Myths and Legends of Ulster Tour

Day 1 – Arrival – Crawfordsburn

We will meet, greet and assist you at the beginning of this tour.  Enjoy this personal service, as we transfer you using executive transport to an award-winning family run 4-star luxury boutique hotel.  Experience a warm welcome from your Tour Director, who will ensure that you are checked in, your luggage is in your room on arrival and that you have everything you need for a comfortable first night.  Following your evening meal, take a stroll through the adjoining waterfalls glen, or relax beside the open log fire in the outdoor landscaped garden and patio area.  (D)

Day 2 – Belfast

Get ready for a day full of learning and exploring.

After a spooky start at the Crumlin Road Gaol your tour continues to the world known ‘Peace Wall’.  Hear first-hand the unique stories of the ‘Troubles’ from the local people.  Your journey onward includes the globally recognised Titanic Belfast, the shipyard where the Titanic vessel was built, and the world’s last remaining White Star Line ship, the SS Nomadic.  Finally, return to your hotel to enjoy a welcome dinner in its award-winning restaurant.  Indulge in the local cuisine, as we begin the Myths and Legends of Ulster journey with local story tellers, musicians and dancers.  (B, L, D)

Day 3 – Ards Peninsula

Today you will be fully immersed in emotion, spirituality, beauty and craic.

First stop is the Somme Centre where you will be surprised by the emotional journey you experience.

Next, we travel to Downpatrick Cathedral, where we visit what is believed to be the ancient burial ground of St. Patrick.  Listen to local stories and the history of the Down area. After a short ferry crossing across the beautiful Strangford Lough, we finish today at the incredible Echlinville Distillery.  Expect a short history and tour of the distillery, and of course, an opportunity to taste all the amazing spirits distilled.   (B, D)

Day 4 – Belfast Lough

Meet today’s local guide, as you prepare for a day of culture, history, and nature.

Today’s excursion begins with a visit to Carrickfergus Castle.  After a quick journey we visit the award-winning Whitehead Railway Museum.  After lunch, blow away the cobwebs with a walk along the Gobbins Cliff Path walk at Islandmagee.  Navigate the hidden tunnels under the Irish Sea, traverse the rugged staircases carved into the cliff face, and venture into the many caves that were once home to smugglers and privateers.  (B, D)

Day 5 – Belfast

Today you will have the opportunity to explore Belfast on your own.  Make new discoveries as you stroll the ever-changing face of this growing city.  Shop in the St. George’s Market and discover 300 market stalls selling a variety of products including: fruit, vegetables, fish, antiques, books and clothing.  Or try the Victoria Square Shopping Centre for some of our more exclusive shops.

Just around the corner are Belfast City Hall and the Ulster Museum. Use a hop-on-hop-off bus service to discover the Queens University and Botanic Gardens. (B)

Day 6 – Causeway Costal Route

With almost 100 miles of breath-taking coastline to view today, we are going to be very busy with Irelands fairies, giants, leprechauns and swans!  Today’s sights include Glenarm Castle & Gardens, the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge (weather permitting), the world admired Giants Causeway, and Dunluce Castle!  With ropes, stones, castles and thrones, today’s scenery is so magnificent it has inspired HBO’s Game of Thrones and the mystical rolling countryside has also inspired CS Lewis to create the Chronicles of Narnia.  (B, D)

Day 7 – Maiden City – Donegal

A feast of architecture mixed with natural beauty awaits you as you set out on today’s new adventure.   On our way, we stop to explore the intact 17th-century Derry’s Walls with 7 gates and Derry City’s Guildhall.  As we embrace the beauty and soul of this beautiful city, we move seamlessly from Northern Ireland to the South of Ireland.  Arriving in Donegal, you will be in awe of the pure beauty that awaits you.  The continuing journey of a lifetime lies ahead, as we spend the next few of days traveling along the Northern Headlands region of the Wild Atlantic Way.  (B, D)

Day 8 – Fanad Head

Touring through Ulster’s Gaeltacht region, you will hear myths and legends brought to life through the personal experiences of our local guide.  Considered to be one example of the world’s most beautiful lighthouses, we will have a guided tour of Fanad Head Lighthouse.  With fabulous views across to Tory Island and along the Inishowen Peninsula, be sure to keep an eye out for magical creatures!  (B, L, D)

Day 9 – Inishowen Peninsula & Malin Head

As we travel along the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula, today’s adventure starts with great craic and a visit to the famous ‘hidden gem of Glendowen’.  After a couple of surprises, we journey to the Doagh Famine Village.  With a combination of informative storytelling and life size exhibits, you will find an informative, thought provoking, and at times humorous, look at historical Irish life.  Finally, we journey to Dúnalderagh at Malin Head – the most northernly point of the Island.  Here you will hear about the historical significance of the region, as well as the mythical story of Banba’s Crown. (B, L, D)

Day 10 – Slieve League

Wild, dramatic, majestic – the towering Slieve League Cliffs are among the highest sea cliffs in Europe.  Breathe in the invigorating air as you roam one of the most stirring regions of Ireland.  Enjoy some time to yourself at the Slieve League Cliffs Centre and the Glencolumbcille Folk Village, both award-winning venues that are packed full of local history and culture. Their craft shops stock locally made knitwear and artworks, and you may even catch a traditional Irish music session. (B, D)

Day 11 – Belleek – Fermanagh

Our first guided tour today is of the famous Belleek Fine Parian China and Visitor Centre, and its on-site museum, audio visual theatre and showroom.  In the afternoon, it’s time to go underground (may not be available after heavy rain) and visit what has been described as heaven on earth, The Marble Arch Caves.  This UNESCO Global Geopark is the first cross border Geopark in the world.  It is the only underground caving system in Ulster, that is open to the public.  (B, D)

Day 12 – Armagh

No Myths and Legends tour would be complete without a visit to the Navan Centre & Fort – the place where myth and reality meet.  Let your imagination be inspired through the great tradition of storytelling and become engrossed in the history of the area whilst learning of the great warriors of the region.  No tour of Ulster would be complete without a visit to the Armagh Cider Company. The Troughton family have been growing apples there for four generations since 1898.  Cider has been brewed in Northern Ireland since 1682. In fact, King William sent his cider maker to Portadown to make cider for his army!   (B, L, D)

Day 13   – Ring of Gullion

This morning we capture the beauty of Ulster one last time, with spectacular panoramic views from the routeway known as the Ring of Gullion.  In the afternoon, we visit the home of the last leprechauns.  And finally, in the evening, we prepare for a farewell dinner.  Following many days of fun and laughter, friends made, goodbyes said, “until the next time”.  (B, D)Relax Relax

Day 14 – Departure Day

Our full porterage service will ensure that your last day is as special as the day you arrived.

Includes transfers to Dublin or Belfast airports.  (B)

Flights