For our last 24 hours on the island, we crossed the border into the UK and headed for the north coast. In case you were wondering, we did purchase ETAs beforehand, but it was completely unnecessary. There isn’t even a stop when you leave Ireland. Who knows if that’s how it will always be, but as of August, 2026, there was no need for the authorizations.
We made advanced reservations for both Carrick-a-Rede and Giant’s Causeway. We got to Carrick-a-Rede at around 11 am. This is a fun, short hike along the coast to a rope bridge leading to an island. It’s unique and beautiful, but the line for the bridge gets really backed up as moron’s spend 10 minutes trying to get the perfect photo. You should definitely go but try to get there as early as possible.
Giant’s Causeway is nothing short of spectacular. The hike is great, and the payoff is amazing. It’s hard to understand how these rocks could have gotten like this naturally, but as of now, there’s no explanation other than that they were put there by a giant. This area gets pretty crowded too, but it’s very expansive, so it’s not as much of an issue.
We drove into Belfast and grabbed a drink at Northern Lights Brewery. We really just wanted to do something in Belfast, and this seemed like a good option. We were able to sit outside, and they had a nice IPA.
We stayed the night in a town called Donaghadee, at Pier 36. This is pub, restaurant and inn. The food was good, the beer was good, and the rooms were clean. Check out in the morning was a bit tricky, as there was no staff on site until 8 am, but it was still pretty great.
This wrapped up our island tour. We didn’t get to do everything one might want; there simply wasn’t enough time. We could go back and do an entirely different trip. I am glad that we extended by one day; getting to visit Northern Ireland was terrific.
Next up for the Traveling Igoes…I actually don’t know. For the first time a in long time, we don’t have our next trip planned. I guess we’ll see where the road takes us…