descriptions do not do the views of Ireland and Northern Ireland any justice. This was our second (rainy) day in Northern Ireland and our fourth day of the trip overall.
We had planned a bus tour for the day that would take us to some of the common must-see destinations. This tour did include a few GoT filming locations to begin with. Being our group was GoT-fan heavy, we lucked out. They had overbooked the tour bus and ended up sending a smaller bus. As luck would have it, not only did we get on this smaller (and more likely more comfortable) bus, but this bus also had an incredible tour guide. He was a highlight of the day. Being from Scotland, his accent was a nice touch. Not only that, but he had great jokes and seemed to be a natural storyteller and experienced guide that kept everything fun, interesting, and informative. Because we were on this smaller bus, it also meant a smaller group and less time needed at each stop. The guide ended up adding in additional locations to fill the extra time we had, which included (of course) a couple more GoT filming locations!! This was great the way it was, and as if our tour guide wasn’t already great, he was really knowledgeable about GoT which just took everything to a new level of awesome!
GoT fans may recognize The King’s Road, the beach where Theon Greyjoy landed (Ballintoy Harbor) and met Yara, and Greyjoy Castle (actually called Dunluce Castle). We also had some distant views of the cave where Melisandre had the shadow child.
As for the must-see stops we made that weren’t GoT related, I’m convinced we also saw some of the other best places in Northern Ireland. This included Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge, views of Scotland, sweeping coasts meeting the Atlantic, and the sprawling Irish countryside. We also stopped at a small cafe for some Irish stew and soda bread—it was delicious, filling, and we didn’t want to stop eating. Especially with the chilly and windy conditions from the tour, the cozy cafe surrounded by grassy pastures felt like something out of a movie.
Our final stop on the tour was a secret location to see the giant, Finn McCool, who is said to have created Giant’s Causeway and Lough Neagh (pronounced lock knee). The tour guide (who I still don’t feel I’ve hyped up enough) set up this stop perfectly. From the beginning of the tour, he talked about Finn McCool. This being the final stop, it made the whole trip feel like it came full circle.
After our tour, we boarded the train back to Dublin. I got this awesome picture of the River Liffey. I was due for an upgrade to my phone and ended up getting an iPhone 14 Pro Max just days before we left. I’m so glad I did as the pictures from the trip turned out amazing. The camera also had great features like Night Mode that made pictures like this possible.
