The Gateway to Antrim
One of the very best holidays that I have ever had the pleasure in taking, has been one that was only a stones-throw away from London?45 minutes by plane in fact; it was to a place renowned for its wide variety of unspoilt scenery and for the friendliness of is people?that place was Northern Ireland.
Flying into Belfast's City Airport, I disembarked quickly from my plane, picked up my hire car and within a trice was heading along the motorway toward the City of Antrim. Antrim is the County town of County Antrim; one of the six counties of Northern Ireland (Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry), and is also the ideal gateway to exploring the famed Glens of Antrim and its famous North Sea Coast.
Just outside Antrim town, adjacent to Belfast's International Airport, I reached my intended base of exploration; the Park Plaza Belfast. Now as bases go this was indeed a grand one; the rooms are luxurious and modern and equipped with CD players, two direct phone lines with voicemail, Multimedia TVs and PlayStations. It's popular Circles Restaurant abounded with sumptuous cuisine and its bar held more than a few rare gems that were in need of sampling.
With my base arranged, I set off for the first of many great excursions around Antrim; Lough Neagh. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the British Isles and if you look at any map of Northern Ireland, its instantly identifiable prominence shows just how very large it is. The first thing that I did upon reaching its shores was to book myself onto a boat trip so as to form a more intimate acquaintance with the Lough; I boarded the custom built ?Maid of Antrim' and was soon on my way.
As we departed, I felt that a celebratory visit to the onboard bar was in order and it was here that I was first introduced to an onboard nautical speciality; Brandy with a peppermint dash; later I reposed on the ship's upper deck, basking in the coppery glow of the sinking sun and watching the light hues turn to deep shades of indigo and purple as dusk fell upon us.
Thus I spent many more days, both on the Lough and in its environs; at almost every point around its vast circumference, there was some sort of attraction or ancient historic site or area of natural beauty; so much so in fact, that on that visit to Northern Ireland I never got to see much of the rest of the county.
Invariably though, I will return sometime soon. Next time I think that I will sample some of the lively social scene of an evening in Belfast City; just as this time round, I will check into one of the many excellent hotels in Belfast as my base and then set out to see what wonders I can uncover in that unique City.
