The fourth part of my journey around the Northern Ireland coast took me from Larne in Co Antrim, through Belfast, and on to Portaferry in Co Down. This is quite a populous and built up stretch of the coast with only the Ards peninsula offering lots of countryside.
The road from Larne to Whitehead runs close along the coast, but only in some places is there a sea view. I decided not to detour around the Islandmagee peninsula as it was evening time, but may do do the next time I am visiting Belfast. My first stop was at Carrigfergus to see both the electricity station and the castle - quite a contrast between the two which are clearly visible from another. The castle is magnificent and features a Redcoat Guard looking down from the top wall. The castle was built in 1177 and today it has a fine statue of William of Orange who first set foot in Ireland on 14th June 1690 on his way to victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne.
I spent the night at the Dobbin's Inn Hotel - basic, but cheap accommodation. For dinner I went to the busy PaPa Brown's Grill where I had some scampi with my batter. The WiFi network was not working here and along with the mediocre food - this made for a less than enjoyable dining experience. I stopped for a pint in the hotel bar where I listened for a while to an animated debate about Scottish Independence between three drunks. I went to bed.
Tomorrow - the rest of Co Down!
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