Northern Ireland

Five weekends in Northern Ireland from someone who lives here, with what each one actually needs, where to stay, and which spa hotels are worth the money.

An honest guide to day trips from Dublin, with the real door-to-door times. Which ones are a day out, and which are a day in a coach.

A five day Northern Ireland road trip from someone who lives here: Belfast, Derry, over the border into Donegal, and home across the Lough Foyle ferry along the Causeway Coast.

Everything you need before you go to Tollymore Forest Park: the £5 parking, the four trails, the stepping stones, the Game of Thrones locations, camping prices and what to do in Newcastle afterwards.

I go to the Belfast Christmas Market every year, and I will go again this year. I also think it is the most oversold thing in a Belfast December, and both of those can be true at once. So here is the version I would give a friend: what is actually confirmed for 2026, what

The Causeway Coastal Route is the road that made me want to write about home in the first place. It runs from Belfast up the Antrim coast and along to Derry, and for long stretches the sea is right there at the edge of the tarmac. Here is the honest part before the pretty part.

A Giant’s Causeway tour from Dublin is twelve to fourteen hours door to door. What is included, what it really costs, and the better way to do it.

Sixteen pounds, booking essential, and it shuts in high wind. What the crossing is actually like, the walk down, and why dogs cannot go over.

Free to visit, five minutes to see, and you cannot drive it. Where to actually park, how many trees are left, and an honest answer on the detour.

The stones are free to walk to. The 16 pounds is for the visitor centre and the car park. Prices, parking, the shuttle and how to do it without paying.