In early May, I had the opportunity to take a very short (but wonderful) trip to Northern Ireland as part of an elopement photographer's retreat. I have never been to Europe before and though I was a bit nervous to make the trip on my own, I was also exceptionally excited to make the journey.
After a bit of trouble with my first flight, I was on my way over the Atlantic (thankfully I was able to sleep), landing first in London's Heathrow airport and then finishing the trip with my final flight into Belfast, Northern Ireland. I hopped in my rental car, super nervous about driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car for the first time ever, and went on my way, the last leg of the trip before meeting up with the group I had come to photograph with.
Our hosts for the trip had missed one of their flights due to a late arrival, and weren't going to be able to open the manor house we were staying in for quite awhile later than my arrival time, so I set out on a self-directed adventure along the route to Bushmills. I explored a beautiful castle grounds and park, Antrim Castle Gardens, where I had a lavender latte to help wake me up after all that flying. I found an out-of-the-way wildlife sanctuary, World of Owls, before stopping for lunch at a delightful bistro in Cloughmills for a bite to eat (as well as a sip of rosé while I was at it!).
I continued north, all the way to the coast at Downhill Strand (one of the many sites used by the Game of Thrones filming crews in Northern Ireland). The cloudy, breezy weather honestly reminded me a lot of home while I was there on the beach. I took a detour uphill, where I admired more and more fields of sheep and Western Gorse (the bright yellow bush we could see EVERYWHERE we went!) before finally heading to the manor house and meeting my fellow retreaters that evening.
Wow.
Even though the rest of the retreat took us to some beautiful places and was absolutely amazing by itself, the first day of exploring, photographing, and generally just enjoying the countryside was so exceptionally cathartic and so very, very good for my soul. I needed it much more than I even realized.
Since it's wedding season and I'm definitely busy, it's going to take a bit to finally have all the images I took on my retreat ready to share, so I plan on doing that as I get them finished throughout the summer, so keep an eye out for the wedding images I took on the trip.
But for now, here are just a few of the gorgeous sites I saw that first day in Northern Ireland.
Antrim Castle Gardens & Clotworthy House
On the Road to Bushmills
Downhill Strand
Near the Coast
See the rest of my Northern Ireland elopement journey!
Part 1 - Beginning in Northern Ireland
