My wife and I will be taking our first ever trip outside of North America to Ireland in May as we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We will start in Belfast (where I will be attending an academic conference), and then we will have five days to ourselves. Can you please suggest must see a)natural wonders, b)castles, c)country drives, d)great hikes, within three hours of Belfast? We plan to rent a car. Thank you.

Take a drive north up the Antrim Coast road. Stop at Carrickferus Castle, Carrick-a-Rede bridge and Giant's Causeway. Continue on to Bushmill's Distillery, and take the tour. That's a day-long trip. There are some good hikes around the Giant's Causeway area. <BR> <BR>Derry (also called Londonderry) is a fascinating city. Worth a visit. Drive through the Glens of Antrim. <BR> <BR>Also, head to Newcastle ("where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.)--around 30-40 minutes from Belfast. Nice beach, but the town's really touristy. Drive through the town with the sea on your left, and look for a right turn into a car park. There's a trail that begins at the edge of the car park, and continues to the very top of Slieve Donard. Do not go up if it's raining or very foggy. There are other hikes around the Mournes--buy a map at Waterstone's book store in Belfast. <BR> <BR>Drive up into the Silent Valley. <BR> <BR>Take the tour of Belfast's City Hall. <BR> <BR>Eat lunch at Nick's Warehouse in Belfast. Have a drink and listen to live music at the Rotterdam on Friday nights. Have a drink in the Crown Bar. <BR> <BR>St. Patrick is buried in Downpatrick (30-40 minutes from B'fast). <BR> <BR>Tullymore Forest Park also has some nice hikes. <BR> <BR>Spend a day in Hillsborough--probably the quaintest town in N. Ireland. <BR> <BR>A little further afield is Glenarrif (sp?) forest park. <BR> <BR>Take in a show at the Grand Opera House (Belfast). <BR> <BR>You'll have a great time.

Michael, <BR>The Glenariff Forest Part outside of Glenariff (Waterfoot) just south of Cushendall is AMAZING! There are 4 or 5 trails, but you must take the waterfall trail, follows a river with a number of waterfalls, ferns, moss, amazing rocks. Simply beautiful. Then at the bottom is a nice lodge with great food, desserts and a well deserved pint. Have Fun!

To the top!

I second the Antrim Coast; just gorgeous. Be sure to see Dunluce Castle, <BR>the history of that ruin is very intriguing, and there are some cemetaries in the area that tell stories of their own. The Giant's Causeway is pretty much a given. <BR> <BR>You also might try just over the Donegal border; the Northern Coast is very lovely, and less populated than the northern Coast on the 6 Counties side of the border. Glenveagh National Park is very nice, and it has a castle as a bonus. <BR>

I AGREE WITH THE ANTRIM COAST ROAD BUT MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE DUNLUCE CASTLE, DOWNHILL, THE BUSHMILLS DISTILERY TOUR AND PORTSTEWART. ALSO THE NOTH WEST 200 MOTORBIKE RACE IS ON ON THE 19TH OF MAY. ANOTHER DAY TRIP WOULD BE TO CROSS THE BORDER AND GO TO NEWGRANGE. A DAY TRIP TO DUBLIN BY TRAIN IS ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING. THE FOLK AND TRANSPORT MESUEM NEAR HOLYWOOD IS A SHORT JOURNEY FROM BELFAST AND IS PRETTY INTERESTING.

I forgot to include Donegal. The Inishowen Penisula has some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever come across. However, I can't remember if it meets your criteria of 3 hours. It may be quiet a bit further. I just can't remember. <BR> <BR>Portstewart is fine during the summer, but it will probably still be pretty chilly and windy in May, so not much point. <BR> <BR>In Belfast, take a climb up Cave Hill. You start at a "castle" that was built during the 1900s. I can't think of the name, but just ask about the castle on Cave Hill. There are trails leading up from the castle. The caves are where Wolfe Tone and other revolutionaries hid out from the British. There are wonderful views of the city and Belfast Lough from up there. And it's as easy walk. There's also a zoo, but I have no idea if it's worth a visit.