Northern Ireland - Mussenden Temple & Downhill Demesne

July 18, 2012

Today we went on a little hiking adventure right around the area where we are staying. We started in Castlerock, at Julie Anne's place, and headed off through the fields towards the ocean and Mussenden Temple/Downhill Demesne. We walked along the most beautiful barley field (the key ingredient for whiskey) as we left the house, we could almost hear the bagpipes playing a whiskey drinking song as we went along the path.

Here is a video of the beautiful barley field waving in the wind.

We continued along the path and came upon this hilarious sign hanging on a fence. I think I will have to make some of these for the park by our own house when we get home. :o)

And, of course, the litter bins around the area are made from old whiskey barrels. I guess when there is a surplus of them, they are used for literally everything.

The barley fields suddenly changed to the most beautiful Lord of the Rings, Hobbit type mystical rain forest. As we entered the forest, the entire forest floor was covered in ferns and sorrel.
 I swear there were gnomes watching us as we walked along the path.

 

All at once, we came out of the trees and there was the ocean with beautiful fields of green grass all around. Julie Anne's dog, Charlie, an adorable Brittany Spaniel, was sooooo excited to run through the grass and fetch anything, even the imaginary ball we kept throwing him. Just look how happy this dog is in the video. That tail is about to wag off of his body, and he really is smiling! :o)

We walked along the sea cliffs and came upon this beautiful sight --Mussenden Temple, perched precariously on the edge of the cliff..

Mussenden Temple is located in the beautiful surroundings of Downhill Demesne near Castlerock in County Londonderry. It perches dramatically on a 120 ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland. The view you see here offers spectacular views westwards over Downhill Strand towards Magilligan Point and County Donegal.

History of Mussenden Temple

The temple was built in 1785 and forms part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol. The temple was built as a summer library and its architecture was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, near Rome. It is dedicated to the memory of Hervey's cousin Frideswide Mussenden. The inscription around the dome by Lucretius, 'Tis pleasant, safely to behold from shore - the rolling ship, and hear the tempest roar' presents something of a challenge of nature. Perched on the cliffs overlooking Downhill Strand it was once possible to drive a horse and carriage around the temple. The forces of nature have over the years brought it closer and closer to the edge.

Both the Temple and the surrounding views are among the most photographed scenes in Ireland. In 1997 the National Trust carried out cliff stabilization work to prevent the loss of this lovely building.

The brick lined interior of the temple. As a library, the walls were once lined with bookcases. A fire was kept constantly burning in the basement and an enclosed flue meant that even in this very exposed location the books never got damp.

The view from the west window.

Here is the view looking to the east of the temple toward Castlerock beach, Portstewart, Portrush and Fair Head.

As we made an about face from the temple, there was the outer wall of Downhill Demesne, http://www.abandonedireland.com/Downhill.html
Downhill House was a mansion built in the 18th century for Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol at Downhill, Northern Ireland. Much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1851 before being rebuilt in the 1870's. The house was lived in by the Bruce family until 1922. It fell into disrepair after the Second World War. Downhill House is now part of the National Trust property of Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple.

A photo of the original house 

The view from Downhill of Castlerock, just behind Rowan, Charlie and Julie Anne.

I have this thing for stone paths. I found this one to be really fabulous.

Back to civilization, a photo of the beautiful flower plantings we found in every town, all over this part of Northern Ireland.

 Portstewart: a small town in County Londonderry, just a short drive from Castlerock, with a population of roughly 10,000. It is a seaside resort right next to Portrush and is probably best known for it's large sandy beach, popular with surfers.

I just had to stick my hand in the cool, clear waters of the Atlantic here on this side of the pond.

We went to Portstewart especially to have dinner at this FANTASTIC seafood restaurant 55 degrees North (yes, that is it's latitude). We met Julie Anne's work mates here for a night out with the girls.

Here we all are cackling away inside the restaurant :o)

My dinner brought tears of joy to my eyes. The BEST (hands down) salmon I have ever eaten. Right out of the Atlantic, poached to perfection, served on top of new potatoes in a pool of butter and white wine. YUMM! YUM! YUMMMMM!

Here is a crusted halibut on top of peas & mashed potatoes in a seafood cream sauce.

I can't even explain the crazy delicious desserts we had, but here are the pictures......

Here is the pavlova..............YUM!

We eventually rolled out of the restaurant and back to our B&B to start packing up. We will fly back to the States tomorrow will full hearts and bellies. The places we have been and friends (old and new) and family we have spent time with have made this trip one to remember. We are definitely coming back across the pond for more fun in the future.  Tally Ho!