Ireland Guide
Antrim and Derry
Much of the coastline of CountyAntrim is as spectacular as anything you'll find across the whole of Ireland and, consequently, unlike other parts of the North, it has always attracted an abundance of tourists, in particular to the strange basalt formations of the Giant's Causeway. Derry city is a lively place, set on the banks of the Foyle, with its hilltop core still enclosed by one of the best-preserved city walls in Europe. The county's hinterland is more dramatic than Antrim's, especially where it skirts the Sperrin Mountains. The flatter territory towards Lough Neagh features some noteworthy Plantation settlements.
Highlights
1 The Giant's Causeway Get there early to beat the crowds and marvel at one of the strangest geological formations in Europe.
2 The Walls of Derry A circuit of these seventeenth-century defences is an essential part of any visit to the "Maiden City".
3 Bellaghy Bawn A beautifully restored Plantation castle and now, in part, an homage to the village's most famous son, the poet Seamus Heaney.