2027 Belfast & The Causeway Coast

Itinerary

Highlights

• Hotel for 4 nights in Belfast with breakfast & dinner with tea / coffee
• 2 overnight hotels with breakfast (one with dinner)
• Visit to Kitchen Coos & Ewes with tour & sandwich lunch (Scotland)
• Porterage throughout
• Guided tour of Belfast
• Entrance to the Titanic Belfast
• Scenic drive of the Antrim Coast and villages
• Entrance to the Giant's Causeway Visitor Experience
• Entrance to Hillsborough Castle & Gardens with guided tour
• En-route orientation of Dublin (time permitting)
• Excursions as stated

Your Itinerary

DAY 1 - After joining your holiday coach, you will travel northwards with ample stops for refreshments and lunch before arriving at your overnight hotel, 3* Holiday Inn Dumfries for dinner and overnight. DBB

DAY 2 - After breakfast, continue further west through Dumfries and Galloway for an included visit to the award-winning Kitchen Coos & Ewes at High Airyolland Farm. It is a truly special place which offers a unique guided experience of Highland Cows (Coos) and sheep in their natural environment. Highland cattle are iconic and beautiful to look at, and the way they graze is very good for the environment too. Tour the farm in a purpose-built passenger trailer to get close to the cattle with plenty of photo opportunities and learn about the history, breeding and lives of the coos before enjoying a sandwichlunch from the farmhouse kitchen. The visit will be a truly memorable highlight. Continue to Cairnryan for the afternoon sailing with Stena Line to Belfast. The crossing takes two hours 15 minutes and on arrival in Belfast, it's a short drive straight to your main holiday hotel, The Stormont, for dinner. DBB

DAY 3 - 5 - At leisure in Belfast with THREE included excursions.

INCLUDED EXCURSIONS
The Spectacular Antrim Coast & Giants Causeway
Take a scenic drive along the Antrim Coast Road passing through the spectacular scenery centred around The Glens of Antrim. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim. Much of this area has been used in filming the TV series 'The Game of Thrones'. Follow the coast road, through Larne, Carnlough, Cushendall and onto the National Trust village of Cushendun. A highlight today is the mighty Giant's Causeway, created by volcanic activity. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Giant's Causeway is a magnificent, mysterious geological formation on the North East coast of Co Antrim steeped in myth and legend. There is a shuttle bus service (Causeway Coaster) from the visitor centre down to the shore for those who do not wish to walk (small fee applies - approx. £2 return or FOC for National Trust members upon production of a valid membership card).

Guided Tour of Belfast
Enjoy a guided tour aboard a local bus starting and finishing at your hotel, with free time to explore. Tour the city's sights including the Queen's University and the Waterfront Hall, with the opportunity to visit the Falls or Shankill Roads where politically inspired murals can be seen. Maybe enjoy a drink in the Crown Bar opposite the Grand Opera House, the only pub owned by the National Trust. Enjoy Belfast's thriving, cosmopolitan scene with its many bars and restaurants. A visit to Titanic Belfast, is included as it is a "must see" on any tour of Belfast. It is located in the heart of the city, right beside the historic site of this world-famous ship's construction. Explore its six floors of interactive galleries and experience the sights, sounds, smells and stories of life aboard the doomed RMS Titanic. The story of Titanic - from her conception, construction and launch to fateful maiden voyage - is an unforgettable experience. Belfast is a city full of heart and one of the easiest cities to navigate as it is split into quarters - The Titanic Quarter, The Cathedral Quarter, Queen's Quarter and The Gaeltacht Quarter.

Hillsborough Castle 
Just a short hop from Belfast is the elegant Hillsborough Castle, the British monarch's official residence in Northern Ireland. The castle has also been home to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since the 1970s and has played a central role in the peace-building process for 40 years, including the Good Friday Agreement negotiations. Delve into the heart of British and Irish history with a guided tour through the elegant State Rooms of this impressive late-Georgian mansion, built in 1797. You will see the state drawing room, dining rooms and the Lady Grey Room where, in 2003, Tony Blair and George W Bush held talks on Iraq. There are also 98 acres of glorious gardens, offering a contrast of ornate formal gardens, ornamental grounds, peaceful woodland, meandering waterways, and trimmed lawns.  Spend a little time in the pretty Georgian town of Royal Hillsborough itself before returning to Belfast this afternoon

(NB admittance to Hillsborough is subject to members of the Royal Family not being in residence. In the event that Hillsborough Castle is unavailable, then an alternative visit will be arranged eg Mount Stewart).

DAY 6 - Dublin 
After breakfast depart Belfast for Dublin, with a brief orientation drive of the city (time permitting), before taking the mid-afternoon sailing back to Holyhead. It is recommended to have a meal on board as it will be a mid-evening arrival for your overnight in the North Wales / Chester area. BB

DAY 7 - After a leisurely breakfast retrace your steps, with ample stops for refreshments. Continue via interchange back to your local joining points arriving home mid/late evening. Back to top

Accommodation

Stormont Hotel, Belfast

This smart 4* hotel is located on the outskirts of Belfast centre, adjacent to the Stormont Estate overlooking immaculately maintained wooded landscape.

The superb facilities include a refurbished lounge and stylish, cosmopolitan restaurant. Bright, spacious guestrooms are tastefully decorated and offer all
mod cons and singles are double/twin for sole use.

There is a lift.

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