Antrim Coast (Ballycastle)

On the bus going into Northern Ireland, Lolly gave us an amazing history lesson of Ireland/Northern Ireland.  We stopped on a bluff near Clasiebawn castle, which was a part-time home of Lord Mountbatten. We had a view of the castle on one side and the ocean on the other, where Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by Irish rebels in 1979. Such a peaceful setting for such a ghastly act.
 

We arrived in Derry around 2:15. Home of the Derry Girls. (If you’ve never seen the TV show, you must, whether you’re going to Ireland or not.) We picked up a local guide who narrated us through the town, passing the famous murals near the site of Bloody Sunday and other Troubles locations. Then the bus drove through an arch that was not designed for large vehicles but Mark, our driver, made it with about half inch to spare on either side. I swear he was just showing off his skills because right after that, he let us all out for our walking tour. He could have easily let us out before the arch!
 

Our guide showed us the court house, supposedly the most bombed building in the world. Heavily patched but still standing. Then we walked to and on top of the town wall. In addition to historical sites, he pointed out many Derry Girls filming locations. (When we got home, we re-watched the whole series and recognized so many places just from this walk.) After the tour, we crossed the serpentine shaped Peace Bridge, but there wasn’t much to see on the other side. 
 

We arrived in Ballycastle a little after 6. This RS tour typically stays in a different town, but that area was booked completely for a sporting event. We ate dinner at the hotel since the options were limited, especially with Debbie’s gluten-free restrictions.