The King’s Road
Close to Ballintoy, just 9 miles inland lies another iconic attraction, the Dark Hedges. One of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland, this fascinating avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century and intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their home, Gracehill House. For GOT fans this is the King’s Road where Arya Stark, dressed as a boy, escaped from King’s Landing. Local legend has it the road is reputedly haunted by a spectral ‘Grey Lady’ (a lost spirit from a long abandoned graveyard) who appears at dusk among the trees, silently gliding along the roadside and disappearing as she passes the last beech tree!
If you’re a fan of legends of course no visit to this coastline is complete without a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Giant’s Causeway with its unique six-sided basalt columns and built by mythical Irish giant Finn McCool! On a large swell, a tricky big wave break lies right at the edge of the columns and you’ll definitely need a full suit of King’s Army armour to go into battle with the waves here. On flatter days if you fancy an exploration of the Causeway by sea, launching from nearby Portballintrae is the easiest option for a long paddle down the coast being mindful of the strong currents that run all along. Portballintrae itself offers sheltered waters within its harbour and is home to surfsupni.com, offering tuition and rental. It also offers a rivermouth beach break, one of the most consistent swell pickers in the area and worth checking when other beaches are flat. Strong rips at size so experts only if over 3ft. If you feel after all this you’ve earned a Knight’s refreshment then hit up the famous Bushmills whiskey distillery nearby for a drop of the dragon’s fire water.
