Full Description
New from prolific travel-guide author Tim Burford is Bradt's Northern Ireland, the longest and widest-ranging standalone guide to the country. A UK-governed part of the island of Ireland that comprises six of the original nine counties of Ulster, there is nowhere in Europe quite like Northern Ireland. From great city breaks to scenic coastal drives, it offers visitors immense variety in a compact package.
The warmth of the people and the welcome extended to visitors make any visit here memorable. Belfast has developed an enticing reputation as a city-break destination, with fine pubs, restaurants, music and museums - and Derry/Londonderry isn't far behind. The Atlantic Ocean coast of Antrim is renowned for its land- and seascapes, culminating in the amazing Giants Causeway, where forty thousand interlocking basalt columns thrust upwards from the sea. Strangford Lough is delightful, whilst the country's centre and southwest offers a very green farming landscape of the ilk that no longer exists in most of the United Kingdom.
Fans of outdoor pursuits are spoilt for choice, with hikers heading for the Mourne Mountains and cyclists following the Kingfisher Trail. Games of Thrones aficionados can visit both locations and the studio complex in Bambridge. The edible produce of land and sea is justly famous, not to mention the whiskey: why not try a double Bushmills in the tiny Mary McBride's Bar in Cushendun, which measures just nine feet by five?
There are prehistoric relics, grand country houses (such as Mountstewart and Castle Ward), a range of churches (including St Gobban's, which is barely bigger than Mary McBride's Bar) plus Downpatrick cathedral (where St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is buried), famous golf courses (Royal Portrush and Royal County Down) and striking monuments of the industrial age, most famously the shipyard where RMS Titanic was built. Even the legacy of the Troubles is being reassessed, including through black-taxi tours of Belfast's Republican and Loyalist murals. Perhaps best of all, this fabulous diversity is packed into a country where you can travel from one side to the other within a couple of hours.
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION
Chapter 1 Background Information
Geography, Geology, Climate, Natural history and conservation, History, Government and politics, Econ-omy, People, Language, Religion and beliefs, Education, Culture, Sport
Chapter 2 Practical Information
When to visit, Highlights, Suggested itineraries, Tourist information and tour operators, Red tape, Get-ting there and away, Health, Safety, Women travellers, Travelling with a disability, LGBTQIA+ travellers, Travelling with kids, What to take, Money and budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Public holidays and festivals, Shopping, Arts and entertainment, Activities, Opening times, Me-dia and communications, Cultural etiquette, Travelling positively
PART TWO THE GUIDE
Chapter 3 Belfast
History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Tourist information and tour operators, Orientation, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Pubs, Entertainment and nightlife, Shopping, Other practicalities, What to see and do
Chapter 4 County Down
North Down, Bangor, Newtownards and Comber, The west side of Strangford Lough, Downpatrick and the Lecale Peninsula, The Ards Peninsula, Western and southern County Down, Newcastle and the Mournes, Newry
Chapter 5 County Antrim
Lisburn, Around Lisburn, Antrim, Carrickfergus, Along the coast north of Carrickfergus, The Antrim coast road and the Antrim Glens, Ballycastle, Rathlin Island, The Causeway Coast, Ballymena
Chapter 6 County Londonderry
Derry, East of Derry, Coleraine, Portstewart, Seamus Heaney HomePlace
Chapter 7 County Tyrone
Omagh, Between Omagh and Strabane, Strabane, The Sperrins, Cookstown and around, Dungannon, West of Dungannon
Chapter 8 County Fermanagh
Enniskillen, North of Enniskillen: a circuit of Lower Lough Erne, South of Enniskillen
Chapter 9 County Armagh
Lurgan and Craigavon, Portadown, Armagh, Navan Fort (Emain Macha), North of Armagh, South Armagh
Appendix 1 Language
Appendix 2 Further Information
Index
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