This was definitely one thing I was most excited to do after moving to N.Ireland and was also one of the first things I did once I was there! Lucky for me, I got to do this tour through my school for half the price, booyah! There are several tour companies and routes to choose from depending on what you want to see and do so make sure you browse around. This route is the most common and popular.
My tour started early from Belfast as most do. We passed through Carrickfergus and then headed up the Causeway Coastal Route. This route is ranked one of the most beautiful coastal routes in the world and I can see why. Even if you don’t do one of these tours, make sure you drive along it. On a clear day, you can even see Scotland! I tried to capture some pictures but unfortunately, the glare on the window kind of ruined it.
The first spot you pass by is Magheramorne Quarry. This is where they film the Wall at Castle Black. At the time, no one was allowed to stop here or slow down because HBO was still filming there! Our tour guide told us about how they have cameras everywhere and will mail citations for cars that slow down and stop. The ice (for the most part) is digitized in but the lift is real! I couldn’t get a picture so I took one from Google.
The second spot you pass by is the Glen Arm Castle. Again you don’t stop here for long, we just stop here shortly and then drove past. No filming has been shot here but what happened at this castle is similar to the Red Wedding and apparently what it is based off it. Cool bit of history, plus the scenery is beyond beautiful!
After about an hour on the road, you hit your first real stop Carnlough. This harbor was used in season 6 when Arya is she stabbed and comes out of the water. Funny enough, the spot where she is stabbed and falls into the water was filmed in Spain, and where she comes out of the water is N. Ireland! We had a short break here for food and drinks and back on the road.
From there, it was a short drive to Cushendal Cave, which is the cave that Melisandre gave birth to the shadow baby in. The city also has a funny bit of history with a goat… but that’s another story for another time. We got to explore the caves a bit and did a little (terrible) reenactment of the shadow baby being born!
The next stop on the tour was Ballintoy Harbor and Carrick-a-rede bridge! I first headed to the bridge and I have to say the bridge itself is not that spectacular. I mean it is cool but a bit of a let down from what I heard about it. However, the views make up for it folds over. You can see Scotland, a small island inhabited by goats, and other parts of Ireland. You also get a view of the coastline and the water was so blue, I couldn’t get over it. I wanted to drive it but I know that water would’ve been icy cold
From there you can also walk a wee bit over to Ballintoy harbor. This was used in Season 2 when Brienne of Tarth wins the fight against King Renly brother as Margaery watches. This is an overflow lot for cars and looking at it, you would not realize it was a filming location. I didn’t notice until someone pulled a picture of it for reference.
The second to last location was Gaints Causeway. This isn’t a Game of Thrones location either but it is one of the most famous Heritage sites in Northern Ireland, so you cannot miss it. It is beyond amazing and it is still one of my favorite spots to go in N. Ireland. The stones are unique and on a stormy day, the landscape looks strikingly beautiful.
The last stop was the Dark Hedges. This was used in season one when Arya leaves King’s Landing on Kings Road. This was the most unchanged location on the tour and the most recognizable from the movie since nothing was changed. A lot of the trees have been damaged from tourist and storms so they are now trying to stop vehicles from being able to drive down it. If you can dusk, do! The sun started setting while we were there and it made the hedges seem much more dramatic!
From the Dark Hedges, we headed back to Belfast for the end of the tour. The tour was informative and worth the twenty pounds!
I hope you enjoyed this post! This was a post posted to my older blog which I have since deleted. Let me know if you’ve been to any of the filming sites listed here or any you recommend I visit. There are so many that I wish I could do them all! I am going to Dubrovnik quite soon so I plan on doing a Game of Thrones tour there as well! Tschuss!
*Photos from the show are taken from google. All the other photos are mine.
AJ goes abroad 