Day Trip to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple

Spending time together and having fun...that was our Saturday in a nutshell when we had our monthly day trip to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple.

Mussenden Temple is one of those famous Northern Ireland landmarks that you always see on TV and even though its quite close to home this was our first visit.

The day was beautiful and sunny despite the chill in the autumn air it almost felt like a summers day.

Our first stop was Benone Beach giving you seven miles of golden sand and spectacular views of Donegal and the mountains in the backdrop. 

I was surprised at how many people were out surfing, walking and just taking in the scenery. There was even an ice cream van. 

We didn't have any ice creams this time but I will look forward to coming back here and trying one in the warmer weather.

Downhill Estate is mostly in ruin but the gardens and walkways are beautiful. You can tell from the remains of the very large castle that the Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol who built it was certainly a flamboyant character.

There is so much space here to just roam about and I really enjoyed watching the older two take an interest in their surroundings and using their cameras.

Our Little Fella is happiest when he is outside and he loves watching his big sister and brother mess around with each other.

The highlight of this visit has to be the breathtaking views and Mussenden Temple which the Bishop built in honour of his cousin perched proudly on the edge of the clifftop. 

The Temple was once a library and as a book lover you can imagine it would have been the most idyllic place to sit and read for hours and hours with no disruptions apart from the view.

The family pass into Downhill also gave us entry to the nearby Hezlett House, a beautiful old thatched cottage which dates back to the 17th Century. 

It's great that the National Trust have maintained it and we really enjoyed our visit there. 

Our Inbetweener was quite horrified on the tour to find out that in the 1700's the owners of the cottage would have hired boys as young as 9 and 10 years old from a local fair to work as farm hands and they would have slept in a tiny room together.

What a different world we live in today.

Being out and about with the wind blowing through our hair works up a healthy appetite so we drove on to the Bushmills Inn for a late lunch and simply the best bread and butter pudding.

A perfect end to a perfect day out together.

September's day trip left us with lots of fun memories. These monthly day trips do seem to make the year go in even faster as we are always planning our next trip and have something to look forward to. I can't believe that three more trips will take us to the end of the year.

What outdoor fun have you been up to?

Joining in with Country Kids from Coombe Mill Blog.
Please head on over to read up on some of the other wonderful outdoor adventures.