July travel log – the Game of Thrones trail

As you may have noticed, there hasn’t been as many book blogs recently.

That’s because I’ve been travelling around Ireland with my family in our caravan. After days full of swimming and body boarding with the kids, trekking through parks and heritage sites, and numerous games of Uno, I was completely exhausted. My kindle only got turned on once…

I visited lots of beautiful places – which either seemed to be mythological/historical in nature, or locations that were used for Game of Thrones. I’ve decided to create two posts, one focusing on each theme to show off the north coast of Ireland. ☘️

In my first post, I’m focusing on GOT ⚔️ 🐉

Here we go…

Castleward – Winterfell

Earlier this month, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Castleward, a heritage park that was used to film the Winterfell scenes in Season 1 & 2 of Game of Thrones.

It’s a beautiful location to visit – even if you’re not a Game of Thrones fan as there are lots of walks around the park and Strangford Lough.

This is the main courtyard area, where I believe a lot of the Winterfell scenes were filmed. From examining the structures, I can tell that the archery scene (episode 1 – where Arya hits the target and Bran misses) was filmed here, as well as various other outdoor scenes, including the Stark children meeting the Lannisters for the first time.

It is fair to say, however, that without the courtyard being ‘dressed’ it doesn’t quite feel like it did on screen. The props department did a remarkable job to bring Winterfell to life here, and I believe when various Game of Thrones festivals are hosted at Castleward, the organisers are also able to recreate the Game of Thrones vibe.

Another location used within the Castleward complex is Audley’s Tower. This area was used to film the scene where Bran is pushed out the tower window by Jamie Lannister, and the surrounding grasslands was used as the setting for the aftermath of the Battle of Oxcross – where Talisa and King Rob meet for the first time.

This is the other side of Audley’s tower – also featuring my sproodle, Chewy.

Ballintoy – The Iron Islands

The coastline of Ballintoy is amazing! No set dressing required here! It is absolutely beautiful and an apt setting for the Iron Islands, home of the Greyjoy’s.

The sea is rough here, and full of rocks. However there are a few pools and inlets that are suitable for a wee paddle.

Overall, I’ve had a great month – lots of family memories and time away from it all.

Chewy had a great time too! Lots of runs and walks along the beach! 🐶

While away, I also received some great news about my own novel, which I hope to share soon!

Watch this space!!