Luxe Beat Magazine Special Edition Put a Pin in It! | Page 17

Features
welcomes visitors daily from April
until September. It’s a horticultural
spectacle in an incomparable setting
by the sea with water features,
fruit and vegetable gardens,
imaginative herbaceous borders and
displays of flowers that burst with
color. Climb the mount for a view of
the castle, the sea and the estate
beyond. Then relax and enjoy a snack
or light lunch featuring the estate’s
own produce in the charming tea
room, overlooking the kitchen
garden.
For picturesque photo moments,
drive the Causeway Coastal Route
on up to Derry, Northern Ireland’s
second largest city. And if there’s
mist, even better, as it’ll add a bit

of Irish magic and mystery to the
scene. This is most apparent at
the Giant’s Causeway, a geological
wonder that is also a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. It’s an awe-inducing
marvel containing over 40,000
interlocking basalt columns, which
were created as a result of intense
volcanic and geological activity.
For visitors, it provides a glimpse
into the Earth’s most ancient past;
an epic sixty million year-old legacy
to the cooling and shrinking of
successive lava flows. This is a place
that’s also steeped in myth and
legend, with stories of a mighty
giant, Finn McCool, who left behind
an ancient home full of folklore.
Local folks believe that between

the hexagons, the mythical features
carved out in the rocks and the sea,
there’s real magic. They say that you
may not always see it right away,
but stand on the stones, use your
imagination and just wait. It won’t
be long until you feel it.
Upon reaching Derry or Londonderry,
you’ll be in the oldest intact walled
city in all of Ireland. You’ll also be
in a town that’s been the subject
of a naming dispute between Irish
nationalists and unionists. Generally,
although not always, the former
favor using Derry, and the latter
prefer Londonderry. Legally, the city
and county are called “Londonderry,”
while the local government district
containing the city is referred to

as “Derry.” You’ll learn that there
are also other names for this place,
such as Cathedral City, Walled
City, Maiden City, LegenDerry and
my favorite, Stroke City (Derry/
Londonderry).
Begin your exploration of the city
with a visit to the Tower Museum,
which tells the town’s colorful
and dramatic history from past to
present. Follow it up by joining one
of Martin McCrossan’s City Tours to
view the historic walls from along
the rampart walkway and at ground
level. Measuring almost one mile
around, the walls date back to the
early 1600s when they were first
constructed to protect the English
and Scots settlers of the new town

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