A stone's throw away from Belfast

Just over an hour’s drive north of the city, the pretty village of Bushmills makes a great day away from it. Central to its attractions is the world’s oldest distillery. A small tour (groups are kept to less than 18) takes you through the whole distilling process and offers insight into such lyrical terms as ‘the silent season’ and the ‘angel’s share’, as well as a dram or two. From here, it’s a few steps to the village, where restaurants like the French Rooms and cafes like the Copper Kettle (61 Main St) offer good food options. Best of all, if you stay overnight at the 17^th-century Bushmills Inn, you can get an early start to Northern Ireland's biggest attraction…

Bushmills

Take the bus from Bushmills (£1 each way) or walk a half-mile or so to discover this UNESCO Site’s ethereal, magical beauty. The 40,000, 60-million-year-old hexagonal columns of basalt are, in a very real sense, monumental, their breadth and scale seemingly so manufactured that you can’t believe they’re not the cosmic joke of some ancient extra-terrestrial sculptor; or maybe, just maybe, the work of the giant Finn MacCool that the causeway is named for. The National Trust visitor Centre is worth exploring for background to the site, but also for its perfectly in-tune design.

Giant's Causeway