Northern Ireland - Belfast and the Causeway Coastal Route
We have just returned from our first major motorhome trip to Northern Ireland. We took the Stena Line ferry (more like a cruise ship than a ferry, in fact) from Cairnryan to Belfast. We stopped over at Greenloch House CL in Castle Kennedy to break our journey – and glad we did, too. It’s a first rate CL in beautiful surroundings with all the main facilities. We took our second stop over at the Loughshore Caravan Park (https://newtownabbey.campstead.com/CheckAvailability.asp) which has been recently built by Newtownabbey Council opposite the Jordanstown campus of the University of Ulster. All the facilities are brand new – and includes wifi, disabled facilities, free showers, etc. The site is securely enclosed, open all year and there is an attendant up to the end of September. It is a bit pricey at £18 per night but a lot of effort has gone in to provide these excellent facilities. There is easy access to Belfast city centre – about 5 miles by road (buses and trains, too) and you could even walk in alongside Belfast Lough. Loughshore Park has a café and play park. You are also on the A2 Causeway Coastal Route which, along the way, reveals some of the most scenic countryside and coastal locations - in the world let alone the UK and Ireland with plenty of stopping points along the way - and, of course, the Giants Causeway. The final leg of our stay was at Skerries Caravan Park in Portrush. This is another stunning location and an extremely well run site – mostly static caravans but also for tourers and motorhomes. There’s loads of facilities for families and a shop. It is directly opposite Royal Portrush Golf Club and a short walk into Portrush, shops, restaurants and, naturally, its beaches (or strands), Coleraine, Port Stewart and Bushmills Distillery are nearby for more visitor options. Then, of course, you have Guiness and the wonderfully hospitable and friendly Irish people themselves. If you have never been to the province, you are missing something really special.