A young lady , gently but firmly advised all passengers to get their gear together and get down to breakfast, which was plentiful and served with efficiency, I suppose it had to be when you have a ferry full of passengers that need to be fed and watered in approx 30 mins.
The cabin I had been allocated was excellent, I had been slightly worried by the fact that is was an inside cabin with no windows and I am somewhat claustrophobic, so I wasn’t sure how I would sleep, I needn’t have worried I had a great night’s sleep, so I was ready to go when we were called down to our vehicles almost bang on 6.30am only for the problem tankbag zip to strike again, this time it was a real pain, so I used one of my spare shock cords to strap it in place until I got off the boat.
I went out through the gate and pulled over to get it attached, it took so much fiddling around the last of the lorries had departed and the gate closed before I finally got it sorted. I soon caught them up however as just up the road there were major roadworks under way on the harbour roads, which was delaying everyone, it amazed me that they were under way at this time in the morning, they were still under way 6-7hrs later when I passed through again.
The plan was to head over to Londonderry and up to Culmore on Lough Foyle which marks the border with the Republic of Ireland and start my day-long affinity to the A2 coast road around Northern Ireland, after a quick refuel part way I actually arrived just after 8.00am. I had spotted that the Camping and Caravan Club have a site at Downpatrick on Strangford Lough and thought I would make my way around and stay overnight there before finishing off on the following day before catching the Sunday Night sailing back to Birkenhead.
After a quick ride in and out of Londonderry I was soon out of town again and passing the City of Derry Airport, (27) The airport has its origins in World War II. In 1941 RAF Eglinton air base was established as the home to No. 133 Squadron RAF which flew Hurricane fighters in defence of the city. In 1942 the base was occupied by the No. 41 Squadron RAF. In 1943 the airfield became a Fleet Air Arm base called HMS Gannet and was home to the No. 1847 Fleet Air Arm Squadron which provided convoy air cover as part of the Second Battle of the Atlantic.
In January 2009 the council appointed Albert Harrison, the former head of Belfast International Airport, as the new manager of the airport. He has been tasked with turning the loss making facility around and has been given just six months to implement savings of £600,000 per annum and increase the number of carriers, destinations and passengers.
Further down the A2 I came to former airfield number (27) at what once had been RAF Ballykelly. 29 March 2006 - the Irish airline Eirjet issued an apology after a flight it operated from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to City of Derry Airport on behalf of Ryanair landed at the wrong airfield, touching down at Ballykelly Airfield, a former RAF base and more recently an Army base some 10 kilometres (6 miles) away from its intended destination. The statement explained that the incident was caused by an "error by the Eirjet pilot who mistakenly believed he was on a visual approach to City of Derry airport". An air accident investigation report in January 2007 reported that the pilot had been unable to obtain the correct set of charts prior to the flight, only obtaining them the day after the incident. The pilot stated that if he had seen the charts, he would have been fully aware of the existence of Ballykelly and would not have landed there. The crew believed the instrument landing aid system at City of Derry was malfunctioning as what they saw of the runway did not match the instrument readings and the presence of an instrument calibrating aircraft close by added to their belief that there was a technical fault. The report also stated that although an air traffic controller thought the jet was "slightly low" he did not warn the crew about the other runway.
RAF Ballykelly opened in June 1941 as a base for RAF Coastal Command. In 1943 the main runway was extended and acquired an unusual characteristic in that it crosses an active railway line. Rules were put in place giving trains the right of way over landing aircraft. The base was used to carry out anti-submarine patrols and escort convoys over the Atlantic Ocean. At various times B-24 Liberator aircraft flew from Ballykelly in the fight against the U-boats, ranging from the Bay of Biscay to northern Norway. By the end of the war, Ballykelly-based squadrons had been responsible for sinking twelve U-boats, sharing with other aircraft and surface ships in the destruction of several others, and damaging many more.
By 1961, Ballykelly was home to three Squadrons flying Shackletons MR2's: 203 Squadron, 204 Squadron and 210 Squadron. 203 Squadron later re-equipped with Mk3 Phase3 aircraft and the other squadrons with Mk2 phase 3s. (some of these Mk2s were later converted to the AEW function, becoming the last Shackletons in RAF service). These three Squadrons were part of the ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) force. They also covered SAR (Search and Rescue) standby duties together with their counterparts at RAF Kinloss and RAF St. Mawgan.
Before long it was into Limavady and back out again on one of the few detours from the A2 down the B69 through Crindle and then towards Magilligan Point.
Okay it may appear a bit grey at this stage, however you have to consider the roads were empty and it was still before 9.00am. without going down to the point itself as it was a dead end once back on the A2 I kept to it.
I stopped off briefly at Downhill House and Mussenden Temple but it was still so early nothing was open so I had to relive myself behind a tree, having said that, I could have done it without being so bashful as no one was around. It was still way before this National Trust site was due to open. Downhill House was a mansion built in the 18th century for Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol. Much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1851 and rebuilt in the 1870s, but fell into disrepair after the Second World War. It is now part of the National Trust property of Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple.
During World War Two, the house was used to billet RAF servicemen and women. Which is very hard to believe when you see it’s condition today.
The Bruce family continued to own the house until 1946; by 1950, it had been dismantled and the surrounding land sold. The house was acquired by the National Trust in 1980; the temple had become a Trust property in the 1940s.
Back on the road it was briefly into Coleraine before coming down the other side of the Bann Estuary and into Portstewart, after a quick stop overlooking the harbour, it was off to somewhere a bit special.
I had been looking forward to the part as it is the home of the North West 200. Many people ask why the North West 200 is called the North West 200. The answer lies in the spawning of the event. History reveals that although the Club’s original choice of name for the race remained, their original choice of venue did not. The name has continued to generate some confusion amongst those who are unaware of the event’s origins. The inclusion of “200” simply indicates that the event was originally run over a distance of 200 miles. “North West”, reflects the original intended, location of the race, i.e. on a public roads course in the North West of Ireland.
The North West 200’s first organisers could not have imagined how the event would grow over the years. In 1964, the North West 200 event was handed over to the Coleraine & District Motor Club which continues to run the event today. In 2007, around two million people logged on from nearly every part of the world to watch what has become Ireland’s largest sporting event and one of the world’s fastest road races.
Having ridden around some of the roads these guys race on as I can say is they are heros.
This is the starting grid and pit area for the races, and just up the road there are islands in the middle of the road, with large central light posts, all of which are removed during race week, one thing that isn’t removed are the kerb stones, throughout the circuit, they are painted white in a checker pattern to show they are there, so you cannot afford to run wide at all.
The other thing that this part of the Coast is also known for is just a bit further up the road, at Portrush, every few miles there is yet another great golf course and probably the most famous of the lot is Royal Portrush, certainly it is the one that Peter Allis waxes lyrical about, maybe one day I‘ll come back to re-create my steps but playing the golf courses of the Northern Ireland Coast, given how many I’ve passed so far I will need weeks rather than days, if I was to do that.
Just after Portrush I came to my first castle of this section at Dunluce it is also the site of Magheracross, I tried the internet to do some research on the latter and came up blank but fared much better when looking at details of the Castle (33) In the 1200s Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, built the first castle at Dunluce.
It is first documented in the hands of the MacQuillin family in 1513. The earliest features of the castle are two large drum towers about 9 metres in diameter on the eastern side, both relics of a stronghold built here by the MacQuillins after they became lords of the district, the chieftan of which was known as Lord of the Route, in the late fourteenth century.
Later it became the home of the chief of the Clan MacDonnell of Antrim and the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg from Scotland. Chief John Mor MacDonald was the second son of Good John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, 6th chief of Clan Donald in Scotland. John Mor MacDonald was born through John of Islay's second marriage to Princess Margaret Stewart, daughter of King Robert II of Scotland. In 1584, on the death of James MacDonald the 6th chief of the Clan MacDonald of Antrim and Dunnyveg, the Antrim Glens were seized by one of his younger brothers called Somerled or Sorley Boy MacDonnell known also as Sorley Buy. Sorley took the castle, keeping it for himself and improving it in the Scottish style. Sorley Buy swore allegiance to James IV of Scotland and his son Ranald was made Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim by Queen Elizabeth.
Four years later, the Girona, a galleass from the Spanish Armada was wrecked in a storm on the rocks nearby. The cannon from the ship were installed in the gatehouses and the rest of the cargo sold, the funds being used to restore the castle. MacDonnell's granddaughter Rose was born in the castle in 1613. At one point, part of the kitchen next to the cliff face collapsed into the sea, after which the wife of the owner refused to live in the castle any longer. According to a legend, when the kitchen fell into the sea only a kitchen boy survived, as he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen which did not collapse.
Dunluce Castle served as the seat of the Earl of Antrim until the impoverishment of the MacDonnells in 1690, following the Battle of the Boyne. Since that time, the castle has deteriorated and parts were scavenged to serve as materials for nearby buildings. It is now in the care of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
In 1973 the castle appeared on the inner cover of the multi-million selling Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy. Keanu Reeves's character makes reference to this in the hit comedy film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure when they travel back in time to meet Socrates. The castle also appeared in Jackie Chan's - The Medallion (2001) when it provided an exterior setting for the 'villains lair'. 
And looking back from this car park, I was able to see the dunes that separate Royal Portrush GC from the sea, that and The Skerries just off shore. I did a search on the word Skerries but only found details of a number of sites around the UK that carries the name, into my second page of searching on Google I finally found. - The word "Skerry" is the Scottish diminutive of the Old Norse word "sker", meaning a small rocky reef or island. 
It was then into Portallintrae and then Bushmills, bypassing the railway that runs from the town to Giant’s Causeway, I was more interested in passing the Old Bushmills Distillery, the home of my nightcap on the Mersey Viking last night.
I then took the B146 one of the very few occasions all day when I deviated from the A2, I missed the Giants Causeway on purpose, as it was a dead end, that and I was starting to cover some serious miles on this trip and I was starting to think that, Maybe I could make it all the way round in one day and head back on tonight’s ferry if they would let me. It wasn’t long however before my next stop to take in Castle (34) Dunseverick Castle is situated near the small village of Dunseverick and the Giant's Causeway. Dunseverick Castle and earthworks are Scheduled Historic Monuments in the townland of Feigh, in Moyle District Council. Dunseverick Castle and the peninsula on which it stands were given to the National Trust in 1962 by local farmer Jack McCurdy. The Causeway Cliff Path also runs past on its way to Dunseverick Harbour to the east and to the Giant's Causeway to the west.
Saint Patrick is recorded as having visited Dunseverick castle in the 5th century AD, where he baptized Olcan, a local man who later became a Bishop of Ireland. The original stone fort that occupied the position was attacked by Viking raiders in 870 AD.
The castle was occupied by various Irish chief's and lord's until its capture and destruction by General Robert Munro and his Cromwellian troops in the 1650s, and today only the ruins of the gatelodge remain. A small residential tower survived until 1978 when it eventually surrendered to the sea below.
It was a 'key' ancient site in Ireland. One of the royal roads from Tara, seat of the Kings of Ireland ended at Dunseverick castle.
From this point I was also able to take this following one of Rathlin Island, Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a rising population of now just over 100 people. It is home to tens of thousands of seabirds, including common guillemots, kittiwakes, puffins and razorbills – about thirty bird families in total. It is a popular place for birdwatchers, with a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve offering spectacular views of Rathlin’s bird colony. The RSPB has also successfully managed natural habitat to facilitate the return of the Red-billed Chough. Northern Ireland's only breeding pair of choughs can be seen during the summer months. The cliffs on this relatively bare island are impressive, standing 230 feet (70 m) tall. Bruce's Cave is named after Robert the Bruce, also known as Robert I of Scotland: it was here that he was said to have seen the famous spider.
Back on my way I pushed on a little further to take the B15 and then pulled in to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, yet another National Trust site, The National Trust have a huge amount of involvement on this Northern Island coast, and it had the double benefit, as they DO NOT charge motorbikes to park, so you can actually visit a lot of places, okay you would have to pay if you wanted to enter most of them but the views on these sites are always some of the best.
Sorry you can’t really see it from this photo but the Rope Bridge is situated above the nettle that is the right of the two central ones. The rope suspension bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National Trust spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below. Today the bridge is mainly a tourist attraction, with 227,000 visitors in 2007. The bridge is now taken down every year in late October or early November, depending on weather conditions, having been put up in March.
Carrick-a-rede means 'rock in the road'. It is thought salmon fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 350 years. It has taken many forms over the years. In the 1970s it featured only a single handrail and large gaps between the slats. A version of the bridge, tested up to ten tonnes, was built with the help of local climbers and abseilers in 2000. The previous design was engineered in 2004 and offers visitors and fishermen alike a much safer passage to the island. The current wire rope and Douglas fir bridge was made by Heyn Construction in Belfast and erected early in 2008 at a cost of over £16,000. Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat
This view alone makes me think they weren’t that much of a wimp after all.
At the end of the B15 was Ballycastle which was a lovely little town with the Golf Club Clubhouse right on the crossroads, I was met with the sight of a number of members teeing up on the first, however it was another sight a little further up the A2 that made me pull over and climb an earth bank to take the following photo.
The wall you see surrounds the graveyard and Friary Bonamargy Friary was built close to the mouth of the Carey and Shesk rivers by Rory MacQuillan in 1500. The rival MacDonnell clan fought for and claimed the friary from the MacQuillans in 1588. The cloister, gatehouse, altar and church are well preserved except for the thatch roof. There are many interesting features including the east window, a staircase and a sealed burial vault. The coffins of several Earls of Ulster and the aforementioned chieftain, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, lie within.
Personally as a single figure handicap golfer this course looked in wonderful condition and I have not seen a natural obstacle quite like this for some years, I once remember having to duck, and quick, when a playing partner took his second shot at one of the holes at Churston Golf Club in Devon, the hole in question had a medieval stone wall dissecting the fairway, my erstwhile playing partner decided to go for the green and ‘thinned’ his shot into the wall, the ball ricocheted almost all the way back to the tee and left the rest of the party incapable of getting back up from the fairway due to incontrollable laughter. Well it was part of a Cricket tour when we ended up playing more golf than cricket due to the weather.
What was to come next is something that I have since described as the best biking roads I have ever encountered and this was after missing out on the Glendun Viaduct and the ride up the Glendun River which I believe is also world class. However this was made up by the fact that I met up with a crowd of guys in Cushendun or should I say the Northern Ireland Vintage Motorcycle Club and their friends who had traveled over from Heysham. This small car park next to some conveniences was full of approx 100 bikes of various ages and makes, thankfully mine wasn’t the newest and did attract a fair amount of attention and comment, mainly because of all the kit fitted to her.
The villages of Cushendun and Knocknacarry are very, very special. The photo above does not do it justice in anyway possible.
Back out on to the A2 it was through Cushendall and Red Bay before heading off for the run into Larne, this mazy sound straightforward however the following 20 miles are the reason why I have waxed so lyrical about my time in Northern Ireland and in that, I will probably offend the other hundreds of miles, please don’t, since I returned, all I have done is to tell people I’ve met is, that this is the place to go, it is awesome, Northern Ireland ‘Rocks’ in the words of my kids.
The A2 hugs the coast all the way around to Larne and I have to admit I did get carried away with the riding, it is absolutely wonderful a quick stop at Garron Point for the following.
And then it was on to Carnlough, whilst on the surface not special but that could be put down to the grey weather.
All you have to understand is the road I am taking is literally as close to the sea as is possible, on average during this section I am within 20ft of the sea all the way to Larne and despite the grey overcast sky it remained dry and didn’t detract from the experience in anyway as the smell of the sea was in my nostrils all the way around this road.
A little further up the coast at Ballygalley I spotted the P&O Ferry emerging through the mist coming in from Fleetwood. Checking my watch I had now covered a large proportion of the route planned for the day and it was still before 12.00 noon. So I decided I was going to pull in at the harbour on my way through Belfast and ask if I could change my return journey, otherwise I would be kicking my heels all Sunday, waiting for the night sailing.
A quick refuel on the outskirts of Larne was my second for the day and gives a further indication of the miles covered. Larne came and went very quickly and after slight confusion which saw me coming out of the town on the wrong road, I quickly retraced my steps and headed out to Glynn where I saw a huge diamond shaped marker, with a light on it by the side of the road, a quick look out towards the sea immediately told me what it was for as I saw the ferry from Fleetwood obviously lining up on it as it entered the narrows of the channel.
I then turned left and out on to Island Magee, it is not really an island it is more a peninsular but the panoramic views were spectacular in the most part right up to the back entrance of the Oil Terminal at the tip, that looked back over Larne most of it was very rural with one down side, they had been out in the last few days, putting down a new road surface, by that I mean, bitumen and chippings, you know the sort of thing that does massive damage to your car’s paint work for days afterwards, unfortunately it does leave behind piles of loose stones right where you don’t want them on the riding line in a corner, I could feel the bike slipping and skidding on more than one occasion. The roads were also very narrow and didn’t leave me with any places to pull over and take any decent photos I’m sorry to say.
Back off the Island it was into Carrickfergus where I took the opportunity to pull over and take a much needed comfort break and eat the sandwich I had bought at the last refuelling. I also took the opportunity to adjust my chain as it was starting to really sag unfortunately I overdid it and had to go back a notch a little later on. I passed Castle (35) on the shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in the whole of Ireland. It was useful as 3/4 of the perimeter is covered by water.
Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177 as his headquarters, after he conquered eastern Ulster in 1177 and ruled as a petty king until 1204, when he was ousted by another Norman adventurer, Hugh de Lacy It appears first in the official English records in 1210 when King John laid siege to it and took control of what was then Ulster’s premier strategic garrison. Following its capture, constables were appointed to command the castle and the surrounding area. After the collapse of the Earldom of Ulster in 1333, the castle remained the Crown's principal residential and administrative centre in the north of Ireland. During the early stages of the Nine Years War (1595-1603), when English influence in the north became tenuous, crown forces were supplied and maintained through the town's port. And in 1597, the surrounding country was the scene for the Battle of Carrickfergus.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries a number of improvements were made to accommodate artillery, notably externally splayed gunports and embrasures for cannon, though these improvements did not prevent the castle from being attacked and captured on many occasions during this time. General Schomberg besieged and took the castle in 1690. This is also the place where Schomberg's leader, King William III first set foot in Ireland on 14 June 1690.In 1760, after fierce fighting in the town, it was surrendered to French invaders under the command of Francois Thurot. They looted the castle and town and then left, only to be caught by the Royal Navy.
In 1778, a small but significant event in the American War of Independence began at Carrickfergus, when John Paul Jones, in the face of reluctance by his crew to approach too close to the Castle, lured a Royal Navy vessel from its moorings into the North Channel, and won an hour-long battle. In 1797 the Castle, which had on various occasions been used to house prisoners of war, became a prison and it was heavily defended during the Napoleonic Wars; six guns on the east battery remain of the twenty-two that were used in 1811.
For a century it remained a magazine and armory. During the First World War it was used as a garrison and ordnance store and during the Second World War as an air raid shelter.
It was garrisoned continuously for about 750 years until 1928, when its ownership was transferred to the government for preservation as an ancient monument and it is open to the public. The banqueting hall has been fully restored and there are many exhibits to show what life was like in medieval times. It was built and re-built three times, and still stands today.
The road through Carrickfergus was okay before the mainly uninteresting trip along the M5 towards the centre of Belfast before coming off and heading for the docks and the Ferry Terminal, it was now 1.30pm and unfortunately no one was around, I would probably have to wait until about 6.30 before anyone would come back on duty for the night sailing, I also tried ringing them without success, which didn’t overly surprise me.
Back out on to the A2 again I passed Belfast City airport or George Best as it is now known and airfield (28) Heading towards the Ards Peninsular, taking the side road into Helen’s Bay then on to the B20 through Bangor, before rejoining the A2 at Groomsport.
Once again this was great riding the road through Donaghadee was wonderful and the view out to sea was very tranquil, as the sun was trying to break through yet the sea was very calm, hardly a ripple as I looked out towards Copeland Island.
A little further on when coming into Millisle I passed a sign for a Classic Motorcross meeting and was very tempted to stopover and watch however having made up my mind I wanted to push on as far as I could. I passed a sign telling me it was 17 miles to Portaferry at the tip of the peninsular and worked it our in my mind, that it would probably take 25 mins to get there, then another 40 mins back up Strangford Lough into Newtonards and so on, at this rate I estimated that I would probably get back to Belfast just before 7pm which if I was lucky would be a good time to find out if I could get on tonight’s sailing, even if I couldn’t I had spotted some campsites around the peninsular that I could head back to in plenty of time.
I then passed airfield (29) at the former RAF Ballyhalbert Construction began in 1940 and the windmill stump at Clydesburn was demolished during the process. It opened in May 1941, prior to completion of the works, as a Fighter Command base where the primary weapon was the Supermarine Spitfire. The airfield was officially opened on 28 June 1941. The base provided local protection from Luftwaffe raids on Belfast and the rest of the province. Other aircraft operated from the base were the Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Beaufighter, P-51 Mustang and Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter. During its lifetime, Ballyhalbert was home to RAF, WAAF, Army, Royal Navy and United States Air Force (USAF) personnel. Servicemen from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Poland also saw duty at Ballyhalbert.
On 19 May, 1944 General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander Allied Forces, visited the airfield en route for RAF Bovingdon. He later went on to become 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
As HMS Corncake the airfield was used by the Fleet Air Arm for squadrons working up for carrier duty. On November 13, 1945 the airfield was closed and placed on Care and Maintenance. By 1947, with no further use made of the site it was abandoned. The airfield was sold to developers in March 1960, and is in use for several popular caravan parks.
A short distance away from Ballyhalbert airfield, in two local churchyards, lie Canadian, Australian and Polish airmen who died whilst serving at Ballyhalbert. I have to say researching the details of this site it was probably one of the busiest during the Second World War
A little further on, on the outskirts of Portavogie I had a question I had asked myself at the start of the day answered. On the run to Londonderry I had passed loads of van and cars towing race cars of different shapes, sizes and formula on the way somewhere. Kirkistown Race Circuit is between Kirkistown and Portavogie, It is based at airfield (30) the former satellite airfield to RAF Ballyhalbert it was now just after 4pm and obviously the racing was coming to a close as I spotted some of the same vehicles on their way home.
A quick loop around the tip of the peninsular brought me back into Portaferry and then on to the A20 up the side of Strangford Lough and wow was that a bit crazy, there were some warning signs for ‘hidden dip’ and ‘humps’ on the road, well I found a few, when I got quarter of a tonne of bike and rider airborne on more than one occasion, I wasn’t going mental, probably just over the legal national limit, but such were the humps I couldn’t help but take off.
I stopped at one point at Kircubbin to take a couple of photos across the Lough, and you can see the extent of it as in the hazy conditions you could hardly see the other side.
It was now back on the road and in and out of Newtownards and back down the A22 in a blinking of an eye. Just taking the time to note another airfield on the way out of town (31). The former RAF Newtownards although it was closed officially in 1945 it is still used as a base for no 664 Volunteer Glider School. I can’t find that much more information about the base as it was mainly used as an Anti Aircraft communications unit and didn’t appear to have been used as a major base during the Second World War.
Through Balloo, yep that is the village name (and I did that on purpose) before heading into Killyleagh and then Downpatrick where I had thought of stopping over for the night at the Camping and Caravan Club site just North of Town but I wasn’t hanging around now it was off down the A25 to Strangford before rejoining the A2 once more within minutes I came to Castle (36) south of the village of Strangford. Kilclief is a hamlet of historical value on the Strangford to Ardglass road. This kind of tower-house is sometimes called the gatehouse type, because of its similarity to a castle gatehouse. It is among the oldest tower houses in Lecale. Kilclief Castle tower house is a State Care Historic Monument.
It was reputedly built by, and was the residence of, John Sely who was Bishop of Down from 1429 to 1443 (when he was ejected and deprived of his offices for living there with Lettice Whailey Savage, a married woman). Kilclief Castle was the earliest tower-house in Lecale, built between 1413 and 1441. It was garrisoned for the Crown by Nicholas FitzSymon and ten warders in 1601-2.
9 -10 miles further on I came to castle (37) at Ardglass, Jordan’s Castle, Its early history is somewhat obscure. The earliest authentic reference is to a defence of the castle by Simon Jordan against the O'Neills for three years, until relieved by Lord Deputy Mountjoy in 1601. The 18th century historian, Harris, says that "it is most probable that Jordan's Castle was erected by one of the family, whose arms (a cross and three horseshoes) are fixed in a stone near the top". In 1911 the Belfast antiquarian, Francis Joseph Bigger, bought the castle and restored it, using it for storage and to display a collection of antiquities. When he died in 1926, the castle was presented by his executor, Dr Joseph Bigger, to the state on condition that, with its contents, it should be preserved as an Ancient Monument.
Ardglass had at least six castles and remains of four of them can still be seen: Ardglass Castle, Cowd Castle, Margaret's Castle and Jordan's Castle. Unfortunately the I was only able to see the latter. Carrying on up to Clough and then I stopped to take the following photo of the Mountains of Mourne a little of further on.
Shortly afterwards there was yet another castle (38) at Dundrum. It was founded in 1177 by John de Courcy, following his invasion of Ulster. The castle, built to control access into Lecale from the west and south, stands on the top of a rocky hill commanding fine views south over Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains, the lands west towards Slieve Croob and the plains of Lecale to the east.
The castle was captured by King John in 1210 and remained Crown property until de Lacy was allowed to return to his Earldom in 1226. It was probably during de Lacy's second tenure as Earl of Ulster (1227-43) that the twin-towered gatehouse, similar to the one at Pembroke Castle, was inserted in the curtain wall.
The stone curtain wall of the outer bailey is likely to have been built by the Magennis family of Mourne, who seized Dundrum in the late 1400s. The Earl of Kildare briefly captured the castle in 1517 as did Lord Deputy Grey in 1538. During this period it was referred to as Magennis Castle. Phelim Magennis later surrendered the castle to Lord Mountjoy in 1601. It was made over to Lord Cromwell in 1605 and sold to Sir Francis Blundell in 1636. The Magennis family recaptured Dundrum in 1642, but later lost it to the Parliamentarians, who dismantled the castle in 1652 after they withdrew their garrison.
After 1660 the Blundells returned and built a gabled L-shaped mansion in the south-west corner of the outer bailey. This dwelling was ruined by the time the property passed to the second Marquess of Downshire in the early nineteenth century, though the trees on the hill were probably planted at this time. The castle and grounds were placed in State Care by the seventh Marquess in 1954.
On entering Newcastle I was very pleasantly surprised, how clean and well maintained it was. Very much a seaside resort town it was in far better than some of the seaside towns I had ridden through so far on my journey and the view up Slieve Donard was stunning even with the cloud shrouding the top.
From Newcastle it appeared to be about 25 miles to Newry and then a further 35 to Belfast again, so I was on track to get back on schedule for me to go down on bended knees to try and get on to tonight’s sailing, however that was still well over an hour away and yet another fuel stop.
Once more the A2 didn’t disappoint it was wonderful riding round the coast that bordered the Mountains of Mourne, however shortly after leaving the town I came upon Bloody Bridge and it made me think about the name; originally a ford. The name refers to a massacre at the site at the time of the 1641 rebellion. The bodies of slain prisoners were thrown over the bridge into the river, turning it red and so the river became known as the Bloody Bridge River, Wow, well I did wonder.
I kept on pushing on through Kilkeel and Rostrevor before a quick stop at Warrenpoint to take the following pictures over towards the Republic of Ireland on the far side of Carlingford Lough. 
It was then a quick blast up the dual carriageway to Newry and then the A1 towards Belfast. I got a little wound up along this section for two reasons, one being the roadworks in parts that led to certain speed restrictions but more importantly one particular idiot that was trying to squeeze me with his car on more than one occasion, I couldn’t quite make out what he was trying to do, when ever I pulled over to let him through, he didn’t really take it, when he did get past, he would then ease off leaving me with no other alternative than to re-overtake him, this went one all the way from Banbridge to Hillsborough, at which pint I made a stupid error and went the wrong way on the M1 and travelled 7 miles in the wrong direction before retracing my steps.
I finally pulled back in to the Ferry Terminal, close to 7 o’clock and made my way to the reception, thankfully there was only a couple of cars in the queue so I was hopeful. 10 mins later thanks to the beautiful Lyndsey I was booked on to the Lagan Viking sailing at 10.30pm, I couldn’t believe my luck or the day’s riding I had just experienced. Over 12 hours of riding 3 tanks of fuel, two minor service stops meant that I had covered the complete coast of Northern Ireland, which amazed a couple of people who came over for a chat whilst we waited in the warm early evening sunshine to embark. Once again we would be going down about 9pm , that would give around an hour to shower and change and get something to eat before sailing.
Once on board one of the crew, passed me the tie down straps so I could secure my bike myself which most bikers would far prefer to do, so I made the basic assumption that this guy also rode a motorbike. Once again I encountered the same problem as the morning when the zip of the tank bag baseplate fell apart which delayed me a bit. I then went up the seriously squeeky escalator with two guys I had met the night before, they worked for a removals company out of Ipswich who had been moving someone back to Northern Ireland.
Due to the amount of vehicles disgorging at the same time meant that we had to queue for a while before collecting our cabin keys, even so it wasn’t that long and I was able to find my way very quickly this time to my allocated cabin (I was only one away from the one I left less than 15 hours before.
The new Lagan Viking entered service in July 2005. She was built by Cantiere Navale di Visentini Francesco & Co. of Italy. She is 27'000gts and can carry up to 700 passengers in her 2 lounges (passenger certificate is 970), and can sleep up to 480 passengers in cabins. She has 4 vehicle decks and room for around 200 lorries. Her maximum speed is 27 knots, but usually sails at 23 knots maximum. She sails on the Belfast–Birkenhead route on charter with her marginally newer sister ship the Mersey Viking. Her charter to Norfolk Line is to expire in 2009, although when the ship was first chartered it was charted with the possible intention of being bought outright by Norse Merchant, or as they are now known, Norfolkline, which I now believe has happened. As an aside I have now flown and sailed with Maersk the owners of Norfolkline.
The Belfast–Birkenhead route is invaluable to drivers, as it saves them driving through Scotland on poor single-carriageway roads and behind a great number of freight vehicles. In all, the total journey time on board the ship is 7 hours. I researched my routes in great depth and this is the one that really did offer the best options for anyone traveling from anywhere South of Manchester.
I had read before and after my journey about both the Mersey and Lagan Vikings. Of the reviews some of them were good some of them not so good, however reading the not so good ones. I may have been lucky with calm sailings in both directions but some people are really do have OCD to be polite, I have another word for it but I am too much of a gentleman to mention it here. I have traveled throughout the World for both business and pleasure and the visas in my passports will back this up.
These two vessels are providing an 8 hour overnight ferry crossing, you are not on a cruise ship. The only other overnight sailing in Europe that provide a better experience in my personal experience are the ones provided in the Baltic, the Silja and Colour Lines have massive Cruise Ferries, that are there to provide an overnight clubbing and tax-free experiences, which is not what these Norfolkline sailings are set up for.
I remember sailing in the mid-90’s from Helsinki to Stockholm on one of these massive floating clubs and to be frank all some of the Finns were interested in was a 24hr drinking experience. I was traveling on one of these ships as part of a Finnish Resellers Annual conference, I was booked to provide a presentation on the second morning. Despite my hangover I had been professional enough to have actually gone to bed (okay in the early hours). Standing on the stage to deliver my presentation at 9.30 the following morning in Stockholm, I was greeted by the sight of two of the Finnish contingent of our group walking in with a pint glass in each hand. That then told me what this was all about, at the same time this ship wasn’t due to sail back until 6.30pm that evening, which is another difference.
So there the Norfolkline provide an excellent service, one of the best I have come across, and if you add in the entertainment of a ‘Live Act’ on a Friday night it is as good as it gets. I’ve done the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin , it is Okay, I’ve done the Cross Channel ferries by P&O but to sum it up, I had two overnight sailings where I had a decent meal and breakfast and more importantly a good night’s sleep. I may have been fortunate with the weather but that doesn’t account for the quality of the crew and team that Norfolkline have both on board and on the quay, Thank You.
A quick shower, something to eat and I settled down with a drink in the lounge to write up of my notes but I was that tired it didn’t last long before I head back to my cabin and got my head down.
Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old; you stop when you get back on board!.
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