Memorial Day Weekend to Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, and Dublin

We tend to pack a lot into a weekend getaway.  Here’s a trip we took and hit three countries:  Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Ireland.

Perhaps the best lesson I have learned in travel is start planning and booking early if you want to get the best fares.  We did this trip over Memorial Day Weekend, but started planning it in October:  over seven months in advance.

The itinerary for this trip is below.

Day 1-Friday

When we first arrived, we procured our rental car in Dublin and set out to Belfast to see the Titanic Museum.  This museum can get very busy, so I highly recommend that you book your tickets ahead online to avoid disappointment upon arriving.  The museum is built at the site of the former shipyard where the Titanic was built.  Admission is 18.50 pounds. Plan a few hours to fully see the exhibits of the Titanic. I am disappointed in myself for not taking more pictures inside the museum.

 

From Belfast, we headed to the airport to catch our flight to Isle of Man.  We parked the rental there overnight which cost a fortune–the equivalent of $70.  What a shock. Upon arriving in Douglas, Isle of Man, we collected a rental car for our day there.

The arrival into Douglas was beautiful.

We arrived in Douglas just as the sun was not long from setting.  We enjoyed a ride along the coast.

Day 2-Saturday

We explored the waterfront area in Douglas first thing.

 

 

 

Our first stop was to the lovely town of Peel to take in its beautiful waterfront and castle.

 

 

Next we stopped at the beautiful fishing village of Niarbyl.

Our next stop was Cregneash which overlooks the Calf of Man.  We stopped at the Sound Cafe for a beer.  We sat here for a long time and I recall saying, “I love our life.  Today, most people are doing yard work and we are looking at this!”

 

Castletown was our next stop.  We stopped for lunch at a pub right by the fortress.

 

 

 

Our next stop was back to Douglas to catch our plane to Belfast.

Day 3-Saturday

Our first stop of the day was out to see the Dark Hedges. Along the way, we saw these upturned trees in the bog.

We finally arrived at the famed dark hedges.

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge was our next stop.  After paying our admission, there was a windy, ten minute walk out to the famed rope bridge.

 

Dunseverick Castle was discovered along the way to Giant’s Causeway.

We arrived at last to Giant’s Causeway.  Bucket list item completed. The basalt columns remind me a lot of the ones in Vik, Iceland.  I have also read that columns like this exist in Scotland in Fingal’s Cave.

After paying our admission to the National Trust, we set out on the 15 minute walk to see the causeway. Buses were available, but I was too impatient to wait.

After Giant’s Causeway, we headed back to Dublin.  On the way, we passed another castle: Dunluce.

 

 

 

by dinner time, we arrive in Dublin.

 

After checking into our room, we walked to the Temple Bar area and saw several stag parties.  They look like so much fun.

Day 4-Monday

We woke up early and went to the airport happy that we spent our long weekend in Britain rather than doing yard work alongside our neighbors.

~Bella