Day One
We fly to Belfast airport and are transferred to our hotel.
Day Two – Giant’s Causeway & Glenarm Castle
This morning we head to the Giant’s Causeway, so-named for the enormous basalt columns produced by volcanic eruptions some sixty million years ago, and now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Interactive displays, exhibitions and audio guides in the state-of-the-art visitor centre unveil the stories and science that surround this natural phenomenon.
We continue on, taking in stunning views of the wild North Atlantic Ocean along the coastal road, to one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful estates, Glenarm Castle, which has been the private residence of the Earls of Antrim for 400 years. Throughout the castle are superb examples of Irish furniture as well as portraits of family members from the early 17th century onwards which we learn about on our guided tour. We also explore the castle’s walled garden, one of Ireland’s oldest, originally created to supply the house with fruit and vegetables and now filled with lovely flowers and specimen plants.
Day Three – Belfast, Titanic Belfast & Hillsborough Castle
Our day begins with a guided city tour of Belfast, Northern Ireland’s vibrant capital and now a thriving, modern metropolis with a colourful history – as a key player in the Industrial Revolution; it was the centre for the Irish linen and tobacco industries. We take in the city’s highlights before visiting Titanic Belfast, a fantastic interactive exhibition located on the site of the original shipyard where the famous liner was built. The exhibition brings the maiden voyage of the Titanic to life in the city where it all began.
Next we visit Hillsborough Castle, a beautiful late Georgian mansion created in the 1770s by Wills Hill, first Marquis of Downshire. Surrounded by 100 acres of glorious gardens, Hillsborough boasts elegant State Rooms filled with wonderful paintings, furnishings and curiosities. Generations of the Hill family lived at Hillsborough until the early 20th century when the castle began to develop the political and royal associations for which it is famous today. The Queen, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret spent many holidays at Hillsborough and since the 1970s, it has been the official residence of both the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and The Queen.
Day Four – Castle Ward & Mount Stewart House and Garden
We head to Castle Ward, an eccentric 18th-century house that features a curious mixture of architectural styles, including classical Palladian and elaborate Gothic. Set in 820 picturesque acres of demesne with superb views over Strangford Lough, the estate also has a stable yard that houses a tea room and second-hand bookshop.
Afterwards we catch the Strangford Lough ferry to Portaferry before continuing on to the magnificent Mount Stewart House and Garden, located on the shores of the Lough. This recently restored and much-loved family home offers a wealth of treasures, while the wonderfully atmospheric garden, with its series of formal themed garden compartments full of rare and tender plants from across the globe, has been voted as one of the top ten gardens in the world.
Day Five
We transfer to Belfast airport for our return flight home.
Please note: the itinerary order is subject to change.
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