Duration: 7 hours, lunch not included

Give yourself a chance to see one of the most incredible phenomena of the natural world: the so-called Giant’s Causeway situated along the craggy northern coastline of County Antrim. After boarding a modern coach at the quayside, your journey first takes you through the lovely Antrim countryside before reaching your spectacular destination. On the way, a photo stop will be made at Carrick-a-rede, where a death-defying rope bridge serves to link a small salmon fishery situated on a tiny stone stack out at sea with the mainland – and all that at a height of some 80 feet above the sea. The last few miles up to the Causeway will give you just enough time to get your camera ready to capture what certainly numbers among the world’s natural wonders. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, the area encompasses around 40,000 mainly hexagonal interlocking basalt columns – the result of violent volcanic activity many millions of years ago – on an outcrop of land in the Atlantic Ocean. In geological terms, the Giant’s Causeway is the counterpart to Fingal’s Cave on the uninhabited Scottish island of Staffa, which also consists of tightly packed hexagonal basalt columns of volcanic origin. From the Giant’s Causeway Visitors’ Centre, a short walk or bus ride will then take you down to the causeway itself, with time to explore the area. The tour ends with your scenic return drive to Belfast and your ship.

Situated a leisurely drive to the south from the port of Belfast, the Ards Peninsula in County Down is one of the most beautiful areas of Northern Ireland, with the Irish Sea to the east and Strangford Lough to the west. The route out through the city’s southern suburbs will first take you past Stormont, the grand seat of the devolved government and legislative of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and then the mid-19^th-century Scrabo Tower, which makes a dramatic statement in the countryside surrounding the town of Newtownards. As you travel along the shores of Strangford Lough, you can enjoy more superb views en route to Mount Stewart House, a place that is truly steeped in history and the former home of a fascinating circle of political leaders. After viewing the wonderful house, complete with its fine furnishings and celebrated paintings, there will also be time to explore the magnificent gardens, which were originally planted in the 1920s and in which many rare plants continue to thrive in the mild climate of the Ards Peninsula. On the leisurely return journey to the port of Belfast via the pretty towns of Ballywater and Donaghadee, a photo stop will be made at the impressive ruins of a former Cistercian monastery, the 12^th-century Grey Abbey.