northern ireland summer holiday

furrypig

Hi everyone!

We are hoping to go to NI at the end of August.

We are sorting out driving/ sea cat or flying and car hire (probably will do the latter to save time and seem to be a similar price)

We are hoping to stay with friends for some of the time and to do self catering somewhere near the coast for a week.(the kids are little and love playing on the beach) Anyone have any ideas of things to do , places to stay, child friendly places, good beaches etc etc.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated

thanks in advance

Coolhandluke

Hiya Furrypig,

For beaches etc you've probley got 2 choices,either the north coast as in Portrush/Coleraine which will give you access to Gaints Causeway and White Park Bay and the chance to visit over the border for the day if you want.

Or else around the Bangor area (about 25mins from Belfast).
This will give you access to the beaches of North Down.
Here you have a choice of beaches from Ballyhome and further down the peninsula Millisle,Ballywalter etc.
The safer type beaches would i think be in North Down.
Hope this gives you a few ideas.

furrypig

Coolhandluke wrote:

Hiya Furrypig,

For beaches etc you've probley got 2 choices,either the north coast as in Portrush/Coleraine which will give you access to Gaints Causeway and White Park Bay and the chance to visit over the border for the day if you want.

Or else around the Bangor area (about 25mins from Belfast).
This will give you access to the beaches of North Down.
Here you have a choice of beaches from Ballyhome and further down the peninsula Millisle,Ballywalter etc.
The safer type beaches would i think be in North Down.
Hope this gives you a few ideas.

many thanks coolhand luke glad someone has replied to my request!!

Cariad_3

You'll have a fantastic time in Northern Ireland with your children.
The beaches are fantastic, miles and miles of sand, particularly down by Port Stewart/PortRush.Plenty of rockpools or little harbours for crab fishing or watching seals. Bangor did have a large colony of seals there.
We have relatives in Ireland and my children have been every year and have never been bored.
The people are very friendly towards children and it is commonplace for children to be taken out in the evenings for a meal with the family, particularly on the weekend. In most hotels they have live music (they love country music) and the whole family will stay for a meal and the entertainment.There will be dancing, lots of line dancing or jiving, even the little ones join in.
You must visit the Giant's Causeway and although you can walk to it from the Causeway Centre unless you're really fit I'd advise you to catch the free bus back up the hill to the Centre.To be honest when we visit Ireland we normally just check out the tourist information. I'm not a lover of zoo's but I have to say Belfast Zoo was excellent and there was an excellent breeding programme to reintroduce animals back into the wild. (Haven't visited though for a few years so worth checking it out first)
The Oul' Llamas Fair, Ballycastle takes place at the end of August b/h and is certainly worth a visit and gives you a flavour of the Irish way of life from years gone by. Rathlin Island is a small island which has bird life and a colony of seals that you can get fairly close too(not too near though!) and the children loved the boat trip. Not a lot on it but with a picnic and a football and lovely weather it is a great day out.
I'm sure you'll have a great time.

furrypig

thank you cariad it all sounds wonderful we just have to arrange a cottage and travel and we will be there!!

usm_2

If you are looking for some great beaches the North Coast provides some of the best in Ireland. Some things I would suggest are as follows.
To get the whole North Coast experience, try driving up the Antrim coastal road from Larne. There is some wonderful scenery along here, and some quaint little villages such as Cushendun and Cushendall. Ballycastle itself is a nice little town, though traffic gets pretty mad when the Ol' Llamas fair is on.

The drive from Ballycastle along the North Coast is again pretty spectacular. You've already been told about Whitepark Bay and the giant's causeway, but a must stop just before the causeway, is the Carrick -a -Rede rope bridge.

There is also Bushmills, where you can take a tour of the Whisky distillery, though maybe not one for the kids. (recommend a place called the Copper Kettle there for lunch) Portrush and Portstewart are the two main holiday towns on the North Coast. Of the two, I'd suggest Portstewart as a place to stay, as it tends to be just a little bit less a mecca for nightclubs, amusement arcades etc. The two are only 3 or 4 miles apart so you can easily drive between the two.

Two of the best beaches on the North coast however, are slightly further to the west of here, at Downhill and Benone strand. Here you can drive your car onto the beach, for free, unlike Portstewart strand where you have to pay.

Another landmark close to Downhill is the Mussenden Temple, which is perched almost on the edge of a clifftop just behind the beach.

You can then drive just up the road from Benone to Magilligan point and get the ferry across to Greencastle in Donegal should you want to further your journey.

Other things you might like to do in NI are to visit the Ulster American Folk park just on the outskirts of Omagh, or, if in the Belfast area, to visit the Ulster Folk and Transport museum at Cultra, or the W5 centre at the Odyssey in Belfast (more for younger kids though). A nice walk to get a panoramic view of Belfast is to climb Cavehill behind Belfast Castle, if you are fit enough and get a sunny day.

There are loads more things I could list but don't want to risk overkill. You can get details on most of the things listed here from the NI Tourist Board. Website is
https://www.visitnorthernireland.com

In summary, I think you will find there are lots of things to see and do, especially if you get half decent weather. The good thing is that so many of the sights are relatively close together so you can drive between them and fit a number into a day or two should you have to.

sugarplum

And don't forget to treat yourself to some delicious Mauds ice cream - Pooh Bear flavour....mmm pure heaven!

pickle

I'd recommend a visit to Derry/Londonderry - it has a walled city and you can see the murals etc. - they have a tour of the wall and explain the history. Very interesting. About a 20 minute (without much traffic) drive from Longfield Farm Cottages in Eglinton - which have two bedroom cottages and are child friendly (there's about six cottages in total), and a very friendly couple running the place (they have a website), they also run a farm, so sheep and cows to look at as well. They have beds , fully functional kitchen, washing machine (and dryer from memory???), dining table and lounge with t.v.. I stayed there a few years ago and it was very inexpensive and comfortable. Definitely worth checking out.

Just over the border from Derry/Londonderry is Donegal (fill up the car as the petrol is cheaper if you're nearby to the border).There's a short 30-40 minute drive to Moville or Muff which is near the seaside and has a pleasant place to picnic. Be prepared for the suicidal drivers and the tractors. The two don't mix too well. Drivers there tend to overtake about six cars at once on blind hills, so make sure you drive well over to the left hand side.

If you're going to the Giant's Causeway - make sure you're prepared for a winter climate - it's very cold and windy when i went. Get the bus if your children are small as it's quite a long walk down.

You could easily drive from Portrush to Derry/Londonderry- takes about an hour to drive there.

furrypig

thank you all for these tips it just sounds fantastic!

vanoonoo

dont forget we also have a northern ireland board on this site where you may pick up a few tips from the locals! http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=32