Essential NI Experiences
After a brilliant 2019 in tourism across Northern Ireland, everyone’s asking what’s going to be hot in 2020. Well, in line with the new experience brand that has been developed to promote Northern Ireland, there will be a host of new and unique experiences inviting you to ‘Embrace a Giant Spirit’ and awaken your own. Here are just six to start you off.
Toast the Causeway Coast
From the comfort of a luxury coach, savour a guided food tour along the Causeway Coastal Route. Arrive hungry, for the Toast the Coast guides will bring you to numerous foodie hotspots, each showcasing the best of local produce. Start with a deli breakfast featuring handblended Clandeboye Yoghurt and Armagh Apple Juice, then get ready to experience the likes of Glenarm shorthorn beef, organic smoked salmon, gin, tapas, an artisan bakery and handmade fudge. Make a final toast to the coast in one of Ireland’s smallest pubs.
Soak up Belfast’s trad music scene
Treat your ears to an in-depth Belfast Traditional Music
Trail experience, which takes you through the city’s thriving Cathedral Quarter in the company of skilled musicians. Listen as they tell tales, share songs and give renditions of traditional pieces with a variety of instruments, including the uilleann pipes. Learn about the various traditional tunes, the difference between a reel and a jig, and the language, customs and history that make up some of Belfast’s rich musical heritage.
Go on an island discovery
Create memories that will last a lifetime with your own personalised island-hop around the beautiful Fermanagh lakelands. Relax on board the Erne Water Taxi and experience a watery landscape full of hidden history and islands rich in heritage and folklore. Hear stories about the islands from your passionate and engaging host, then listen to the silence of the tranquil waterways once the boat’s engines are turned off. Don’t forget to hop into one of the many lakeside venues for some great food, hospitality and entertainment.
Step into the Heaney HomePlace
Take a literary journey through the life and works of Nobel Laureate and world-famous poet Seamus Heaney. Set in his hometown of Bellaghy, the Heaney HomePlace features a series of interactive exhibitions over two floors, including real recordings of the man himself reciting his own work. Discover the words, rhythms and rhymes that made Heaney the most widely published poet in the English language and browse a host of personal artefacts such as his beloved leather school satchel, family photos and books from his own collection.
Hike along a clifftop
See the Giant’s Causeway from a new angle with the help of an Away a Wee Walk expert guide. Their five-mile Giant’s Causeway Cliff Path Walk offers a stunning experience of some of the best clifftop views in Europe. With plenty of photo and commentary stops along the way, the hike begins at Dunseverick Castle before traversing an undulating, extremely scenic cliff path maintained by the National Trust. The views of Rathlin Island, coastal bays, high cliffs and the Giant’s Causeway are simply breathtaking.
Discover a royal residence
Experience the beautiful Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, still in use as a royal residence, in all its restored and reimagined glory. The Georgian castle’s stories of celebration, diplomacy and negotiation are now encapsulated in a fascinating guided tour that takes in the grand Throne Room, the ceremonial heart of the castle, as well as the State Drawing Room, Lady Grey’s Study, the State Dining Room, Red Room and Stair Hall. Or just go for the stunning gardens, where you can meander around 100 acres of outdoor enchantment.
Discover more ideas for weekend breaks at www. discovernorthernireland.com