Another gorgeous day to wake up to…sun was shining at 7am! Took the opportunity to drive off early from Derry and when reaching Whitepark Bay, ohhh! reminded me so much of Aussie beaches…made me feel a bit homesick. And that cute picturesque little hamlet nestled in the cliffs around the corner? Portbradden.

Had to take a detour to Ballintoy harbour…..just because….

In relation to the first image (below)…can you see Carrick-a Rede Rope Bridge in the distance – look at the point between 9 and 12 (on the clock)….first erected by fishermen in 1755, suspended almost 100ft above the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic salmon were first fished at Carrick-a-Rede and Larrybane in 1620 but it wasn’t until 1755 that the first rope bridge between to the rocky island of Carrick-a-Rede was erected to reduce reliance on a boat to reach the island. In the 19th century more than 80 fishers, 21 salmon fishers and 10 fish carriers were working in the parish of Ballintoy. Catches of up to 300 salmon a day were common until the 1960s. Centuries of salmon fishing are now just a memory. Fishing pressure at sea and river pollution led to a decline in salmon and the last fish was caught at Carrick-a-Rede in 2002.

Next image…does “Game of Thrones’ mean anything? Series 2, Episode One…the road Arya takes to escape King’s Landing…ok, so the pic is taken during the day and there is no mist and foreboding…but I love the bendy beech trees! The beech trees planted back in the 18th century by the Stewart family to impress visitors heading to Gracehill House… and still stopping people in their tracks today.

Took the coastal road via Cushendall and loved the Carnlough harbour on arrival…because of its quaint and oldy-worldy feel; and further on, loved this incredibly groomed hedge that appeared out of nowhere…

Carrickfergus Castle (constructed by the Normans 849 year ago) has been an imposing monument on the Northern Ireland landscape whether approached by land, sea or air. It’s still standing tall and proud having been through a lot: sieges by the Scots, Irish, English, and even the French, and it served a key military role until 1928. But despite all that, it’s one of Ireland’s best-preserved medieval structures.

It was fab weather to put droney up to photo the castle and surrounding town.