Off the Beaten Path in Northern UK and Northern Ireland

We considered including the Isle of Man in our trip last summer, partly because I understand I have a Manx ancestor and also to see the place where cycling pro Mark Cavendish was raised. It looked like ferries to and from the Isle would warrant spending more than just a day or two there, and with just 2 weeks available, we opted to spend the entire time in Scotland.

I wasn't familiar with the "Devil's Causeway," but see online there's one in northern England, an old Roman road in Northumberland. Northern Ireland has the Giant's Causeway.

We hope to get to the Isle of Man some day - hope you have a great time if you go there in August!

Giants Causeway, not Devil's. It's extraordinary.

Are you stopping in Belfast? I would. Loads to see. Titanic Museum. Crumbling Road Gaol. http://www.crumlinroadgaol.com. St. George's Market Place. The Botanical Gardens. The Black Cab Tour of Shankill Road for an inside look into The Troubles. For a wonder meal (my mouth is watering at the memory) the seafood chowder at Mournes next to Kelly's Cellar Pub. Oh good lord. Fabulous! Oh and if you are a Game of Thrones viewer think Winterfell, House of Stark location.

So I'm curious. You are traveling from England to NI but not visiting the Republic of Ireland, one of the most beautiful places on the planet? Dublin? Newgrange? Glendalough? Cliffs of Mohr? Dingle Peninsula? Gap of Dunloe?

Back to your seeking info about interesting spots in NI. http://www.glenveaghnationalpark.ie.

Have a wonderful time.

Oops! My typo on the Causeway. Giant's is the one we will be heading for. Thanks.

We have been to Ireland before (my husband is Irish), but have not spent any time in Northern Ireland. The one time we were there, Belfast was not pleasant. We got lost and ended up in a part of town that was patrolled by tanks with people pointing guns. Scared us off of Belfast for good.

Now we are also looking into the Isle of Wight, in a completely opposite direction!

I have been researching the Isle of Man, where I plan to spend 3 nights on my 2016 trip. I've used this website a lot in my research: http://www.visitisleofman.com/. I also have a guide book called "Isle of Man, The Most Comprehensive Guide" part of the All Round series published in GB. There are lots of things to see and do including 3 heritage railways, several lighthouses in scenic areas, as well as some ancient sites. One of the well traveled contributors on here with a lot of knowledge on this area suggested flying to the IoM rather than the ferry because apparently that area can often have rough seas. There are flights into Douglas.

A couple of other places that appealed to me and will be on my itinerary are the Outer Hebrides and the Channel Islands. I'm not sure how much time you have so the Outer Hebrides may not be convenient but they sound very rugged and starkly scenic and definitely off the beaten path. You didn't mention if you've been to the other islands on the West Coast of Scotland but I loved Skye and know lots of people like Mull & Iona too. The Channel Islands aren't really off the beaten path, at least not for British or French travelers but they are for most Americans. I plant to spend time on both Jersey and Guernsey (google for their tourism websites).

Things have changed a great deal in Belfast. The whole Titanic Quarter is major new development. Same with large waterfront properties. From the first time I visited in the 90's to my most recent visit in 2013, DRASTIC changes. Saw the armed soldiers in the 90's and agree it was a bit disconcerting. City hall was surrounded by barricades ALL GONE now. Had a great time the last visit. Walked everywhere even along Shankill road to check out the Peace Wall. The locals told me the wall remains for the tourists, not to separate the Catholics and Protestants. Heard that uttered more than once. Have all the tensions ceased? No, lets be realistic but I've said it before and I'll say it again I'd feel safer in Belfast than in downtown LA. One person. One opinion.
Have a great trip. You'll love the Causeway.

We went to the Isle of Skye many years ago and enjoyed it. Scotland is not part of the (sketchy) plans so far. Our real reason for returning to England after last year is really quite dicey... Our daughter is a huge Benedict Cumberbatch fan and he is going to be appearing in Hamlet from August through October. She is in college now, so that limits our travel to England to August. The play SOLD OUT in a matter of minutes, but they apparently issue 100 seats every day to standby people. We are going there without tickets, to take our chances at scoring some of the standby tickets. We have limited this bit of chance to 3 days. If we don't have a ticket by then, we are hitting the road. That's why we are trying to go to places we haven't seen. All ideas welcomed!