The last time I was in Belfast was in 2015 (read about it here). It wasn’t too much of a good time, as I wasn’t feeling too well.
I had decided a while ago that I wanted to go back and visit and see what Belfast had to offer. I finally found some time and booked the flights and train tickets.
I was a bit foolish about it though: I finished work at 06:00 and then had to get the train at 07:13 to the airport – leaving me no time to sleep. I’ll sleep plenty when I’m dead, I guess.
One of my housemates was kind enough to give me a lift to the station. I did have about 40 minutes to wait for the train, but I didn’t mind. Sitting there people and train-watching is my thing.
As it was getting close to the time for the train, I decided to get my headphones out and the case decided to drop onto the platform and both AirPods decided to bounce out onto the track. The case stayed on the platform, though.
I spoke with a member of staff and she said they would need to put a line block in place to get the one closest to the platform, but she was unsure if the one right next to the rail could be retrieved. She said they couldn’t put a block on at the time as they had a few trains using that platform. I asked if she could ask the question and I would ask when I got back on Saturday. She said she would and my train pulled into the platform and I headed to Stansted.
I got there and security was about 4 minutes max. It was super quick. I already knew what gate I would be at, so I went and got my meal deal and went and sat at the gate. I mostly wanted to chill since I was so tired.
The flight itself was ok – with some light turbulence on the landing into Belfast. It was a nice short flight too – 45 minutes. It might even be the shortest one yet – nope, that record is still held by the flight I took from Paphos to Tel Aviv. It doesn’t even feature in the top 5 either.
I got my return ticket for the bus to the city. It’s £9.00 one way and £13.50 return. I went outside and saw a bus stop and thought it was the one I needed. Reader: I was so wrong. I only knew this when I saw the AirportExpress bus pull in and not stop where I was. I managed to find it and get on it. I got myself settled for the 40-minute journey to the city. It was a nice trip. The scenery by the airport and on the way to the city is really nice.
I got off at Grand Central in Belfast and it wasn’t recognisable at all. That being said, it has been 11 years since I got the train here from Dublin.
I had a quick look at the map and headed in the direction of the hostel. One thing I will say about Google Maps here is that it makes the city seem way bigger than it is. Everything looked so far away but, in reality, it wasn’t. I was glad for that. I was too tired to walk far and too tired to figure out an alternative way to get there.
One thing I did notice on my walk was that there are a lot of murals and paintings here.
One thing I did notice in the Botanic area (close to the hostel) is that there are a lot of drunks and a lot of junkies. They weren’t causing trouble, though, thankfully. I got to the hostel and checked in. The hostel was ok, but the cleanliness could have been much better. Also, the room could do with a fan in there so that it can at least send all the hot air towards the Velux window.
Once I dropped my stuff off, I headed towards the city. I called Addy and he walked with me so he could see Belfast. I think he liked it. We did stop a couple of times because I can’t multitask. I got to the area where the City Hall was and I saw some sightseeing buses. I went and asked when they stopped running and they said 16:30. It’s so weird they stop that early in the summer – especially as it doesn’t get dark until around 21:00. So weird. It was just after 15:00 when I asked and he said it would last until the same time tomorrow.
I couldn’t do it the next day anyway as I have a tour to see Giant’s Causeway. I wasn’t going to do just one round on the bus when it cost £20.
We went into the souvenir store instead and then went and sat in the grounds of City Hall. It was quite nice chilling – until some weird guy started talking to me. I finished on the phone with Addy and went inside City Hall. It’s so beautiful inside.
I left here and went to get some food and then a coffee. I sat in Starbucks for a little bit and then headed back to the hostel (via Tesco) as I was so tired and wanted an early night. That’s exactly what I did too. I needed to be up a little earlier than usual tomorrow to get ready and head out and meet the tour.
On the way back to the hostel, I did go by where the meeting point was and I totally missed it – probably because it was closed!
Today was the day for the tour around the coast and to Giant’s Causeway. I got up, got ready and headed out. I did make a stop at the store for an ice-cold drink. It was lovely too. I really needed something cold to drink after sleeping in the hot room last night.
I got to the meeting point and checked in and found my seat on the bus.
The driver did say he had a few rules on the bus (as follows):
- The seat you’re in is your assigned seat for the day
- No eating on the coach
- No spilling drinks
- Keep the coach clean
- TIMEKEEPING (which was an issue later in the trip)
The driver said our itinerary was as follows:
- Carrickfergus Castle
- Portaneevy Viewing Point
- Lunch at The Hedges
- Bushmills Distillery
- Giant’s Causeway
- Dunluce Castle
We set off on our way and the driver was doing live commentary. He had to stop partway through because people were being loud and he had to ask them to keep the volume down so others could hear his commentary.
As we were driving, I realised I was on the wrong side of the bus as all the great scenery was on the other side.
We stopped off at Carrickfergus Castle and I saw a family there and asked if they wanted me to take a picture of all of them. I asked where they were from (I suspected they were Filipinos) and they said they were from Luzon. They didn’t seem interested in talking, so I just let them be and did my thing.
I will post some of my pics from the day below the map of the route we took.
We got back on the bus and the driver started talking about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. They were between the Unionists and the Nationalists. It was a bloody campaign of terror, murder, bombing and the driver said in the 80’s that it was commonplace to come home from school and find out that someone you know had been killed. I can’t really do the subject justice, but you can read about it here.
As we snaked around the coast, I realised even more that I was on the wrong side. From what I could see, it looked really picturesque. I was thoroughly enjoying what I could see. We got to the Portaneevy viewing point and you could see the rope bridge that we were no longer allowed to cross, as coaches weren’t allowed to go down there anymore. I loved it here as there was a nice cold breeze and a few drops of rain. Glorious.
We headed to The Hedges Hotel for lunch and the driver reminded us we had 60 minutes here. I looked at the food and it looked good, but not for £16.95 for ONE plate. I am so glad I bought stuff at Tesco last night. I just sat outside and called Addy until it was time to leave. We ended up leaving 20 minutes late because someone didn’t have the decency to respect the time of everyone else on the tour. The driver was not happy AT ALL. I don’t blame him.
Our next stop was the Bushmills Distillery and I wasn’t really interested, so I got a quick picture of the still and got back on the bus. We then headed to the main highlight of the tour – and the one I was most looking forward to: Giant’s Causeway. We got dropped off and then we went our separate ways to see the causeway. We had 90 minutes here. I made my way to the bathroom and then walked the 1000 metres to the causeway. I was loving the views here too. I’ve only ever seen this in pictures and on TV, so it was nice to finally be here.
The place was heaving though – as you’d expect. I was loving climbing on the rocks – even if my shoes and feet weren’t! I stayed here for about 40 minutes and then decided I would get the bus back up to the car park. They have shuttle buses to take you down and back up (if you want) and it costs £1.00 each way.
When I next come back to Belfast, I will come back to Giant’s Causeway – possibly use public transport so I have more time to walk around. I’d probably leave Belfast in the morning and get back mid-late evening.
I got the shuttle bus up and the machine wasn’t working, so the driver let us on for free. I wanted to go to the gift shop and get some souvenirs, but you need an entry ticket to do that or even get food at the cafe. I guess the National Trust just hates having more customers.
We left here and stopped to get a look at Dunluce Castle and then we headed back to the city. I was happy to sit with my headphones in and relax.
We stopped at City Hall and I got off there so I could get some souvenirs and then I went and met Duncan and his good lady for a quick bite to eat.
I left them and just headed back to the hostel to pack and chill for the night. I was trying to pack and chill, but some guy kept talking and it was pretty inane crap and I wasn’t interested and he wasn’t getting the hint. Thankfully, someone else came into the room and he started talking with them instead!
Today was an early start as I had to be on the bus by about 08:00 to get to the airport for around 08:45. I got ready and left and decided I would get the train from Botanic to Grand Central. A journey of about 4 minutes and just under a mile. I paid £2.00 for the privilege too. It was worth it to not have to make my feet hurt anymore than they already did.
I got into the bus station and got the bus at 07:40. I just sat back and relaxed for the journey to the airport. I don’t even remember much of it. I don’t even remember what I was doing on the bus to make me not remember much of the journey.
I got to the airport about 2.5 hours before the flight and I was checking to see which gate and I started to see stuff about delays. The joy. I saw a message in the Ryanair app that said we would be delayed by about 35 minutes. This meant I would miss my train from Stansted. I contacted CrossCountry and they said to buy a ticket for the next train and then they would refund the ticket for the one I was supposed to be on. I was supposed to be able to amend it in the app, but it wouldn’t let me. I did that and then waited for boarding time.
I got assigned an exit row seat. Extra leg room and no bags allowed down. Result. It was a short flight too. This time about 60 minutes. It turns out I missed the 13:25 train by a couple of minutes. Oh well. I just sat and waited.
I got to Peterborough and went to platform 6 and I couldn’t see the AirPods on the track. I was hoping they were retrieved by workers and not someone else. I asked at the information desk and they had them. I was so glad to have them back. I will be more careful in future.
Belfast was a really good trip and I will definitely go back for a little longer next time.
View all of my Belfast media here