Holiday in N Ireland

[OlafLovesAnna]

A close relative is getting married during the summer hols next year and as it's so bloody expensive to get the ferry or fly to Belfast we thought we'd make a week of it.

Has anyone been or live in N I? Where would you go? What would you do?

Love Northern Ireland, we go most years to see friends, obvious one is the Antrim Coast, giants Causeway, the road bridge, Dunluce Castle, Titanic quarter, have been done, then we just potter around.

It is stunning. The beaches are just incredible. We went to Newcastle and just spent a week in the Mourne mountains and let the kids run wild. Everyone was so friendly, too. I honestly can't recommend it enough.

N i resident here. Where is the wedding being held and what do you like to do on holidays? Hopefully i can give you some suggestions!

Opheliacat you were in my home town! So pleased you enjoyed it!!

Oh, I'm jealous primark honestly! I live in a lovely spot of England but it is rather landlocked and so the freedom of the beaches and mountains was amazing. Can't wait to go back. The DCs preferred it to Disney but ssh, don't tell my husband!

One of our best family holidays was NI. Loads to see and do on the Antrim Coast. And it's rather beautiful.

I have friends in Crawfordsburn. It's lovely there too.

I've been to Northern Ireland quite a bit to visit NI. Giants Causeway has to be visited, St Georges market (crafts and food) in Belfast on a Sunday, do a google search for black taxi tours and see some of the wall murals in Belfast, hire canoes on Strangford Loch (might see seals).

YY to Newcastle, Dundrum, Mountains of Mourne.

If you let us know where the wedding is I'm sure there'll be loads of suggestions of where to stay and what to do. (And mostly I'm nosy there are loads of fab wedding venues popping up over here now)

The wedding is at a venue near Magherafelt so I need accommodation there for a night then the world is our lobster.

We're pretty outdoorsy and will have 2 young teens and a 5 year old. I'd definitely like to go to the Giants Causway and into Belfast and the titanic museum but am wondering where best to base ourselves.

Belfast has a science-museum type place called W5, quite near the Titanic Museum, that your 5 year old would love :).

The North Antrim coast is stunning and would have lots of outdoorsy places to go, so you might base yourselves there and head to Belfast for a day or two? Depends how rugged you are, though. It rains a LOT, which can limit the amount of outdoorsing that can be done.

You may not want to stay in Magherafelt all week (not much to do) but it is a good enough spot for if you're undecided which direction you want to head - it's more or less half way between Belfast and Derry, and not too far from Antrim either. Antrim coast is beautiful, or you could even consider a trip up the Glenshane Pass to Derry and then over to Donegal for a while if the notion takes you.
The Jungle outside Moneymore (near Magherafelt) might be a good bet to fill a day if you're all outdoorsy types but cba to travel too far www.thejungleni.com/activities/

Main hotels in the area would prob be the Terrace in Magherafelt, Walshes Hotel in Maghera (which has a tiny wee nightclub attached so prob a bit noisy), or the Glenavon in Cookstown. A little further away (but still less than an hour's drive) is the Tullyglass or swankier Galgorm Spa & Hotel in Ballymena. Lots of nice little B&Bs round about too, and you're close to the new Seamus Heaney Centre in Bellaghy if any of you are into poetry (though the kids might not be too keen on that!)

If you want to head the other way for your visit Newcastle always seems to go down well with visitors and the Slieve Donnard hotel is gorgeous

Cliffs overlooking loch Erne (forgot the name) are spectacular. Enniskillen really nice too. I love NI

I was going to mention the jungle too as close to the wedding (pack the kids up for fun while you recover from the wedding).

I'd probably head up the north coast for a few days, we spend a lot of time up there with the DC, last week of summer we were up and did all the usual giants causeway, carrickarede rope bridge, but mostly spent time outdoors, surfing, paddle boarding, sledging on the sand dunes, coasteering and fitting in a bit of outdoor climbing. Whiterocks beach and portstewart beach both had vans on site renting boards and wetsuits and there are a few shops in the portrush that rent too. Portrush also has the ever tacky but loved by our DC 'barrys amusements', mad place but passes a rainy day! I would probably rent a house up the coast rather than a hotel, we've used causeway coast rentals. We've also camped at hilltop caravan park, they rent mobile homes and geodomes too. Or causeway campers rent campervans which we have used too.

In Belfast, w5 is worth a visit, especially for little one, it's in the Odyssey centre. I still love it too but if it isn't for your older DC the same centre has bowling and arcade style setup and cinema. It's beside the Titanic as well.

An alternative so you're not forced into a holiday would be to fly to Dublin instead? Where you're going is about 45min from George Best airport and under 2hrs from Dublin airport so not all that much further. We do this every time we have to go to NI - last time flights to Dublin were about £12 each compared to £50 to Belfast. Car hire much cheaper in RoI too.

You have also got the greenvale hotel in cookstown which is lovely. If you are staying that direction i would go up the north coast, portrush, portstewart, giants causeway, dunluce castle, rope bridge. (may be worth getting a national trust membership -scottish one cheaper and can be used here) Ballintoy harbour, portballintry. Newcastle is lovely too but north coast has nicer beaches.

Love love love Northern Ireland! We've stayed in a caravan at Ballycastle, perfect for all the attractions and places mentioned by pp ( causeway, rope bridge, port rush, port Stewart, bush mills distillery ) and is a lovely place on the coast with cafes, play parks, tennis courts etc. Just an hours drive from Belfast. You can also get a ferry ride over to a small island there; Rathlin. I'm very jealous!