The third season of HBO’s wildly successful “Game of Thrones” airs on Sunday, March 31, marking a return to the world of the Starks, Lannisters and those adorable baby dragons. And while the actors and special-effects folks help bring George R. R. Martin’s fantasy to life, just as important are the vivid settings. Filming has taken place in Iceland, Morocco and Croatia, but it’s Northern Ireland where the majority of the series is shot, on sound stages in Belfast (on the site where the doomed Titanic was built) and on location across the countryside.
Not surprising is how much of the Northern Irish landscape is called upon as a backdrop: Rugged, remote and intensely green (and thus intensely rainy), it requires little in the way of CGI to double as “Thrones” landmarks like Pyke, the Isle of Dragonstone, the Stormlands and Winterfell. What’s more, the real names sound just as magical: Ballintoy, the Glens of Antrim, Cushendun Caves, Tollymore Forest.
But you don’t need to be a fan of the show to appreciate Northern Ireland’s natural beauty. Just drive (or bike) any scenic stretch of the 120-mile Causeway Coastal Route, which leads east from Belfast and then turns north, hugging the craggy coast before curving west to Derry. As you pass through hilly, sheep-dotted fields and quaint walled villages, past scenic harbors and crumbling castles, here are a few spots not to miss.
THE GLENS OF ANTRIM
There are nine of these valleys adjacent to one another, stretching from the North Channel inland. Among them: Glenarm, Glentaisie and Glendun, a spectacular valley that looks out over Murlough Bay toward Scotland. (Heads up, “Thrones” fans: This part of the coast and its beaches are where scenes depicting Dragonstone, the Iron Islands, the Stormlands and Blackwater Bay were filmed.) Of the villages in the Glens, one of the prettiest is Carnlough, in Glencloy, where you’ll find a sparkling harbor with small fishing boats bobbing around and small white-washed homes framed by limestone cliffs.
BUSHMILLS
Even if you don’t drink the brown stuff, stop in the tiny town of Bushmills for a tour of the namesake whiskey distillery or a meal at the tasty Distillers Arms, the former home of the distillery’s owners (distillersarms.com). At the Bushmills Inn’s historic Gas Bar, the ambiance — cordovan leather furniture, oriental rugs, rich wood paneling, fireplaces, actual gaslight — is ideal for a quaff or two. Or stay the night in one of the boutique hotel’s 41 rooms; opt for one in the original 17th-century building, which houses lots of quirky nooks and crannies, as well as a hidden library. (Hint: push the false bookcase to find it.) From $220; bushmillsinn.com
GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
It’s said that a giant named Finn McCool is responsible for creating this vast expanse of rock pillars stretching along the coast and jutting out into the churning ocean. While it’s a great piece of Irish folklore (involving battling giants from Scotland and Ireland), the geological explanation was that 60 million years ago, volcanic activity pushed lava through fissures in the chalk bed, forming these hexagonal basalt columns of various heights. When climbing and hiking over the rocks, keep a lookout for famous formations like the Giant’s Boot and the Wishing Chair (which, if you sit in it, promises to grant you a wish). A state-of-the-art visitors center opened last year.
DUNLUCE CASTLE
This creepy medieval ruin looks like it should feature prominently in “Thrones” (though it doesn’t — yet). It’s situated perilously on a cliff’s edge, across a bridge, with the ocean teeming below. Legend has it that several hundred years ago, one side of the castle, which contained the kitchen, broke off during a storm and went sliding down the cliff face into the sea. All the kitchen staff perished, and the castle was soon after abandoned. But you can safely stop by for a daily tour (£5). Fun fact: Both the Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle were featured as artwork on Led Zeppelin’s album “Houses of the Holy.”
For more information about the Causeway Coastal Route, visit discovernorthernireland.com/causeway. Specific “Game of Thrones” itineraries of the area can be found at causewaycoastandglens.com.