Antrim Coast And Giant's Causeway With A Visit To Bushmills Distillery

Antrim Coast And Giant's Causeway With A Visit To Bushmills Distillery Photo #1 of 2 Photo copyright ShoreTrips.com.

Overview

Great way to spend the day in Belfast.

Leaving Belfast behind, travel north on a scenic journey to the spectacular Antrim Coast road. You will pass through the villages of Ballygalley, Glenarm, Cushendall, and Ballycastle.

View the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge connection the coast to a small island. The bridge is slung across a deep chasm and hangs 80 feet above the sea. Fishermen use the bridge to reach a fishery. Continue to the Giant’s Causeway, renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt, is the only World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland. Resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago, this is the focal point of a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has attracted visitors for centuries. It harbors a wealth of local and natural history.

The formation of the Giant’s Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity. Lava welling up through fissures in the chalk bed formed a “lava plateau”. Three periods of volcanic activity gave rise to the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts, and it’s the Middle Basalt rock which forms the famous amphitheaters of hexagonal columns in the Causeway.

Weathered formations have created circular structures around a core of basalt which are known locally as “giant’s eyes”. Some other formations with popular names are the Chimney Stacks, The Harp, The Organ, and the Camel’s Hump.

Sea birds can be seen off the coast around the Causeway, with species such as fulmar, petrel, cormorant, shag, redshank guillemot, and razorbill being frequently observed. Rare and unusual plant species including sea spleenwort, hare’s foot trefoil, vernal squill, sea fescue, and frog orchid can be found on the cliffs and nearby rock formations.

Following lunch (cost of lunch not included in tour price), travel to the nearby village of Bushmills. The Old Bushmills Distillery is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery having received its license to distill in 1608 when Sir Thomas Phillips was granted a license to distill whiskey by James I of England. Enjoy a tour and whiskey tasting experience before returning to Belfast.

- Admission fees for some of the sites mentioned are as follows, per person: Giant's Causeway €15, Bushmills Distillery €11, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge €9.

- The price of this tour does not include admissions, lunch or gratuity.
- Please note that your driver cannot enter sites with you. If you wish to be escorted by a professional guide inside places of interest, you must purchase the tour guide/escort option.
If your ship does not make port, this tour will be non-refundable. Please take out travel insurance to cover this rare occurrence. This is an exception to the normal ShoreTrips Terms of Service. This tour will NOT be refundable in cases in which conditions make it impossible for the ship to dock and disembark passengers in a timely manner.

Days offered: 7 days a week

Departures:

• 08:00 AM, duration: 8 hours Duration is approximate.