Songdoc

Greetings I've been to the gorgeous Antrim Coast many times in conjunction with working at the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival. I'll be returning in a few weeks and am looking for some different things to see and do.

We love walking, scenery, exploring castles and ruins--and we've loved our past visits.
Here's what we've done in the past:

Giant's Causeway
Dunluce Castle
Carrick-a-rede
Carrickfergus Castle (it was FREEZING!!!)
The Dark Hedges
Ballintoy Harbour (one of our favorite places)
(not interested in Bushmill's Distillery--don't drink!)
Glens of Antrim

What are we missing??? It doesn't have to be on the Antrim Coast--but within an hour or two of Belfast--or the coast.

We took a quick day trip to Derry--and will likely return. We'll have 5 or 6 days.

Also ... was wondering if it would be worth taking the ferry to Scotland (bearing in mind that it will be late February)? Would there be tours available from that area? Is that a scenic area?

Thanks for your help!

jaja

Ulster-American Folk Park between Omagh and Newtownstewart.
The Inishowen 100.

bilboburgler

February, means wet and windy in Ireland and Scotland. Scotland is scenic but it's a big place so some is dull and some mountinous.

Catch the plane

jaja

A number of things to do in the Enniskillen area also...Marble Arch Caves for example, and in town the Buttermarket has some neat shops. You might even get to Belleek for shopping and a very interesting tour of the china factory.

flanneruk

It's a time-consuming schlep to Cairnryan, which is close to an interesting area of countryside for stout walking (think John Buchan's 39 Steps), though I wouldn't do it this February.

It really isn't a daytrip, though you can go and come back in a day, but you're mostly looking at the inside of the boat and connecting buses.

It's certainly worth a day or two in Edinburgh - which means a plane - or longer still in Scotland either this time or on some future trip. But Galloway (the bit the ferry goes to) is a substantial onward journey from the bits of Scotland most people want to see.

Songdoc

Thanks so much for the great input. Sounds like a day trip to Scotland would not be worth it.

I'd love to see the March Arch caves but they're closed in February .

This is the same time I go every year (because of the music festival), and last year it was very cold and windy, but bright and sunny the entire time! I'm not counting on that, but will bundle up and still enjoy long walks.

I forgot to mention that last year we went to Mussenden Temple. It was such a beautiful area--but it was FREEZING!!! Still, loved it, and glad we went.

Thanks, again!

jaja

Ah, well, Songdoc, the Marble Arch caves boat tour only goes when it hasn't been raining (in Ireland, imagine) and the option is a rather limited walking tour. Perhaps you can go some other, drier month some time.