Festival of Archaeology - Dunluce Castle (Guest spot)

Armed with a picnic and the promise of a sunny day I headed off to Dunluce Castle. This is a place I often pass in the car but haven't visited in living memory but today was going to change that. Upon arriving at the Castle we were told the car park was full (although there were disabled spaces available of required) and there was a free bus service running from the Magheracross car park (10 mins walk away) to the Castle.

At the car park we were told there was a Medieval day going on, this just added to the excitement. Before boarding the bus to the Castle we made use of one of the picnic tables and ate our picnic whilst enjoying the beautiful views which included Portballintrae and White Rocks Beach.

Fed and watered the next stop was the Castle. Outside the entrance of the Castle there was a lovely tea room and they also had a bbq going for those that didn't bring a picnic. Entrance to Dunluce was £6 for Adults, £3 for children and £15 for a family ticket. As it was Medieval day there was lots going on and lots to see, there were archaeology and geology tours running every hour, displays of old musical instruments, a blacksmith, candle making and much more; for those with more modern tastes there was also a coffee van and a crepe maker! Further inside the walls 3 gentlemen in authentic dress were in charge of a cannon which they fired every hour. We decided the archaeology tour would suit us better so with 45 mins to wait for the next tour we went on our own adventure. What a wonderful Castle we were to find. There is an app you can download which gives you an idea of what each room was used for. If you don't have the app there are audio guides for hire at the entrance desk.
The archaeology tour took us not round the castle but on a tour of the lost tour of Dunluce. This was extremely interesting and gave us an insight into what the town on the 'outside' of the castle walls was like hundreds of years ago. We also saw pictures of the excavation and were given a small history lesson on who lived in the Castle around this time. We had a great day and would certainly recommend a visit!!

Editors notes - Game of Thrones fans may recognise Dunluce Castle as the House of Greyjoy overlooking Pyke on the Iron Islands.