giant's causeway

one of the big draws to belfast, apart from G, was the giant's causeway. it's a UNESCO heritage site but as i've come to realise, there's a large discrepancy between the different sites. the weather wasn't cooperating but i felt it was quite underwhelming on the whole, almost going so far as to wanting a refund for the entrance fee. but it did come with hot chocolate, that i'd drunk, and the mister told me off for being a brat. the jury's still out whether he was justified in doing so ;) in fact we sent this photo (OF THE ACTUAL CAUSEWAY) to some friends and one of them asked if it was not just a pitstop en route to the real thing. if only!

but what i thoroughly enjoyed was the coastal drive from belfast to the giant's causeway. almost three hours along the water, winding in and out of the quaintest towns, and of course with a stop at the curfew tower in cushendall to meet G and her eldest daughter. we passed through garron point with some great views, and stopped every so often at a supermarket for coffee and chocolate, before finally reaching the causeway.

after spending a little more than necessary there (had to get our time's worth after the long drive!) we adjourned to bushmill's inn for another amazing meal on G's recommendation. she was a quantity surveyor in her past life and used to eat there when out on jobs. glad to report the standard hasn't changed and we were pleasantly surprised by what a find it was out in the country. freshest seafood platters, surf&turf and a yummy pork belly roll. had such a leisurely lunch that we missed the last tour of the nearby bushmill's distillery (boo!) but want to check out the bushmill's 21 that the hotel bartender raved about the night before. most places don't stock it (the oldest we saw at bert's was bushmill's 16) so it would've been at treasure trove had we been organised / indulgent enough to buy check-in allowance. oh well, next time!