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Advice for the independent traveller who wants more from their holiday.
Antrim Coast Weekend Break, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Glenarm Castle Walled Garden - Glenarm
These gardens are not to be missed. They are a gem that is not normally on the tourist itinerary. Even if you do not like walking around gardens they are worth a detour to try some traditional Irish food in a wonderful setting. The small restaurant is in a converted farm building. If you are hungry please order the Irish Stew. It tasted amazing. If you have already eaten have a cup of tea and a side order of traditional sweet Irish wheaten bread, made with whole meal flour, buttermilk and sugar.

Coming from Belfast as you cross over the river in Glenarm look for the signs on your left to the Walled Gardens of Glenarm Castle. It is about 200yard up hill at the end of a track on your left. Glenarm Castle is the ancestral home of the Earls of Antrim. The Walled Garden is one of Ireland's oldest dating from the 18th century. It used to provide fruit and vegetables for the Earls table.

Since opening to the public in 2005, the restoration of The Walled Garden has continued. It is still a work in progress. The Glenarm Castle Walled Garden is now filled with flowers and specimen plants to interest the keenest horticulturalist. There are herbaceous borders, a rose border, mound and water features. It is open from May until the end of September. In the spring you can see a vibrant colourful display of bulbs, apple and pear blossom. In the summer there are rich displays of herbaceous plants and beds of sweet smelling lavender. The Walled Garden is also open for events at Christmas. In July you could combine a visit with the annual highland games held in the grounds of the castle www.glenarmcastle.com

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