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?

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Our Day Trip to Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

On Saturday we headed off on our monthly day trip to the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim to walk in the footsteps of giant's.

It's been a few years since we've been here and it was great to go back again with our Little Fella in tow. The drive along the famous Coastal Route is simply stunning and luckily enough the sun was shining for us yesterday.

When your driving along taking in your surroundings there's something calming about the landscape around you and it really is a great day out.

The first stop of the day was Dunluce Castle. This medieval castle was the headquarters of the MacDonnell Clan and dates back to the 13th Century. The views here are stunning and we all enjoyed taking in the scenery and having the wind blow through our hair.

The Giant's Causeway is truly beautiful and even though it was packed with visitors you still get a sense of peace and calm here and you would be surprised to find that a few hours go by in a flash.

It is great to see so many tourists from all over the world flocking here in vast numbers to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. 

As most of us know the Causeway was formed by an ancient volcanic eruption however it's much more fun to follow the legend of the great giant Fionn MacCumhaill. You can read the legend here.

The audio guide that was provided at the entrance was really well put together and our Inbetweener had great fun spotting all the features on the walk down and enjoying the story. On the other hand I'm really a child at heart and never grow tired of hearing this story myself and who's to say it's not real?

After we had some light refreshments in the visitors centre we drove towards the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Now this is not for the faint hearted. Here is the link to some more information about this fantastic place.

The bridge which is about 20 metres across and 30 metres above the sea links the mainland to the island of Carrickarede. We paid our entrance fee and walked just under a mile towards the bridge.

Mr P had our Little Fella in the baby sling and he was happy to be outside having the wind blowing in his face while the rest of us deliberated whether or not we were brave enough to actually cross the bridge.

I've said before I have a fear of heights and water. It was a bit stormy and after some time and assurances from the tour guides we all apart from Mr P and our Little Fella made our way across.

Our Inbetweener almost buckled when he first set foot on the bridge but we had come too far to turn back. The people who had already crossed the bridge were brilliant encouraging everybody along.

There's nothing like fear - fear of falling, fear of dying to make you move.

My legs were like jelly when I got across and I was a sickly shade of green. Our Inbetweener threw his arms in the air and shouted 'We've done it''. It's funny now writing this but all I could think of was that we would have cross it again to get back.

Anyway we lived to tell the tale it was truly a thrilling experience, not that we were in any real danger, nobody has actually ever fallen off the bridge!

After all that we drove into Portrush to have dinner, homemade ice-cream in Morelli's which is a must if your in the town and a bag of candy floss.

So all in all we had another great day out. The Giant's Causeway is one of the most beautiful places, right on our doorstep and perfect for a family day out.

Everybody was exhausted on the way home from all the walking and with our lungs full of lovely fresh air we had a great night's sleep.

Don't forget to check back next month for our latest adventure.

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