From being in Game of Thrones to being on the Iron Throne

About the Food and Doors tour!

Glenara Elite travel is running a Game of Thrones Doors and Food tour. This is a unique and bespoke experience that celebrates the best of food on the North Coast and the close links to Game of Thrones. Eating Ideas was invited to join the tour and share the experience. The best thing is- you don’t even need to have seen the show to enjoy one of the best nights out. The food, drink and craic are more than enough!

About Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones® has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base.  It has to be the biggest TV show in the world!  It has been acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, in particular for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and high production values.  As a result it has been attracting a host of tourists anxious to see the locations first hand!

It’s a little known fact that I have my own connections to Game of Thrones®.  Don’t tell anyone, but I appeared in Season 5 as a Septa in the scene where Queen Cersai gets thrown into jail.  Be careful not to blink or you may miss my outstanding scene stealing moment!  It’s a classic.  I also have done a fair bit of work with the National Trust in Northern Ireland where a lot of the filming takes place.  Did you know that Castle Ward was the setting for Winterfell or that Portstewart Strand is the location of Dorne?

How the doors came to be

In January 2016, storm Gertrude struck the North Coast of Ireland felling two trees from the epic Game of Thrones® filming location known as the Dark Hedges, (or Kingsroad to the people of Westeros). The wood from those two trees was used to carve 10 intricately designed pub doors, each one telling the story of an episode in Game of Thrones® season 6. From Cairncastle to the Glens of Antrim, via the Dark Hedges and Cushendun Caves, each door has been placed close to a different filming location in Northern Ireland.

Glenara Elite Travel offers a chance to see some of these special pieces of cultural heritage as part of a unique evening tour full of fun, food and merriment. Visiting 4 of the ten locations, people can get to sample local cuisine, have the odd tipple or two while having the opportunity to get up close to these wonderful works of art.  Eating Ideas was delighted to join the tour to experience what is on offer and share it with you.

We met up with the group at the Lodge Hotel for introductions and a welcome drink.  While we mingled with the other participants, we enjoyed a delectable selection of canapés prepared by the Lodge.  These included stuffed chicken bites coated in a Tayto cheese and onion crust, trout pate on wheaten bread and my absolute favourite, baby potato skins with roast gammon and Coleraine cheddar cheese.  These will definitely be recreated at home! A choice of frozen Shortcross gin cocktails Bushmills honey whiskey mojitos or local craft beers was also on offer.  Shortcross gin? frozen?  Yes please!

On leaving the hotel, we were delighted to be given a choice of drinks for the journey and better still, these were refreshed after every stop.  What a lovely touch and a nice way to  get people chatting on board!  Our fabulous host Frances was at the wheel and Caroline from North Coast tours was on the mike to talk us through our adventure.  We were set to go!

Our first stop on the tour was Owens Bar in Limavady near Downhill strand or as its known to  GOT fans Dragonstone Beach. Owens bar is home to Door 5, which puts a heavy focus on the dreaded, Nights King and his followers. White Walkers appear by his side with an army of undead Wight’s at his back. While we were there, we were treated to a starter of some local Bread & Broighter Oils- delicious rapeseed oil with aromatic flavourings.  We loved Owens.  What a great place with great staff and mighty craic!

With some sadness, we hit the road again and our journey took us to the Fullerton Arms, which is located close to Ballintoy Harbour. This is one of my absolute favourite parts of Northern Ireland and I love to bring visitors to it. It is one of the most picturesque parts of the North Antrim Coast between the Giants Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. This beautiful location has become synonymous with the Iron Island. While we were in the Fullerton Arms we got to view Door 6, which focuses on Drogon – Daenery’s most aggressive and fearsome dragon. He dominates the door, as he does the skies over Essos. While we were viewing the door, we enjoyed a Homemade Seafood Chowder and Wheaten Bread.  I’m not a fan of chowder so was delighted to be served an alternative of a hearty and delicious vegetable broth.  For Game of Thrones fans, the  Fullerton Arms has its very own replica Iron Throne.  The provides a great opportunity for photos to impress other viewers of the show!

Chowder consumed, we headed on to Gracehill House located beside the now famous Dark Hedges one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland The Dark Hedges were shown in Season 2 Episode 1 as the Kings Road. And now Gracehill is home to door 7 featuring the Three-Eyed Raven permeate and the Stark Dire wolf Sigil. While we were there, we enjoyed hearty platters of ribs, chicken, wedges and coleslaw- a real belly buster- satisfying and delicious.

Our road trip continued on to our last stop of the night, Mary McBrides in Cushendun. The caves at Cushendun were formed over a period of 400 million of years and are a product of extreme weather conditions. They can be found just beyond this beautiful coastal village next to the Cave House and used in Season 2 Episode 4 as a cove in the Stormlands. Here Door 8 is on view featuring the events played out in Bravos. In the centre sits the Faceless Man coin that first brought Arya to the free city. Below that rests the Needle representing Arya wielding it in her final deadly confrontation with the Waif and the guild of assassins. While we were at Mary McBrides, we were offered a variety of local cheeses and chutney’s with a glass of Rathlin Red Ale or Port. I really didn’t think I could consume any more but they were just so tempting and it would have been rude not to give them a try!  I was glad I did as they were amazing and a perfect finish to our culinary journey.

Fully replete, Frances transported us back to our original meeting point, the Lodge Hotel were we enjoyed a final night cap and a recap of our experiences throughout the evening before retiring to our rooms.  I have to say that this really is one of the most enjoyable experiences around and I can’t wait to do it again!

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones®, a fan of food or simply want a great night out- this is one experience you really shouldn’t miss!  For further details and to book- visit Glenara Elite Travel here.  You won’t regret it!