This article was published in 2013 in the Sunday World, The whole family visited the Giants Causeway and carrick-a-rede bridge but I'd wait until the weather warms up before going so far - there's lots to do in Belfast and the Titanic and W5 are a must with the kids!
Like many southerners, I used to think that Northern Ireland was somewhere you went to get cheap booze before Christmas. However, after our holiday plans were changed I needed to find a good destination for a last minute family break.
And after packing in a lot of family activities on our whistlestop tour, our abiding memory is the sheer beauty of the place.
We had packed up the car and took the short journey from Dublin up the M1 to Belfast. stop was at the Titanic exhibition set in the Harland and Wolfe quarter of the newly revamped docks.
I was on to a winner with my nine-year-old, Nicole, who loves anything
to do with history and lapped up the gory details. There are plenty of buttons to press and interactive exhibits to keep the kids moving at a steady pace through the exhibition without getting bored.
Our first stop was at the Titanic exhibition set in the Harland and Wolfe quarter of the newly revamped docks. This is truly a wonderful experience and do not go to Belfast without visiting it.
We continued with the theme a few meters away on board the SS Nomadic and if you are taking the trip to the Titanic Quarter the Nomadic is a must see.
Admission is £22 for a family of two adults and two children. It is the actual vessel that took the first and second class passengers from the port of Cherbourg before they boarded the Titanic.
There were period clothes and uniforms for the kids to dress up in and the staff were very hands on and keen to impart information.
We finished the day off in W5 which is an interactive science museum that will amuse kids of all ages for hours. However after our trip to the Air and Space museum in
Washington earlier this year my twelve-year-old son was hard to impress but Nicole had to be dragged out the door with Dad in tow at closing time! At £23.50 for a family of four you could fill an entire day here.
About twenty minutes outside the city, the family run LaMon Hotel and Country Club was the perfect place to relax after a busy days sightseeing. The friendly staff cater well for kids and the food was excellent and reasonably priced.
We had two other must sees on our bucket list next day and we headed for Portrush, a busy seaside town.
Our hotel was the Ramada set on the main street and in a great location for all that the town has to offer. We had just missed the
International Police and Fire games on the beach the previous day – but we had more pressing commitments – we had to go see a giant.
The causeway interpretive centre is designed to blend into the natural landscape and built using local materials.
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| The Giant left his shoe behind at the Giants Causeway |
My son and I had to hurry the other pair along as they got caught up colouring at one of the many exhibits. Entry into the centre is £21 for a family ticket.
We took audio guides but you can get a real 3D person if you want and the causeway guides are famous for their navigating skills and wit over the centuries. These rock formations have become mystical and the inspiration for stories and legends as the years have passed.
We lunched on homemade soup and scones outside the centre in ‘The Nook’ which is a converted schoolhouse, then took the winding road to Carrick-a-Rede. The scenery became more stunning with each mile and it was easy to see why this route is classified as one of the most beautiful in the world.
The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, like the Giants Causeway, is part of the national trust and the staff were all local and genuinely welcoming.
A family ticket is £14 and took us on a long walk through beautiful scenery – there were lots of steps to negotiate before reaching the rope bridge to the fishing island so not suitable for buggies or wheelchairs. The bridge was flimsy on first impressions, but the crossing was exhilarating leaving us all feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
Once on the tiny rock island it became clear what all the fuss was about. Below, the water was a crystal turquoise and with stunning chalk-cliffs in the distance we could have been on a film set.
And to think that it was up the road from us in Dublin all this time made us wish we had visited our northern friends sooner.
for more information visit www.discovernorthernireland.com/
I haven't been blogging for a while because I have been on my travels and planning some more which will keep me very busy this April. But for now I have a report from Oslo. I took a long weekend to Norway's capital in February with the family and we were all pleasantly surprised by the laid-back hospitality we received from the Norwegians. I was even inspired to write a short story that will be published this summer- more to be revealed soon!
For now I'll leave you with the article published in the travel supplement in the Sunday World newspaper on March 23rd 2014.
Happy travels
Michelle x
Have you ever been lured by cheap flights to travel somewhere you wouldn’t normally go? Ryanair are currently offering good value fares to Oslo from Dublin. But with only eight Krone to the Euro be prepared as you may need open wallet surgery on arrival.
We set off en famille on the short two hour flight to Rygge airport. Norway is outside the EU zone which was worth noting at Dublin Duty Free. With transfer time of one hour to central station we were in the city very quickly. Our first stop was at our hotel which was centrally located next to the Main Street, Karl Johans Gate and the palace. The King and Queen don’t seem too fussed about home security as there are no gates or walls around the palace so anyone can rock up and knock on the front door.
The Radisson Blu chain has five hotels in Oslo and we stayed in the Scandanavia. Our room was spacious with a private balcony and the children slept on a couch that converted into a double bed. When travelling with children a hotel swimming pool is a must and the Radisson Scandanavia has a small pool, sauna and gym. The rooftop bar on the twenty-first floor boasts one of the best views of Oslo and it’s well worth stopping off there for a drink before heading out for the evening.
City breaks with kids can work very well or be a total nightmare but Oslo is more than just a city offering culture and museums – in the winter months there is the added attraction of snow. In the summertime there is the newly acquired city beach.
Our first and most important acquisition was the Oslo Pass which entitled us to all travel on public transport and entry into most public museums, galleries and exhibitions. The passes come in 24 hour, 36 or 72 hour cards and you activate them by writing the time and date in an allocated space. It costs roughly €200 for four family passes that last 72 hours. Good value if you consider most museums can charge up to €40 entrance for a family. Oslo has a good transport service so there’s no need to use taxis.
We travelled with a nine and thirteen year old who were keen to see snow so we set off on our first day to the Holmenkollen ski area and enjoyed a spectacular view of Oslo en route. The ski jump is impressive and the ski simulator got the whole family in the mood for skiing. Holmenkollen houses the Ski Musuem which honours famous Winter Olympians and explorers. That evening our hotel receptionist directed us to a gorgeous little Italian restaurant called Boletini about 100 metres from our hotel which we found to be unbeatable value as all restaurants are expensive. A cup of coffee averages about €5/6 and a bottle of beer can cost anything over €10.
The next day we set off for Vinterpark in Tryvann. After a half hour train ride out of the city a bus was waiting at the T station to bring us to the slopes which were less than five minutes away. Don’t expect the same choice of slopes you find in the Austrian or French Alps as Vinterpark is only about 1500 feet above sea level. But there are plenty of green runs for the kids to get their ski legs and for the more proficient skiers there is a black run and variety of reds to choose from. As with everywhere we went the staff were friendly and laidback speaking perfect English.
There are so many museums in Oslo that it is impossible to see them on a weekend break but the National Gallery was close to our hotel. The children didn’t have to walk through too many rooms before finding The Scream by Edward Munch.
We were only a few minutes walk from there to the Nobel Peace museum. An interesting photographic exhibition documented the average amount spent on food by citizens in different countries around the world and this enthralled all our family members.
The museum wasn’t very big and after passing through the room of Nobel prizewinners we had plenty of time to take a walk along the picturesque harbour front to Akershus fortress – one of the city’s most visited attractions. My daughter had seen the Disney film Frozen a couple of weeks before and was able to tell us that the Akershus Castle was the inspiration for the castle in the movie. It’s currently a military barracks and training academy but the castle is kept intact and a good example of traditional Norwegian architecture.
Next day was sunny and warm so time to explore the fjords. The best way to see the Oslo Fjord is on a river cruise. Batservice Sightseeing AS run several different cruises all year around. The fare is discounted with the Oslo pass but be aware that services are limited in winter if the fjord is frozen over.
The sun appeared as we set off from pier three, in front of city hall. Our tour guide talked us through the harbour area and out into the countryside with wonderful views of the wooden summer houses. They were painted beautifully in bold colours and it felt like we were gliding through a picture postcard. As our boat cut through the ice the sound was similar to bamboo wind chimes.
The sun appeared as we set off from pier three, in front of city hall. Our tour guide talked us through the harbour area and out into the countryside with wonderful views of the wooden summer houses. They were painted beautifully in bold colours and it felt like we were gliding through a picture postcard. As our boat cut through the ice the sound was similar to bamboo wind chimes.
This was one of the hightlights for all the family.We hopped off the cruise fifteen minutes from the end at Bygdoy pier, where some of the most important museums are situated including the National Viking and Folk museums. Bygdoy is a suburb only fifteen minutes from the city centre by bus and home to the famous Fram ship which is the only vessel to have made it to both the North and South Poles.
The Norwegians have a tremendous legacy of explorers and they revere them justly. Effigies of Roald Amundson and the crew complete with photographs and personal belongings fill the huge perfectly preserved boat. The children loved the interactive nature of this museum which is next door to the Nautical and Kon Tiki museums. Kon tiki is the primitive ship used by Norwegian Heyerdahl to sail the Pacific Ocean in 1947.
There is so much else to see in Oslo, like the museum of technology and the stunning new modern art museum. I sadly had to pass by Ibsen’s house, which was of special interest to me as writer, because we simply didn’t have time to drop in.
There’s never been a better time to visit Norway and with the celebrations of two-hundred years of their constitution about to kick off this summer it might be time to start saving now for a special and very different city break for all the family.
Before visiting Oslo see visitoslo.com
For travel details see www.ryanair.com
To stay at the Radisson blu Scandanavia see radissonblu/oslo
Before visiting Oslo see visitoslo.com
For travel details see www.ryanair.com
To stay at the Radisson blu Scandanavia see radissonblu/oslo
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