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Chasing Game of Thrones Locations in Northern Ireland with Giant’s Causeway Bay

Belfast Game of Throne

Mapping Out the Game of Thrones

One of the fun aftermaths of a TV show or movie taking the world by storm is the fact that its filming locations turn into instant tourist spots. Sometimes, what draws people is the sheer novelty of being somewhere the show was shot. Sometimes, that place turns out to be tourist-worthy by itself, with lots of great things to see. Luckily for the fans, Game of Thrones attracts on both counts.

 





Brit Movie Tours is a company that specializes in location tours of famous series like Sherlock and Dr. Who. They also offer two GoT tours. The first one spans the locations set in Northern Ireland, with a bonus trip to the spectacular Giant’s Causeway. The second one concentrates on the southern locations, with a trip to Castle Ward and a chance to see the show’s Direwolves up close and personal. I had a friend who took the southern tour, and they got to meet the two puppies who played Summer! Between the two, however, I opted for the Northern tour.

 

The Journey

The tour assembled at the Belfast Visitor Center at 9AM. We were introduced to our tour-guide Gale, and our driver Jimmy. Gale had served as an extra during filming, so she had a lot of inside scoop to share. Jimmy, on the other hand, is a seasoned driver. He got us to the locations in time, with lots of extra five-minute stops for picture taking! It was a good day when we headed off, and we were in good company.

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The first stop was Castle Black, which was actually located in the Magheramorne Quarry. Actually, this wasn’t included in the tour, but Jimmy allowed a quick stop for photos. Along the way, Gale heralded us with GoT info and trivia. She was a great storyteller, and she even asked us to participate by reenacting scenes! She asked for our opinion too, and it was an interactive experience with our jolly group.

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From Castle Black, we headed up the Antrim coast, passing castles and villages along the way. We stopped at one of the iconic locations in Season One, where Ned Stark beheaded a Night’s Watch deserter. From there, we headed to Carnlough which was a Season Six set. We also went to the place where Melisandre gave birth, the caves in the coastal village of Cushendun.

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One of the places we passed through was the town of Ballycastle, where the actors portraying Varys and Catelyn Stark were originally from. This was along the way to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a famous tourist attraction. While not part of the filming locations, this is a great spot for a little adventure. There were proper safety measures, though the bridge was a little bouncy. But I liked it a lot! The payment is extra and isn’t covered by the tour, but there’s a discount. We only paid 6 instead of 7 Pounds.

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Other locations we visited included The Iron Islands (on the Ballintoy harbor), and the Dark Hedges — the famous King’s Road that Arya took to flee from King’s Landing. We were even allowed to wear coats and swords at this stop, so we conquered it in full costume! We’re lucky the place wasn’t busy when we got there.

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Before we reached the Dark Hedges, however, we first stopped by the UNESCO site popularly known as the Giant’s Causeway. It was a little crowded, though, but it was still awesome! We walked it up and down, and each way takes around 10-15 minutes. It’s a steep climb up, though, so those not into hiking can take the bus instead (1 Pound each way). We stayed here for an hour, though half of that was just for the walk. The remaining half was for picture taking! We would have loved to stay a little longer, but I guess the time was okay. The ones in the group who took the bus had a little extra time to get coffee in a shop at the top, called The Nook.

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Wrapping Up

 

It was a long day after the tour, but it was a really interesting one. This is a must-see for fans! Even those with only a marginal knowledge of the series would enjoy the beauty of the sights.

 





This was a really cool experience! It was 35 Pounds well-spent for a very memorable day. If you have more days in Belfast, check out my Belfast Itinerary here

13 thoughts on “Chasing Game of Thrones Locations in Northern Ireland with Giant’s Causeway Bay

  1. I’ve just been travelling round much the same part of Northern Ireland. We arrived at the rope bridge too late to walk across though, which is a shame as your photo makes it look like great fun!

  2. Oh dear, I know nothing of GoT as I don’t watch… buuut,have visited Ireland a number of times and the Giants Causeway before GoT was not very crowded back then from my memories! Ireland is full of natural beauty, but the other two best things are the Guinness and the lovely, friendly people who will chat to you like old friends. You saw some lovely sites here – and the rope bridge looks cool. Great post, thanks for sharing!

  3. The entire area is gorgeous, and I might even be brave enough to go across that bridge (probably). I’m the one person on the planet who doesn’t watch Game of Thrones, but I would go on this tour just to see this stunning scenery and the castles. Plus, my husband is a big fan, so I know that he would jump at the chance. I love that the tour companies are doing this!

  4. Didn’t know that Game of Thrones locations are the actual tour! 🙂 That’s such a good idea. And it seems that you had so much fun visiting, right! The sword looks heavy. 😀

  5. I’ll make sure to watch GOT before I go to Ireland haha I’m not going to TBEX anymore, btw. Looking at the requirements for an Irish visa, I’m 98% sure I’ll get denied. So envious you got to go there. 🙁 Someday!

  6. Oh, I remember that scene where Ned Stark beheaded the Night’s Watch deserter. It was pretty gruesome. I’m so excited, though, because I’ll be touring some Irish GoT sights in September! Thanks for the head’s up.

  7. I love that this company does more tours than just GoT. I am in that tiny minority of people who has never seen a minute of Game of Thrones (which is insane because that’s my go-to genre!) It’s very clear that they’re good at what they do and have picked the most beautiful locations for these tours! I’ll have to take the Doctor Who Tour!

  8. Being a big GoT fan this movie tour is something I would love to do. The Southern tour sounds fun especially if there are pups involved. But the Northern looks amazing. I agree with you that even non GoT fans would enjoy this tour, so much of gorgeous Ireland to see.

  9. I’m not into GoT, but I’ve still always wanted to visit some of these places in Ireland. They’re so beautiful and there’s so much history to them. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to visit, but maybe I’ll wait a bit so the GoT craziness dies down a bit lol!

  10. These are truly beautiful places to visit. The dark hedges and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge looked really amazing and hope I would be able to visit soon. Being able to go somewhere is just an exhilarating feeling and just brings out positive vibes. I’ll let my boyfriend tag along since he is a GOT fanatic.

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