Luxury North Coast

Staying on the North Coast opens up a world of possibilities.

Start with a tour of the world’s oldest and, quite possibly, best whiskey distillery, the Old Bushmills Distillery. Just a stroll from the Bushmills Inn, why not experience the art of distilling with the help of an expert?

For the more active, the beautiful and challenging Royal Portrush Golf Club is a short drive of the motor variety. Voted by US Golf and Planet Golf as one of the world’s Top 10 golf courses, the Dunluce links at Royal Portrush is Darren Clarke’s favourite course – the magnificent view of the ruined medieval Dunluce Castle from the signature 14th green might help explain why! Rory McIlroy, a Golf Ambassador for Northern Ireland, currently holds the course record (a miserly 61!), but just playing the historic links is a ‘dream come true’ for any avid golfer - just ask Hollywood actor Michael Douglas. For a truly memorable occasion, why not consider a short helicopter ride between Royal Portrush and Royal County Down Golf Clubs – just imagine the kudos of playing two of the world’s Top 10 courses in one day!
There are numerous sporting options that can be arranged to take account of individual preferences: angling (river, lake or sea); watersports (surfing, scuba diving or windsurfing) or perhaps horse riding on the glorious Whiterocks Beach is the thing to get the adrenalin flowing? Whatever the passion, the north coast is a sporting paradise.
For world-beating scenery, there’s the Causeway Coastal Route which stretches from just outside Belfast to historic Londonderry, also known as Derry. The ramparts of one of Europe’s finest walled cities (and the only complete one in Ireland) are easily walked and personal tours with a local guide can be arranged. This effervescent city has top-quality restaurants, retail highlights and traditional music to stir the soul.
A chauffeur-driven journey (plus luxury picnic hamper) along the route is the ideal way of discovering what’s been described as the ‘essential Irish journey’. The sights along the way are truly amazing: from the spectacular Antrim Glens with rugged cliffs and white sandy beaches, to quaint and welcoming seaside villages such as Cushendun, Ballintoy and Portbradden, all brimming with charm. Why not stop off and take the challenge of crossing the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge? The views from Carrick Island make crossing the 30 metre chasm, totally worthwhile!
No journey to the north coast however, would be complete without a visit to the breathtaking Giant’s Causeway. One of only three World Heritage Sites in Ireland, the 40,000 stone columns which make up the Giant’s Causeway (most of them six-sided, a few of them up to 40 feet tall) are the jewel in Northern Ireland’s scenic crown. Created either by some ancient volcanic anomaly, or by a certain Irish giant named Finn McCool, the interlinking basalt columns and stones on the ocean’s edge have to be seen to be believed.

If the trip to the Causeway has taken its toll, then why not let a steam locomotive take the strain on the way back? The scenic Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway runs to the Old Bushmills Distillery, home of the special whiskey for 400 years, where you can try a drop of ‘uisce beatha’. Well they do say that the ‘water of life’ is the perfect restorative at the end of the perfect day!