Sadly, Blogger and I have grown distant over the last few years. But, now that we have moved to England, I’ve set a goal for 2018 to update our blog at least once a month to capture all of our travels, and the unique experiences of living abroad. So, let’s start with a little catch up...
On July 27th we left Maryland and arrived in Harrogate, England! We lived in temporary quarters until the first week of September when we moved into our home for the next three years. It’s a duplex built around 1900 one block off the Upper Stray (a mile long park near the town center of Harrogate).
So far we love it here. The people of North Yorkshire are so friendly and welcoming and we love all of the travel opportunities. We've been learning about English History by visiting a bunch of Abbeys, Castles, etc.
For half-term break this term (the school year is split into Autumn, Spring and Summer terms) we took a trip to Northern Ireland. We did our first family trip with just carry-ons, and it worked! This will be a new trend for us. In fact, the kids got new carry-on luggage for Christmas. We spent our first day in the Cathedral Quarter and stayed the first and last nights at the Premier Inn there. The hotel was great (do bring your own blow-dryer) and they have a great all you can eat breakfast, which is super convenient for early mornings, since many places don't open until 8 or later for breakfast in the UK.
Belfast was an interesting city to see. We did the hop-on, hop-off bus tour around town, which turned out to be a great choice (much better than some others we've done). This one had a live guide who gave a great tour and we were fascinated by all of the murals and the history of the Troubles. Some of the murals were quite beautiful, while others were, well, frankly, quite scary! There are mural tours, which I think we'd do if we return. Belfast had the most murals of any city we've ever seen.
From there we were off to GlenArm Castle. “Glenarm Castle is the home of Viscount and Viscountess Dunluce and their family. The present castle has been in the McDonnell family since it was first built in 1636. The McDonnells have been in Glenarm for nearly 600 years and the Estate has been in the family for 400 years.” Only the Walled Gardens were open when we visited because the castle is still lived in, but the gardens were beautiful. It was just as I had imagined the “The Secret Garden” to be as a girl! We enjoyed running and chasing the kids through the garden in search of the secret door! The days start getting shorter in October, so daylight ran out on us at GlenArm Castle.
From GlenArm Castle, we made our way north to the Inn on the Coast in Portrush. It was a blowing a gale since a hurricane was brewing off the coast of Ireland. Believe it or not, it's a cute beach town known for surfing in the summer time! The hotel was quaint and the rooms were large and spacious with two American size queen beds and a sitting table! The hotel staff were delightful and of course we loved their accents. They have a great little pub in the Inn, which was lovely since we didn’t feel up to going back out into the hurricane for dinner! Breakfast was included and Scott loved the toasted soda bread topped with smoked salmon and poached eggs.
We spent the next few days touring beautiful sites along the Causeway Coast. Of course, Giant’s Causeway (National Trust) is the big attraction, and we definitely recommend going at low-tide. We were a little disappointed on our first trip down and then realized it was because the tide wasn’t all the way out yet, so we went back down the hill again and we were so glad that we did! It was magnificent! The tidal swing so so great that the last hour reveals several more feet of the coast and it makes a huge difference. We fell in love it with it so much that for Christmas we bought a photograph block mounted for the living room of the Giant’s Causeway at Sunset. (The shuttle from the visitors center is free with a National Trust Membership.)
The Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge was on Scott’s list, so of course we hiked 7/10 of a mile to get to the rope bridge. But, the winds kicked up to 40 mph just as we arrived at the bridge, so they closed the rope bridge just as our turn came up to cross the bridge! They were kind of enough to give us a photo op. The walk back was much more difficult with two disappointed kids and tropical storm force winds bearing down us. We literally had to hold on the railings and the kids to keep from falling over!
One of our favorite outings was to Kinbane castle (1547). This poor castle has nearly washed away into the sea, but you can climb 137 steep stone stairs down from the parking lot (free parking and entrance) and be almost alone on this tiny island with what remains of the castle. Now, going back up those stairs is another story, especially in tropical storm force winds. Do be warned that like many of the castles in the UK, this castle is not child proof, so you’ll need to keep your kids close to keep them from running into the sea or tumbling off of a cliff.
We also visited the ruins of Dunluce Castle, one of the most picturesque icons along the coast.
We drove through the Dark Hedges, which look way cooler in black in white photos. It is reportedly one of the most photographed spots in all of Northern Ireland.
As a birthday gift for Ellie we went horseback riding for about an hour at Sean's Horse Farm. It was super cheap, I think about 50 GBP for the entire family for an hour. They provided riding boots and helmets and they were great with the kids. The last time we tried to get Hayden on a horse at my brother's farm, he was scared to death. But, the girls took him back to the stable, and to our pleasant surprise he came out grinning atop a pony!
On our last day, we drove back down the Causeway Coast and stopped in to see the Glenoe Waterfall. It’s a National Trust site, but there is no manned entrance. You just park and walk up on your own. It’s a very short walk to the falls, which were beautiful. Definitely worth a stop! On our last night, we returned to spend the night at the Premiere Inn in Belfast again. We visited St. George’s Market, which we really enjoyed. Lots of food vendors and locally made crafts. This is where we found our Giant’s Causeway Photograph.
We also went to Belfast Castle, which has beautiful views of Belfast Loc (lake), but not much else to see.
On our last day we spent the morning at the W-5 Science Museum so that the kids could burn off some energy before getting on the plane. We spent a few hours there and the kids enjoyed every minute. They wanted to stay longer! It’s really a great museum with loads of science fun for pre-schoolers to middle schoolers.
View our full photo album here.
Travel tips
- Bring Wellies for the kids and rain coats all around. Ireland can be very muddy!
- If you have kids, get a National Trust membership and the kids passport book. There are many National Trust sites in Northern Ireland and they will stamp the kids passports with their unique stamp for their site.
- Causeway Hotel at the Giant's Causeway was highly recommended to use but was all booked-up. If you want to stay there, book early!
- Things we didn't get to, but would do if we go back:
- Marble Arch Caves
- Belfast traditional music walking tour
- Giant's Ring - ancient stone rings with dolmen in the center
- Belfast mural tour
- Raithlin Island - look out for lighthouses, puffins, and seals.
- Titanic Museum in Belfast
- The Gobbins - cliffside walk
- Exploris Aquarium and seal sanctuary - look out for selkies!
