Carrickfergus Castle and Winterfell

Woke to a nice sunny day and after saying farewell to Caroline, Tyler and Helen who are heading to Dublin Noel and I headed to Carrickfergus Castle.  The castle is steeped in over 800 years of history and is a striking feature on the landscape.  The castle has survived attacks from the Scots,  Irish,  English and French. 

The first fortifications what is now Carrickfergus Castle were built shortly after 1177 by John de Courcy an Anglo-Norman Knight.  The castle has seen many changes and has been in constant use.  It remains one of the most intact Norman Castles in Britain and Ireland.  Unfortunately the keep is having a new roof so we didn't get to climb to the top.

Next stop was the Game of Thrones Exhibition in Belfast.  Inspired by and filled with breathtaking images and artifacts you get to see the Seven Kingdoms up-close look at authentic props, costumes and set decorations from the show.

We got to see displays of costumes, props, weapons and armor and themed exhibition areas featuring:

The wintry landscapes of the North
The tree-lined pathway of the Kingsroad
The regal settings of King’s Landing,
The conquered city of Meereen with its garrisons of Unsullied warriors and the loyalists of House Targaryen
Iconic settings like the House of Black and White
The home of the Night’s Watch --- Castle Black
And the frozen lands Beyond the Wall
The Iron Throne Room, where the Westerosi seat of power in all its foreboding glory

The exhibition was really good and very glad we saw it. We also saw door 10 at The Dark Horse pub.  Door 10 represents the key events taking place in Kings Landing in season 6 as it draws to a close.

We then headed south to were they filmed a lot of the scenes for Winterfell.  First stop was Inch Abbey a 12th century Cistercian Abbey by the River Quoile.  Season 1 Episode 10 Catelyn relays news to Rob that his father has died and Rob is proclaimed King of the North. A thunderstorm has come over but the rain stopped for our visit.

The GPS then took us the back road to Castle Ward where we passed the area they filmed Baylor Battlefield and Ned's Picnic. We made our way back down the narrow road towards Stangford and stopped for a drink at The Cain pub which is also the location for door 1 which reflects the opening title sequence of the show referencing Westros.

We then headed to the correct entrance to Castle Ward.  Here you find impressive gardens and woodland where a lot of season 1 scenes were shot. King Robert and his Royal party arrive and he makes Ned Stark his Hand of the King in episode 1. It is also synonymous with Winterfell. The Castle was used for Bran'a fall,  Robb's archery,  Ser Rodrick's beheading and King Roberts arrival.

The weather has turned and it is getting late so we made our way back to Ballygally.  It does not get dark until 10.00pm which is great for tourists.

17 degrees
11,847 Steps and 7 floors
135 miles = 217.2 km