Discover a Land, Shaped by Sea and Stone

Neighbourhood Tourism Hub Familiarisation Trip

This September, the team at Midtown Makers were invited to join the new Mid & East Antrim Neighbourhood Tourism Hub's familiarisation tours, led by Patricia McEldowney of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Catriona, Jim and I were joined by Hub Members from Carrickfergus, Larne and Cullybackey to explore some of the many places of interest in the Borough.

We set off on Day One in our minibus from Ballymena for the coastal route, first stop Carrickfergus Castle. It was brilliant to see the buzz around the castle with visitors arriving from all over the world to see this fantastic castle and learn the stories of its history from a knowledgeable tour guide. Well worth a return visit, if not just to get a photograph of the 'King John' mannequin dying on the toilet!

exterior of Carrickfergus Castle

The team from Carrickfergus took us around the historic town, stopping off at The Dobbins Inn for tea and scones, and an insightful talk at renowned St Nicholas' Church from the current vicar, before we were back on the bus heading for Larne. Along the way we saw Whitehead's railway museum and tearoom, and passed Blackhead path. Unfortunately, the Gobbins cliff path at Islandmagee was closed for repairs, fingers crossed it re-opens soon as it is a walk like no other.

The sun was shining as we pulled into Carnlough for lunch and a tour of the newly refurbished Harbourview Hotel (formally Londonderry Arms). The new owners have done a fantastic job in keeping the spirit of the hotel as well as putting their own stamp on it as Ireland’s first destination whiskey hotel. Catriona and myself took part in the whiskey tasting after a tour of the refurbished rooms and cask warehouse, where they blend, bottle and finish Carnlough whiskey. The Limavady whiskey was a great Irish whiskey, and our guide couldn’t be friendlier.

A couple of doors down from Harbourview Hotel we were welcomed to the Carnlough Heritage Hub. A venue full of local history, stories and culture. Our final location was Glenarm Castle Gardens. The beautiful grounds gave us a chance to stretch our legs as well as take in the well-manicured lawns and thriving kitchen gardens before the scenic drive back to Ballymena.

The second familiarisation trip day centred around the wider Ballymena area, and began with a walking tour of the town with professional tour guide Alistair Donaghy. The group also had the opportunity to see the new Visitor Information Hub at Midtown Makers gift shop, and hear about the project from Chief Executive Melanie Christie Boyle. We then moved on to Cullybackey Hub to hear from the team there about their community work as well as their small arts and crafts gift shop.

It was then on to Arthur Cottage, the ancestral home of Chester Alan Arthur, the 21^st President of the United States of America. We were greeted by 3 guides dressed in period costume, and got to experience local expert Mary making us traditional soda bread over an open fire. It tasted amazing, Mary went above and beyond even making me a special vegan version. We enjoyed hearing the stories of the families that lived on the land and how the cottage is being preserved for future generations to come.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Gracehill was our next visit. It was fascinating to hear all about the village during our guided tour:

“Founded in 1759, Gracehill includes distinctive Moravian buildings, including a particular type of congregation building known as Gemeinhaus, a church, choir houses and a cemetery. There is an active congregation present at the site today, who continue Moravian traditions.

Gracehill is the best preserved example of a settlement representing the Moravian ideal in the UK and Ireland and the only example built on the island of Ireland, with its urban plan clustered around a central green square.

It becomes Northern Ireland’s second UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the first being Giant’s Causeway, which was listed in 1986.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gracehill-moravian-church-in-county-antrim-becomes-uks-newest-unesco-world-heritage-site

We then drove on to Galgorm, past Portglenone harbour and Monastery. Lunch at Galgorm Resort conservatory was followed by a tour of the rooms and facilities – I can safely say that a few of us didn’t want to leave as the spa looked very inviting.

We finished our day with a drive up to Slemish mountain, an extinct volcano said to be the home of St Patrick when he was a slave shepherd tending sheep here. The views are incredible, and we were lucky to have a clear day to see the beautiful countryside of Ballymena.

A wonderful time was had by all and we can’t wait to share our knowledge and experience with visitors to Midtown Makers Visitor’s Hub.

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