I gave it my best shot. I devoted focused time to every episode of the first three series of Game of Thrones, determined to be gripped by this titan of television that has amassed an army of super fans.
But despite committing some 30 hours, I remained baffled by the boundless cast and the never-ending journey to reach the much coveted throne. And so with the bloodiest of season finales, I finally bowed out.
My exasperated husband was only too happy, as he could now watch uninterrupted without my constant calls for him to bring me up to speed. He has since been free to binge-watch solo, enthralled by the ever-changing fortunes of the Starks, the Lannisters, the Mother of Dragons and everyone in between.
So when the prospect of a Game of Thrones-themed trip to Northern Ireland cropped up, I hesitated. With the content strictly 18+, our three boys had never watched a moment. Would it be a case of dragging them around baffled and bored?
Absolutely not, as we soon discovered. The show has given tourism in Northern Ireland a similar shot in the arm as that which Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy provided for New Zealand.
Not having seen the films doesn’t detract from the spectacular New Zealand experience as you follow in Bilbo’s footsteps,
And so my boys and I found ourselves in a similar position. Leaving Belfast, our first stop was Ballygally. During filming, this scenic seaside village was flooded with about 10,000 locals acting as extras.
Once their services were no longer required, the resourceful among them set themselves up as tour guides with insider knowledge.
The Ballygally Hotel has been a focal point during filming and ever since, with the crew often popping in for a pint. Surrounded by a walled garden, the hotel is part of the Door of Thrones itinerary — a route of ten venues which host an intricately carved wooden door depicting a scene from the show. Once through the door, fans can book on to a GoT tour or a themed afternoon tea.
And despite having never seen an episode, my boys were fully qualified to appreciate teatime delicacies like Dothraki trifle with mini dragon’s eggs and Sansa Stark’s lemon cakes.
Had we been staying in the luxuriously cosy hotel we might have nipped upstairs to slumber after that sugar. But instead it was back on the road to explore Antrim’s Coastal Causeway route, a stunning landscape offering adventures galore from rocks to climb to caves to explore and the sea to paddle in.
The unspoilt route meanders between mountains and shoreline, with each hairpin bend giving way to an even more impressive view. Another of the doors is located within the Fullerton Arms, a welcoming gastro pub in one of the more popular pitstops — Ballintoy Harbour.
It lies between two jewels in the National Trust’s crown: the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and its far more famous cousin, the Giant’s Causeway.
The latter had long topped my bucket list… and I was far, far from alone. In 2017 around one million people flocked to this World Heritage Site.
It is a geological wonder of the world, with rows and rows of striking hexagonal basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago when molten lava cooled suddenly on contact with water.
But awe-inspiring as it is, the Giant’s Causeway is, like many a natural wonder, the victim of its own success with busloads of visitors traipsing in and out all day long.
The National Trust has invested huge amounts, most notably in developing a £18 million visitor centre which tells the story of how the stones were made, as well as the many myths which surround them.
A short drive or an even lovelier walk away is the Carrick-a-Rede bridge. Here even the car park has a plaque on it, having been the site of yet another scene in Game of Thrones.
Not natural born thrill seekers, my middle son and I spent the walk to the bridge plutzing about the risks involved in crossing the precariously positioned rope bridge which local fishermen built to check their salmon nets. Fortunately we didn’t let fear defeat us and were rewarded with the kind of view that could move you to tears.
A little inland lies the Dark Hedges, a previously little known tree-lined route that is now synonymous with the show.
This magnificent avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century and was used as a filming location for the Kingsroad in just one episode of season two — the wood from two trees felled after it was battered by Storm Gertrude has also created the doors on the Doors of Thrones route.
Today the route is one of the world’s most famous tree tunnels (who knew?) and is the perfect photo opportunity, with the money shot begging to be framed and hung up at home.
Only thing is the 999,999,999 other people who have similar intentions. As a result, there is precisely zero chance of capturing said shot. But if you’re determined to scoop a GoT memento, you might be fortunate enough to encounter yet another resourceful Irishman who positions himself along the route with a camera and a box full of capes and swords.
The Dark Hedges was possibly the only disappointment in our otherwise wonderfully refreshing tour of Northern Ireland.
We spent six action packed days there, visiting Titanic Belfast — the state-of-the-art museum based on the site where the historic ship was built — as well as trying out surfing and blow karting, an adrenaline-pumping activity that’s a cross between windsurfing and go-karting.
Blow-karting aside, you could travel to the far corners of the world to discover this sense of peace, calm and stillness in nature without ever realising just how close it is at hand.
At their age, I told my kids, it would have been hard to imagine Northern Ireland as an obvious holiday destination. But today the north eastern corner of our closest neighbour pulls in around 1.5 million tourists a year from all over the world — and it’s very easy to see why.
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