Dorne
Heading from Portrush to nearby sister resort town of Portstewart along the coast you visit the next stop on the GOT tour, Portstewart strand. Here the producers used the long golden sands with views of the headlands of Donegal in the distance as the fictional setting for the shores of Dorne, where Jamie Lannister lands to rescue Princess Myrcella from the house of Martell. Portstewart strand is managed by the National Trust with an excellent cafe on site and you can drive on to the beach with peaks all along its two mile length; the two best breaks situated at either end. For families this is a popular spot not just for the long strand and excellent sandcastle construction resources but also Portstewart town itself whose main street fronts the sea and is lined with family friendly cafes and the famous Morellis ice cream shop. Across from Portstewart lies one of the longest stretches of beach on the island. To gain access you have to cross the river Bann at the town of Coleraine which offers a canoe trail running from its centre to where the river meets the Atlantic along its scenic shores, passing nature reserves along the way. West of the Bann river mouth starts 7 miles of pumping beach breaks from Castlerock to Benone with wave size and crowds decreasing the further west you go. On the headland of Downhill separating Castlerock and Benone on a rocky outcrop is the iconic Mussendun Temple, built in 1785 as a summer library and modelled on the Temple of Vista in Italy. The beach below is Dragonstone, where the Seven Idols of Westeros were burned and Melisandre, flames dancing into the night sky, proclaimed her famous catch phrase: “For the night is dark and full of terrors!”. Castlerock is a very consistent beach break situated in a small village with great post-surf eats in Crusoes cafe just off the main street. A great option in low swell, if it’s closing out then Benone can offer a slightly smaller surf alternative with a full beachside complex offering camping, caravan sites and cafe and home to longlinesurfschool.co.uk, who offer SUP instruction and guided SUP tours along the nearby river Roe. Surfing here is set against the Binevenagh headland with its dramatic cliffs and where Daenerys Targaryen landed with her dragon in the final episode of season 5. It marks the western limit of the Antrim basalt plateau which gives rise to the many unique geological features that frame the Causeway shores and the perfect backdrop to bring the curtain down on a tour of the North Coast. A Game of Thrones style SUP tour offers even more opportunities along Northern Ireland’s East coast but like all good TV shows, we’ll save that storyline for another episode! Valar dohaeris! SUP
