Introduction to Northern Ireland.

There are six counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. N.I is also known as Ulster, Because it comprises six of the nine counties that constituted the former province of Ulster. The capital city of N.I is Belfast and the other major city is Londonderry. The population here in the north in 1995 was 1,649,000.

Northern Ireland is situated in the north east portion of the island, it has an area of 13,483 sq. km (5206 sq. miles). The north and north east shores are looking out to Scotland and some of its small islands, which are visible on a clear day. Between Scotland and N.I it is around 20 miles at the closest point. The south east shore of N.I is belonging to the Irish sea which would be in line with England and the little island "Isle of Man" is in the middle between N.I and England.

The coastal hills (Antrim Plateau) is pretty rugged in the north Co Antrim section however the coast line tends to drop down on it's approach to Belfast and rise once again 25 miles further south at the Mourne Mountains Newcastle, Co Down. The highest peak in the north ( Slieve Donard) 852m-2769 ft is among this range. The Sperrin mountains is another range situated around thirty miles north west from Belfast, it begins to rise gradually on the west shore of Lough Neagh ( Large unmistakable lake in the center of N.I ), from here the the range extends 30-40 miles north dropping down quite suddenlyin the north west close to the mouth of Lough foyle, around the area of Limavady and the the small coastal village of Magilligan point and Benone strand. There is a beautiful scenic coastline due to the existence of these mountains. The highest peak in the Sperrin Mountains is "Sawel", 2240 ft.

The Sperrins also extend 20-30 miles west towards the second largest city in N.I( Londonderry). The Main route from Belfast to Londonderry is very scenic as it cuts it way through there mountains. The higest pub in Ireland "The Ponderosa" is on this road at the summit of Glenshane pass which is the first tough climb you will meet driving from the Belfast direction.

Co Fermanagh the most western county is the place to be if your into Boating , fishing. birdwatching etc. as it is lowland with many waterways and little islands. The largest town (Enniskillen) is situated between upper and lower Lough Erne which are the two main loughs in Co Fermanagh. Due to the opening of a historic canal a few years back it is now possible to cruise all the way south to the River Shannon in Co Clare. Hireing of cabin cruisers is available at the Marina in Enniskillen with good shopping in the town where you can stock-up with goodies before you leave. Manor Marine a few miles north of Enniskillen on the Kesh road is another place where hire is available

This section is only a guide please read the Highway Code before using the public roads.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland you drive on the left hand side of the road.

The road network in N.I consists of Two main Motorways, Dual carriageways, A and B roads , The M2 leaves Belfast in a north west direction towards Londonderry narrowing to an A road as it bypasses Randalstown (about 26 miles out of Belfast city). The M5 branches off the M2 about 2 miles north of Belfast at Greencastle and would take you along the coast road to such places as Whiteabbey, Carrickfergus, Whitehead, and Larne. The other main motorway (M1) Travels west 40 miles to Dungannon where it also narrows to become an A road, this road will then take you in the direction of Co Fermanagh.a few other short Motorways branch of around of the city of Belfast. The Westlink connects the two motorways by-passing Belfast city center on the west side. The M3 Lagan flyover is a continuation of the M2 and stops a short distance on the east side of Belfast after crossing the river. Dual carriageways are plentiful having a similar appearance to Motorways but unlike motorways dual carriagways have class A and B roads junctions, Roundabouts, Traffic lights etc.

All road surfaces are pretty good here in N.I although some small country roads and coastal areas have sharp bends and uneven surfaces .Signs and road markings are usually well displayed to warn you of these hazards. On mountain roads you are advised to drive slowly and watch out for our wolly friends, the Sheep who often wander around and can be seen sitting in groups by the side of the road leaving little room to pass, a toot of the horn usually moves them on.

Roundabouts are a pretty effective method of keeping a steady flow of traffic. The traffic on roundabouts travels in a clockwise direction. Always give way to vehicles coming towards your right, Non should ever be coming from the left, although some small roundabouts are similar in appearance to a crossroad, T junction, but have a large white dot in the middle, these are know as mini roundabouts, traffic to your left must give way to you likewise you give way to traffic approaching your right. Some roundabouts have zebra crossings on the road entering and leaving the roundabout so be ready to stop for pedestrians at these spots. Indicate you are leaving the roundabout at the exit before yours. When waiting for a gap in the traffic at a roundabout keep an eye on the vehicle in front of you , so many accidents have been caused by the person in front moving off then having to stop again for traffic, the person behind, looking to their right for a chance to go, dosen't realise the car in front has stopped, by the time he realises what has happened it's to late he has crashed into the back of the vehicle in front. Nasty! Some roundabouts have lanes and arrows showing you which lane to use for a particular exit and some larger ones have traffic lights. Always be sure to read the road markings and signs and give way to traffic coming from the right,and watch that guy in front of you! Sandyknowes roundabout at Glengormley, a few miles n.w from belfast has eight roads knotted together, two sets of traffic lights, under the M2 motorway flyover, and is best avoided especially when traffic is heavy if you are unfamiliar with them. Sandyknowes is on the shortest route from Belfast to the ferry port of Larne and the Antrim Glens however by taking the Templepatrick turn-off ( next exit after Sandyknowes) you are adding only a few miles to your journey and avoiding the Sandyknowes roundabout. The scenic coast road from Belfast via Carrickfergus is a little slower alternative route should you be going to Larne and onto the Antrim glens.

Some steep A roads have 3 lanes, leaving only one overtaking lane for the flow of traffic in both directions, the middle lane is used by drivers on the uphill climb to overtake slow moving vehicles. The down hill flow of traffic, before attempting to overtake, must give way to oncoming vehicles that are or will be overtaking on the uphill climb.

A solid white line on the right hand side of the lane you are driving in tells you that you must not overtake, these can be on any road, mostly situated on blind bends and anywhere else where the view ahead is restricted or in other places where it could be dangerous to overtake.

Road signs:

Circular signs usually give orders, triangular signs give warnings and rectangular signs give information.

Signs giving orders:

Those with blue circles usually tell you what you must do.

Signs with red circles usually tell you not to do something.

Speed:

The Speed limit for cars on the motorway is 70 mph

The speed limit in Urban areas is 30 mph but it is common sence to travel even slower in certain conditions, in built-up areas. example: schools especially where cars are parked along the side of the road, 10mph could prove to be too fast.

Getting Around:

Northern Ireland has a frequent and punctual integrated bus & train network operated by a single company,Translink. There a three main Translink services-Citybus serving Belfast and suburbs, Ulsterbus, operating services to all parts of the region, to cross-border destinations as well as Mainland U.K, and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) with four main lines-to Larne (ferry port), Bangor, Londonderry/ Portrush, and Dublin serving intermediate stops and NIR surburban stations.

During spring and summer, Translink usually have unlimited travel offers.

Prices for this year (2001) are as follows:

One day- £11, 3 days-£27.50, and 7 day just £40.

Concession Pass holders and children under 16 years - Half Price

Website: www.translink.co.uk

Beaches

Many sandy beaches are scattered along the coastline

Below is a list of the most popular beach towns

Co Londonderry Portstewart,Castlerock and Benone

Co Down Newcastle, Dundrum,Tyrella ( Minerstown ), Bangor, Groomsport and Millisle.

Co Antrim Ballycastle,Waterfoot, Cushendun, Cushendall, Portrush, Portballintrae, Brown's Bay ( Islandmagee )

Fauna

Northern Ireland Towns

(www.nitowns.com)

Getting Around:

Beaches