If you’re in Northern Ireland, you can’t miss a day trip to Giant’s Causeway and the Old Bushmills Distillery. This area is one of the easiest day trips from Belfast and brimming with Irish history and culture.
Even if you can’t make it to Belfast, you can still take a day trip here from Dublin. Albeit, it will be a much longer trip.
When we added Northern Ireland to our Irish road trip itinerary, I knew Giant’s Causeway had to be on it. The basalt rock columns make up one of the most unique geographic features I’ve seen with my own eyes. The Old Bushmills Distillery claims to be the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world and is under 10 minutes from Giant’s Causeway. Due to their proximity, they’re frequently combined into one trip.
So, why should you do this day trip to Giant’s Causeway and Old Bushmills Distillery, and how can you make it happen? Read on to learn more.
History of Giant’s Causeway
Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top sites in all of the United Kingdom. The beach is a geographic wonder of tens of thousands of basalt (volcanic rock) columns jutting up out of the sand and sea.
Officially, the unique geographic features of Giant’s Causeway is caused by a volcanic fissure eruption. However, Gaelic folklore tells a different story. According to legend, a giant named Fionn was challenged to a fight by a Scottish giant. Fionn built this causeway so the two giants could meet. In most tales, Fionn won the battle. Then the Scottish giant fled back to Scotland in fear, ripping up the causeway so the two would not ever meet again.
Today, you can visit the area and stand atop the basalt columns. Just be careful not to slip!
Visiting Giant’s Causeway
If you’re visiting Giant’s Causeway independently rather than taking an organized tour, you have a couple of options. The easiest is to park at the visitor center then take a bus or 20-minute trail down the hill. Starting from the visitor center will be your only option if you take an organized tour.
If you have a car, you can also park farther away and hike a coastal trail to visit the site. You really only need about 30 minutes at Giant’s Causeway to appreciate it. I recommend one of these trails if you want to spend more time soaking up the beauty in the area. This option was what we chose.
There are several trails in the Causeway Coast Area, with varying degrees of length and difficulty. We took the Portballintrae Causeway Loop, which was fairly flat and not too strenuous. It gave us beautiful views of the coast, basalt cliffs and bluffs as we walked along it. But there are a couple of things to be aware of if you choose this loop.
- It is windy. Be aware that wind can be strong, and there are long stretches where you’re walking along a cliff
- Trail maintenance is not the best. There were a couple of sketchy areas for us along the trail. One area had you walk down wooden steps that were not very solid. They were still easy enough to navigate if you watched your step. Another area was missing the bridge at a short water crossing. So we had to walk in the cold rushing water and slipper rocks for a few feet to complete the trail.
I’d still recommend this trail for the views, but it depends on your level of comfort.
When to Visit Giant’s Causeway
Peak season to visit Giant’s Causeway is June to August for a chance at the best weather. However, crowds will be higher at this time, and there is always a chance of wind, rain and fog no matter what time of year you go.
Shoulder season is April/May and September/October, which might be better for avoiding crowds. We went in November, and it was perfect. We had some light rain here and there along the trail, but when we got to Giant’s Causeway, we had it to ourselves for a full 10 minutes. For one of the most famous sites in Northern Ireland, that was an unexpected surprise. We also got to see a rainbow when leaving the Causeway.
We did visit fairly early in the morning (before 10 a.m.), and the buses weren’t running yet from the visitor center. If you’re traveling there independent of a tour group, I absolutely recommend visiting earlier in the morning before the tour buses arrive.
Why Combine a Day Trip to Giants Causeway and Old Bushmills Distillery?
People frequently combine a day trip to Giant’s Causeway with Old Bushmills Distillery. It’s less than a 10-minute drive from the Giant’s Causeway visitor center, and even closer if you park at one of the trailheads. Because Giant’s Causeway doesn’t take too much time – especially if you’re not hiking one of the coastal trails – combining it with a trip to Old Bushmills makes it a very worthwhile full day trip from Belfast (or Dublin).
A distillery tour is on most people’s Irish bucket list. As a whiskey/bourbon lover (and occasional Scotch drinker), it was definitely on mine. As the Old Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, it’s also one of the best to visit.
History of the Old Bushmills Distillery
The Old Bushmills Distillery claims to be the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. Its license dates back to 1608, though the company officially started in 1784. It has undergone many ups and downs throughout the centuries, but remains an important part of the area’s history. In fact, the Bank of Ireland in the 2000s issued bank notes with the distillery on one side.
Nowadays, it is so popular that it’s opened a second, more advanced distilling area to keep up with demand. It makes several different Irish whiskeys, which you learn about on the tour. At the end of the tour, you get to choose one from a handful of options to taste.
Touring the Distillery
I’ve been on a few bourbon distillery tours in Kentucky, craft brewery tours in Florida and Seattle and wine tours in Napa. So you can imagine I was excited to see how this would compare, and if I’d learn anything new.
The tour started from the visitor center where the guide took a poll on what types of whiskeys everyone liked. There was one lighthearted joke aimed at bourbon, and several at Scotch throughout the tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour fun, interactive and educational – everything you could want from a distillery tour.
The tour took us through the areas for mash, distilling, barreling and bottling. We learned about how Old Bushmills gets barrels from around the world – bourbon barrels from Kentucky, port wine barrels from Portugal, sherry casks from Spain, etc. We also got to smell three barrels and guess what originally housed which alcohol.
The tour ended in the tasting room where we got to choose from four different whiskeys – the Bushmills original, the Black Bush, Bushmills 10 years and Bushmills 12 years. You could also choose a hot toddy or other whiskey cocktail if you preferred. I got the Bushmills 12 years because it is available only at this distillery and can’t be bought in stores or bars. My partner chose the Bushmills 10 years, which I got to mostly drink because he was the designated driver. For the rest of the time we were in Ireland, I got a pour of the Bushmills Black whenever I wasn’t feeling a pint, and it was also delicious.
Note that the Old Bushmills Distillery is closed on Sundays. Book in advance for the tour.
Getting to Giants Causeway and Old Bushmills
There are multiple ways to visit Giant’s Causeway and the Old Bushmills Distillery:
Organized Tour:
Giant’s Causeway is a popular day trip from Belfast, but it’s also accessible from Dublin. Luckily, the island is small enough that you’re never really too far from any one area of it. There are group tours that leave from both of these major cities that you can book through typical companies like Viator, Get Your Guide and Airbnb Experiences. Note that if you’re going to do the day trip from Dublin, it is going to be a long day. It is about three hours one way from Dublin while only a little over one hour from Belfast.
The biggest pro of taking an organized tour is that you don’t have to worry about driving. Not driving can be more relaxed, especially if you aren’t used to driving on the left side of the road, and that you don’t have to worry about having a designated driver after the distillery tour.
The biggest con is the lack of flexibility (meaning you can’t do the coastal trail) and being there with a big group of other tourists. Typically an organized tour means you’ll be on a similar schedule as other tour groups, so you won’t just be with your group.
Public Transit:
If you’re staying in Belfast and don’t want to take a tour but also don’t have a car, it is possible to get to Giant’s Causeway via public transit. There is a direct bus that will take about two hours one way from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway and leaves as early as 9:30 a.m. If you want to visit Old Bushmills Distillery from there, you can find a taxi or take another 43-minute bus to the Distillery. This will be more complicated than an organized tour, but is doable.
Driving:
Driving will be the most direct way to visit this area and will give you the most flexibility. However, it can also be the most stressful because you have to rent a car and get comfortable driving on the left side of the road. However, this means you can visit them when and how you want.
Does this inspire you to take a day trip to Giant’s Causeway and Old Bushmills Distillery? Reach out if you have any questions.
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