The Glens of Antrim
The nine Glens of Antrim are a string of lush green valleys tumbling from the heather moors down to the sea along Northern Ireland's northeastern coast, a landscape of waterfalls, wooded gorges, patchwork fields and storybook villages steeped in Irish myth. Threaded by the spectacular Antrim Coast Road, the glens lead to gems like the cliff-backed Glenariff, the "Queen of the Glens," with its forest waterfall walk, the pretty harbor village of Cushendun, and Murlough Bay.
The region is also a treasure trove for Game of Thrones fans, with filming locations at Cushendun Caves, Ballintoy harbor and the Dark Hedges, the hauntingly beautiful avenue of intertwining beech trees that doubled as the Kingsroad and is one of the most photographed spots in the country. The branches arch overhead into a living tunnel, and on a misty morning the whole avenue takes on the air of a fairy tale.
It is a romantic, misty, deeply atmospheric corner of the north, and one of our favorite places to slow right down. A single glen can swallow a whole afternoon, the coast road rewards every stop, and the light off the sea has a way of turning an ordinary day golden. We build in the time to wander, so the glens unfold at their own unhurried pace.
