Next Stop: Bushmills!

 Next stop on places to go in the north coast is Bushmills, this village is just up the road from Portrush and it holds some of the major tourist attractions in the area. 

The Old Bushmills Distillery 

One of the first main attractions is the Bushmills Distillery. Here, the well-known Bushmills Whiskey is made and is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, whiskey has been made in this distillery since 1608! I was very lucky and was able to do a week of work experience at the Old Bushmills in 2019. It was so interesting to go behind the scenes in such a big business, learning that they exported to countries that I never expected, such as Nigeria and Singapore. I also had the opportunity of going on their very popular tour of the distillery which attracts around 120,000 tourists every year. Now, even though I don’t love the taste of whiskey, it was incredible to see the entire production process of their triple processed whiskeys. All the tour operators are charismatic and make the tour entertaining and informative. If you enjoy whiskey, this is an absolute must for you! Plus, you also get to sample some of the whiskeys on the tour as well!

The second attraction in Bushmills is the Giant’s Causeway. As mentioned in my first blog, it is a UNESCO heritage site and brings around a million visitors each year. It is made out of around 40,000 basalt columns which are a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.

But the legend of the Giant’s causeway is far more interesting. If you’re unaware of the story, according to legend, the giant Finn MacCool was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Finn built the Giant’s Causeway as a path so that the two giants could meet. However, for Finn this was a mistake as Benandonner was much bigger than Finn! Finn’s wife devises a plan and dresses him up as a baby. When Benandonner arrives, he is shocked- thinking if this is Finn’s baby, how big must Finn be. Benandonner leaves frightened, tearing up the path so Finn MacCool couldn’t follow him. 

The Giant’s causeway is really impressive to see in person along with its beautiful scenery, it’s definitely worth a visit!