If your travel plans to the UK also might include a trip to the beautiful green island of Ireland, you might be wondering how to narrow down what to do and what to see. Some things to see in Ireland include the Caves of Kesh, the Cliff of Moher, the Giant’s Causeway, and countless other breathtaking scenic locations.
And if you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you might have already seen some of these locations. The castles and landscapes of Northern Ireland served as filming locations for this popular television franchise. If you’re ready to discover stunning views while embracing your love of GoT, check out the following locations on your trip!
Castle Ward
Castle Ward is an 18th-century property that features landscaped gardens, a tower house, sawmill and more. It served as one of the filming locations for Winterfell. Many of the scenes from the pilot were filmed here and it also served as the filming location for the Baelor battle. The archery range where young Bran Stark practices shooting his bow was filmed in the courtyard of Castle Ward. A replica of the archery range remains in the courtyard for fans to visit.
Tollymore Forest Park
Tollymore Forest Park has numerous walking trails for you to explore. Parts of the forest served as The Haunted Forest, The Wolfswood, The Kingsroad, and general forest locations. A popular location to first in the forest is Altavaddy Bridge, which is there the Starks found their direwolves in the first season. You can walk down near the water and visit the location where the scene was shot.
The Dark Hedges
The Dark Hedges are a popular tourist attraction for anyone visiting Ireland, not just Game of Thrones fans. These twisted beech trees served as the primary filming location for The Kingsroad, including the scene where young Arya Stark travels down the road in a cart as a new Night’s Watch recruit. While several of the trees have been damaged since filming because of storms, the views here remain breathtaking. You can visit the trees at any point in the day, but because of how popular of a location this is, it does tend to get crowded very quickly.
Shillanavogy Valley
Shillanavogy Valley served as the lands of the Dothraki. While computer-generated effects created an even more impressive view for the series, this valley served as the filming location for the Dothraki camp scenes in the first season. While it might not have as much to explore as some of the other locations on the list, it is worth driving by just to see the beautiful scenery.
Murlough Bay
This remote bay overlooks Rathlin Island and other various Scottish islands. This beautiful location was used in several seasons. You’ll likely recognize it as Slavers’ Bay, as featured in season 5 when Tyrion and Jorah are captured by a passing slave ship. It also served as the location where Theon and his sister Yara go for a ride on horseback and where Davos Seaworth ends up shipwrecked after the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
The Cliffs of Fair Head
The Cliffs of Fair Head rise 600 feet above the sea and double as a backdrop to some of the scenes set at Dragonstone (Dragonstone scenes were also filmed in a location in Spain). Specifically, these cliffs served as the filming location for when Jon Snow meets Drogon for the first time. Fans can hike up the cliffs and even get close to the edge, where they’ll get wonderful views of Murlough Bay and of some of the Scottish Islands.
Portstewart Strand
Portstewart Strand is a two-mile long beach, with stunning sand dunes and a beautiful view of the ocean. This location served as the Coast of Dorne. You’ll recognize it from the scene where Jaime and Bronn fought Dornish men when bringing Myrella back to King’s Landing. This beach is open to the public – you can walk along the dunes and enjoy the natural wildlife.
Cushendun Caves
A tourist attraction before Game of Throne filming, the Cushendun Caves remain another popular location to visit. The location served as the filming location where Davos Seaworth and Lady Melisandre come ashore in season 2. This is also where Lady Melisandre gives birth to the shadow baby.
Conclusion
There are so many reasons why you might want to visit Ireland. For hardcore Game of Thrones fans, however, Ireland might be among their top places to visit if they want to explore multiple filming locations in one trip. The eight locations mentioned above are just a few of the filming locations in Ireland. If you want to hit up all the Game of Locations in Ireland, there are tours out there that will help you do so.
